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#also there was this one post about how the brothers have a different perception of death
turrondeluxe · 7 months
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I've always been a true believer of medic mikey and I've been thinking a lot of 2012 medic mikey today
so here's a bunch of thoughts about it from my twt if it feels weirdly paced and chopped it's because i just copy and pasted from different posts
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Mikey probably started with the want of learning more about medicine after leo ends up in a coma.
Kind of like a brutal awakening that his older brothers are not invincible
until that point he probably helped both donnie and leo with basic first aid, since in 2012, the brothers all seem to know some sort of basic medical knowledge to a certain point (raph carries a first aid with him in half shell heroes meaning they all probably have their own).
Mikey probably sees leo burdened with his father's shadow and the weight of being the leader and letting everyone down, raph so worried about them at all times and so angry at himself for not being able to protect his family better, donnie mostly always stressed out. with no sleep. always having to FIX something and all this probably make mikey realize that putting being a medic on top of any of his brothers would just be for the worst so he decides to take it into himself to specialize in that part.
Mikey would ask help for getting more information to study about medicine and turtle health veterinary from both donnie and april (april would love to help +she can get more physical aid like books from libraries and such while donnie is the one brother who doesn't actually mind what mikey asks him and also actually answers his questions with facts). While studying he most probably would forget a lot about the scientific or actual names for different things so he would just make up his own designations because that way it makes sense to him (his brothers would all learn later on about mikey's own system perhaps because it's just them and it's not like mikey is going to go work at a hospital so it doesn't really affect them much).
Being the group medic just would fit him so well because hes very smart and not squeamish about A LOT of things in comparison to his brothers (throwback to when donnie did said he was actually squeamish in the show) so donnie probably would also encourage him in his studies and even try to help him to retain info with different methods that actually work with Mikey (because of adhd brain) like making references to his favorite show or comics while learning medical info to make it easier for him to focus.
The fact that mikey is the most perceptive of his brothers and also the one to keep a cool head when all of the other ones are losing it, would be factors that help him while being the medic as well.
Mikey being the smallest one and fastest of his brothers so hes probably the only one who could make it to any of them in record time if needed be.
I feel like, since 2012 mikey is the one brother who uses his skateboard the most, he probably would start bringing his skate strapped to his shell everywhere because he can use it as an emergency medical stretcher to move his brothers around in the case he was not able to carry them around physically
maybe even begging leo for a longboard later on because they are bigger which, again, could help him in emergency situations.
Thinking also on how leo probably didn't really talk much about the healing hands technique with his brothers so mikey probably unlocked the healing hands in his own way and in a really high stress situation where the sheer willing force was just wanting to help his family.
Mikey would definitely sing staying alive while giving cpr: muttering the lyrics along in a frenetic way while punching his brother's chest, because of their plastrons, and trying to get him to breath again all while listening his other brothers yells be deafened by the sound of lasers pass by over their heads.
And after being home and safe, he'd give everyone those lollipops right after quickly making sure none of them are dealing with a concussion (he is but hes fine, he promises).
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Extra: some replies in twt that i also wanted to share here
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solomons-poison · 4 months
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Unpredictability
Chevalier Michel x reader
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: ̗̀➛ A/N: OK I had to do just a little bit more with the Chev thoughts of having a daughter, connected to my headcanon post here, so just have this little slice of life thing. Papa Chevalier has a very special place in my heart ❤️
: ̗̀➛ Warnings: fem reader, reader is the mother of Chev's daughter and queen of Rhodolite; just some sweet fluff mostly in Chevalier's perspective; Chev is likely OOC for a bit lol; not proofread~
: ̗̀➛ Word count: 2193
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Chevalier had a knack for predictions. His perception had always been extraordinary, able to pick up the smallest of clues from his environment and the people around him to know what would happen next. It aided him in his development as a prince, working with his brothers to keep the kingdom running smoothly as his father’s health declined, and it helped him now that he was the king of that same kingdom. He was a monster on the battlefield, strategically taking down enemies with the ease of a beast, and was equally a monster in the courts, always knowing what information was needed where and who to deal with.
When it came to you, however, you were his blind spot.
No amount of strategy and foresight could have prepared him for the way your fates intertwined, or the way you captured his very heart in the palm of your hand. A younger Chevalier would have scoffed at such a notion, that he had the human emotion to even fall in love to begin with when he was most aptly labeled as the "Brutal Beast" by every possible noble in the court. But of course all it took was the wisdom and pure heart of Belle to look deep inside and find the truth. Looking back on the events leading up to the discovery of these feelings, once he met you, he realized it couldn't have gone any other way.
You managed to surprise him at every turn, with your unending love, your wisdom, your thoughtfulness and devotion. That's what made you fit to be his queen, someone that helped him bring out and connect with his human side. The day he married you was something he never could have dreamed of in a hundred years, and even much less so, the tiny babbling bundle you delivered into your lives a year later.
Now he watched as his tiny daughter, three years old and full of toddler mischief, ran through the rose gardens of the palace at alarming speed, eager to see you again after being separated during a diplomatic trip– and she wasn’t the only one that was eager. He could just make out the top of her head, her hair color the exact same as yours and bouncing along as she moved.
That was something he was thankful for, the way his daughter resembled you in so many ways. Her hair color, the shape of her face, even her personality and stubbornness was coming to resemble you too, and he had no doubt the similarities would continue as she grew older. She was also attached to books the same, though honestly he was just as much at fault for that as his queen. However, the one thing that differed was that she had inherited his eyes, a strong clear blue that somehow looked right into your soul.
The little princess was beginning to learn how to use those ice blue eyes to her advantage, much to his amusement. When something didn't go her way, she'd glare at whoever was responsible in no dissimilar way to his own until they cracked from the pressure. It was no end of stress to Sariel or his brothers, realizing there was a little Chev 2.0 in the making. She'd even turned that icy gaze onto him, too, managing to surprise him.
Anyone that looked at her knew immediately whose daughter it was, and something about that sentiment, creating this tiny human so clearly made up of his traits and yours together, warmed him up inside.
Getting lost in his reverie, he quickly lost sight of his small child and hastened his pace. The full bushes made it difficult to keep his eye on her, even with his keen eye and sense of danger, so outside excursions were often accompanied by extra help such as the servants or even Lucien on rare occasion. Thankfully, that wasn’t necessary today as you were the one waiting at the end of their journey through the garden, and the thick foliage made the path clear, leading up to a gazebo.
Just as the image of your face came to mind, he could hear a loud exclamation from up ahead, and turned a corner in time to watch his daughter run into your waiting arms.
“Mama!”
You couldn’t help but grunt from the force with which you were tackled, but your arms wrapped around your daughter as she gripped you tightly.
“Hi, my love! I've missed you,” you said, pulling back to kiss the top of her head. You noticed the missing presence of your husband, glancing around before looking back at your child. “I’m so happy to see you again. Where’s your papa at, can you tell me?”
“Papa is slow,” your daughter mumbled, the excitement of seeing you lost already as she caught sight of the butterflies flitting about from bloom to bloom behind you.
Her wording made you giggle against your better judgment. Your husband could be described as many things, but you were certain the word “slow” was not one of them. But almost as if summoned, his platinum blond head came into view over the bountiful rose bushes, and it was as if all was suddenly right with the world— even if he did have a slight frown on his face.
“Little rabbit, I’ve told you not to run ahead in the gardens,” he sighed, entering the gazebo and patting his daughter’s head roughly. Instantly, her attention turned back to him, two pairs of ocean blue eyes meeting briefly before she looked away.
“‘M sorry, papa, I won’t do it again,” she replied, reaching out to hug his leg, gripping the fabric of his pants with tiny hands. Anyone else that saw this scene would expect the King to be cold and unfeeling in response, but instead he sighed, patting her hair awkwardly without a word.
You watched all this quietly, unable to fight the smile that made its way onto your face. The method of his comforting reminded you much of the early days of your relationship in which he did the same, unsure how to touch you or perhaps even afraid to hurt you. Chevalier may have been called the Brutal Beast for his actions, but he was really more of a beast for the way he was unused to loving human touch.
Over time, he’d eventually grown better and more confident with touching you, a way to express his unending love for you that he couldn’t express with his serious and less-than-romantic words. But it all seemed to revert the moment your daughter was born.
You remembered the very first time he had held her. All his brothers and the palace physician had waited with bated breath, and it was clear in Chevalier’s expression that he had his own reservations about what he was about to do. How could hands used for killing, hands used for exterminating the threats to the kingdom and defending the borders, possibly be suitable for holding that of his small, innocent child? The moment his daughter was placed in his arms, his discomfort was extremely clear –to you, at least– arms frozen stiff in an attempt to be gentle to the tiny creature he'd been entrusted with. But it was this same discomfort and worried reaction that showed you just how much he actually cared about her, and about you, too.
The memory brought a smile to your face, which was met by a strong, familiar poke to the forehead.
“Do not let your head get caught in the clouds, Rabbit,” Chevalier said. His voice was chastising, but the smirk gracing his lips was soft, sweet, making your heart thump.
Chevalier caught sight of one of his brothers out of the corner of his eye, a familiar flop of lilac hair waiting just beyond an ivy-covered arch by the gazebo. It reminded him how, as his daughter grew and came to differentiate his brothers, an unfortunate attachment had grown to a particular somebody. Much to his dismay, his daughter seemed to like her uncle Clavis the most, often shouting his name and using her stubby legs to seek him out when she could, and the feeling was mutual with the resident troublemaker. And Clavis delighted in this fact, often rubbing that in his older brother’s face and using it as an excuse to irritate him at every turn.
But today, Chevalier would use it to his advantage if it meant having you to himself, at least for a little bit. He knelt down to eye level with his child, peering into her familiar ice blue eyes.
“Little rabbit, I want to speak to your mother,” he said. He turned in the direction of his brother, pointing to direct his daughter’s attention in the same direction as well. “Why don’t you go see your uncle Clavis? He’s waiting for you in the gardens.”
His daughter’s eyes widened to a comical size, filled with excitement. Her head whipped around to search, despite Chevalier’s finger pointing the way, but thankfully, Clavis was accompanied by his trusty attendant, Cyran, who popped his head out at the perfect time to catch her attention. His shock of red hair made him look like a human rose, against the background of the gardens.
A shrill shriek filled the air, causing you and Chevalier to wince simultaneously. “Unca Cwavis and Cyan!” Your daughter was still having trouble pronouncing her L’s and R’s, but the men didn't mind. Chevalier watched as his daughter shot forward, “Cyan” quickly bowing to Chevalier in greeting before catching the girl in his arms. As he watched the two leave, he felt an arm slip through his and turned to look at you.
“I’ve missed you too, King Chevalier. I’m so glad to see you look okay,” you said, your relief evident in your smile. “How was everything during the visit? Did everything go alright?”
Chevalier huffed at your questions. “Would I have returned so soon if things did not go well?”
Your face scrunched up for a moment, but you were used to Chevalier’s sass.
“I know, but I’m still allowed to worry about you,” you said, leading Chevalier over to a bench in the gazebo. “The people of Rhodolite know now what a kind King you are, but I can’t say the same about people in other countries. And I know you’re capable of handling many things, but I still don’t want you to get hurt. I’ll always wish for your safety and good health, can’t I wish that for my own husband?”
Chevalier took a moment to look at your face, eyes following the curve of your eyebrows and lips, the shape of your nose and jaw, all features he had long since memorized. Finally, he simply snorted, reaching a hand up to poke your forehead again as a smile made its way onto his lips.
“That is awfully sentimental, and also unnecessary,” he said. “I am not so weak as to be felled so easily. I will always return to my Rabbit in the end, so long as you wish to wait for me.”
Now who’s being sentimental? You didn’t dare say that to his face, although the caution was unnecessary, given the way he was always able to read your thoughts based on your expressions alone. His smile turned teasing, clearly knowing what you were thinking, but he didn’t comment further on it.
“Now, I believe you’re forgetting something,” he said expectantly.
He watched as your head tilted in confusion. The gears were clearly turning in your head to determine what he was waiting for, but it only took a moment for understanding to dawn on your face, your lips curving up into a warm smile.
“Welcome home, Chevalier,” you said, stretching up to place a soft kiss to his cheek.
His arms wrapped around your waist, pulling you close as he returned the kiss to your lips, the taste of home filling his senses. He didn’t speak further, but he didn’t have to. Every ounce of his love was put into his kisses, and you gladly accepted it all.
Neither of you could have ever predicted being here, Chevalier least of all. His life had become a fairy tale on par with the romance books he enjoyed reading but never totally understood. No amount of strict noble education, military strategy, or the annoying words of a certain foolish brother could have told him that a future like this was possible. But as he held you close under cover of the gazebo, happy to finally have you in his arms once again, he realized he was okay with that. You came into his life in a whirlwind of drama and intrigue, turning his expectations around and introducing him to so many unfamiliar things and feelings, like fatherhood, yearning, and love. It wore on him, at times, not being able to see where his future was heading thanks to all the new things he was experiencing by your side. However, so long as it was with you, Chevalier supposed he was okay with a little bit of unpredictability.
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Reblogs and comments are greatly appreciated!
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oneatlatime · 6 months
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More Zuko Alone Thoughts
Last season our expository Zuko episode was The Storm, an episode which I loved. It was both a well-written and well-animated piece of media, and enthralling to watch. I don't want to say enjoyable because of the subject matter discussed, but it was certainly good.
This season's expository Zuko episode was Zuko Alone, and I didn't like it. Although it was animated fantastically, I found the characterisation of Zuko in the present day sections to be completely off. I found it embarrassing, awkward, and frustrating to watch. Now, I've seen the rating this episode has on IMDb, so I know this is just my opinion, and a fairly unpopular one at that. I'm also aware that I'm biased because Zuko is not my favourite character. But I want to explore why, in my opinion, The Storm stuck the landing while Zuko Alone flubbed it.
Here's what I think is the main reason: The Storm is Aang's story about his past, juxtaposed with Iroh's story about Zuko's past. Aang and Iroh are our storytellers; Aang and Zuko are the stories being told.
Zuko Alone is Zuko's story of the present, being experienced through Zuko's perspective, juxtaposed with Zuko's story in the past, being experienced through Zuko's memories. It's too much Zuko, and unlike the characters in The Storm, Zuko has no idea what's going on.
Despite his flightiness and inability to take things seriously, Aang is perceptive, socially and emotionally intelligent (as much as a 12 year old can be), and able to be subtle when the situation calls for it. Look at The Great Divide: as soon as he had the appropriate backstory info, he saw right to the heart of the conflict, he saw that it was stupid as Hell, and he saw and successfully executed a way to fix it that relied entirely on an accurate assessment of all involved parties' stances. And it worked.
Iroh has easily the highest perception stat in the whole show, when he isn't being deliberately obtuse. His wisdom is off the charts, if his one liners are anything to go by.
So despite some very (very) notable differences, Aang and Iroh have similarities in their personalities and their perspectives, and importantly for this post, in their self-knowledge.
Then we get Zuko, who has the perceptiveness and subtlety of a mud brick to the teeth, all the wisdom of a bandaid wrapper, and the social and emotional intelligence of something that starts to grow in your sink when it's been too long since you did the dishes.
Aand and Iroh can see the themes, lessons, mistakes, and places for improvement in the stories they're telling, about themselves and others. Zuko is stumbling through both his past and his present. The Storm is compelling because the audience gets to simultaneously learn expository detail and watch Aang and Iroh go through a process of self-analysis, recrimination, and commitment to doing better. It's an info dump with a hefty dose of character building on the side.
Zuko in Zuko Alone is a dumbass blindly stumbling into the same mistakes we've already seen him make, learning nothing in the process (that I could detect - maybe he'll run into the family's older brother in a few episodes and work up the courage to save him based on what he learned during his time with that family, who knows). Zuko has been trained to be a fighter, not a person, so of course he's going to fail at the 'soft skills' parts of being human. So Zuko needs someone with him to do/model that soft skills work until he learns how to do it for himself. But Zuko is alone in Zuko Alone, so the character development that could have happened doesn't.
I don't need morals and themes explicitly spelled out in the narrative; I'm fine with subtext. But Zuko in Zuko Alone so thoroughly misses what's going on in the episode that it's annoying to watch. And there's no indication at the end of the episode that he's learned anything from having missed those things. There's no indication that he's aware that there was anything to miss.
In The Storm, Aang has Katara to bounce off of and help talk him through his story. Iroh's wise enough not to need a foil, but he does have the ship's crew, both as a reason to tell the story and as an audience to play off of. Heck, in Bato of the Water Tribe, Sokka has Bato giving the speech about the lonely wolf to help him understand the point Sokka's dad was trying to make in the flashback, and avoid the wrong course of action (leaving Aang behind). Aang moves on from self-recrimination and Iroh has won back Zuko's crew's loyalty at the end of The Storm; Sokka has finally understood 'being a man means being where you're needed the most' by the end of Bato of the Water Tribe. But Zuko is alone by choice in Zuko Alone, so he finishes the episode exactly where he started, his mother's last words entirely misinterpreted. No wiser, probably unable to even articulate where he went wrong beyond fire = bad in this context.
There seems to be a theme in this show of the necessity of friends and family networks and support. Aang (with Katara's help), Iroh (with the crew as audience and motivator), Sokka (with Bato's help), all come to better understandings of their responsibilities and/or their mistakes by working things out with the help of at least one other person. Zuko ditches Iroh to play at being a lone wolf and fails in a way that's frankly embarrassing to watch.
So the reason I don't like Zuko Alone is that he's doomed to fail from the start. Zuko is (trying to) go about his character development in a way this show has already showed us is opposite to how it should be done. I'm not fond of 'doomed from the start' narratives as a general rule, mostly because to me they feel like a bad investment. If you know it's all going to end badly (because it started wrong), then why bother committing the time and effort the narrative asks of you? (She says, having read The Silmarillion twice).
So if I became Queen of the world tomorrow and decreed that Zuko Alone needed to be changed to fit my personal tastes, how would I do it? The obvious answer is to shove Iroh in there, but it probably wouldn't work anyway, because Zuko is not showing any signs of being ready to listen - REALLY LISTEN - to those wiser than him. I'm not sure if he's even ready to admit yet that there are people who ARE wiser than him. He's already admitted that there are people with more martial prowess than him, like his sister, but I don't think Zuko actually values wisdom enough to see its worth. So it's probably not even on his radar. If Iroh's presence wouldn't work, what about having a removed narrator, like Iroh did for Zuko's story in The Storm? A narrator who is not as thoroughly blind to what's going on in the past and the present as Zuko. Maybe a single episode character, who tells the story of that time a stranger came to town? That might work. It would fit with the genre this episode is paying homage to. Or you could have an interesting juxtaposition, where the narrator character is not omniscient, narrating the present only, and Zuko is completely alone during the flashback bits. That would probably lead to Zuko making the same mistakes anyway, since it's really his past that he needs to work through.
Or maybe I'm reading way too much into this and I just don't like Zuko enough as a character to like a Zuko-centric story, no matter how it's told. Or maybe 24 minutes of second-hand embarrassment is 24 too many for me. At least he's keeping Song's horse bird fed.
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entomjinx · 9 months
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Luffy and his perception of love
Small thing from twitter because twitter is exploding and I realized I never posted it here. Inspired by my urge to subvert expectations and this post:
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Luffy's perception of what it means to be loved may be warped by all he's been through. His own love is pretty much unconditional, and he cares so deeply for others. However, when it comes to being loved himself-
He thinks he has to earn it via fighting or persistance.
Before I delve into individual characters, I'd like to acknowledge that Luffy is probably the most emotionaly intelligent person in the manga, but also that trauma can affect how a person views themself, leading them to hold themselves to higher/different standards than others.
Let's start with Garp. Garp constantly puts him through training as a child and tells him he must be a marine. He uses his "fists of love" on him to try and make him obey. The one time we see Garp look even remotely affectionate is when he thinks Luffy will become a marine, only for him to get even angrier upon Luffy declaring he wants to be pirate king. He also left him alone in the jungle all the time, and even threw him down a ravine.
Dadan makes a point of loudly declaring she doesn't want them around, which is an obvious lie to the audience, but not as much to the kids. The "If you don't hunt, you don't eat," rule in the mountain bandit's hideout also helps reinforced that important things (food, love) must be earned.
Luffy followed Ace around for three months, being hit with attacks meant to seriously injure him so that he'd be forced to stop following. Many of those attacks may have killed him were he not made of rubber. When he caught up to Ace and met Sabo, they threatened to kill him for knowing about the treasure. Instead, they leave him behind for Porchemy to find.
They spent all that time moving their treasure because they expected Luffy to tell Porchemy it's location. Instead, Luffy went through several hours of torture and refused to speak. If not for this, Ace and Sabo wouldn't have let him be their friend, let alone call him brother and love him. (and while we, the audience, know that Luffy might have broken through to them another way, Luffy doesn't. He would think that not giving into the torture is the biggest part of why he was allowed to be their friend, and later brother.)
He had to blackmail Zoro into joining the crew at first, and Zoro threatened to make him commit hara kiri (suicide via disembowlment with a blade) should Luffy get in the way of his dream to be the greatest swordsman.
He had to free Nami from Arlong for her to join the crew for real.He argued with Sanji at every turn until he wore him down (I refuse your refusal). Robin didn't call him (or anyone) by name until post Enies Lobby, choosing to only refer to him as "Captain."
He saved the lives of most of them, or offered them a way to complete their dreams.
He fights tooth and nail to gain their trust and friendship, because he thinks that they love him the way he loves them if he doesn't. Which could be a major part of why the strawhat grand feet's willingness to follow him confuses him. We know he values freedom above all else, and that he wants them to do what they want, but he still doesn't understand why that choice was following him... because he hasn't done enough to earn that.
Yes, they were all involved in the chaos that was Dressrosa, but that doesn't equal loyaty to that degree.
If it did, Law would finally admit they were friends, and not just allies. Hence his continued insistance of friendship and even though Law says they'll be enimies in the future at the end of Wano, Luffy ignores it. He knows it'll just take so more persistance, because that's what's worked in the past. Growing up in the Gray Terminal would have taught Luffy that people who are nice right off the bat or who suddenly switch to being nice probably want something from you, and while he is canon attitude leads him to not care most of the time, he's definitely aware of it. So he expects people who will eventually care for real to be meaner at first. as if "Real love is always earned and never just given" is a true statement in his mind.
On top of all this, Luffy hates being alone. So of course he fights so hard for these friendships, for the love that he has for his crew and friends... because without them, he'd be alone. What other choice does he have?
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yuikomorii · 1 year
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DL characters from most to least intelligent?
// Oh, this is going to be interesting!
Disclaimer: This top incorporates intelligence as in brain power, perceptiveness and so on. It also has nothing to do with morals or the DL Tokutens, since those are just for fun and not the most accurate version of the characters, therefore it’s based on routes, serious CD dramas and official short stories.
1. Laito
It's no longer a secret that Laito is extremely intelligent to the point of being terrifying. I've already discussed his big brain in this post, but I'll try to summarize it here. This man can read everyone like a book; he can easily absorb and apply any type of information. He's also the only character who can manipulate everyone, including the AB boys, and even Carla was surprised by his intelligence in Dark Fate. I've said it before and I'll say it again: he could twist every DL main cast character around his finger if he wanted to, too bad he’s not good at reading himself.
2. Carla
Literally the Diaboy who would make the best king. Despite the fact that I can't bring myself to ship him with Yui because the couple is far too disturbing, he is a wise and great ruler. We were able to see that best in LE, he's good at plans, logical, and knowledgeable on a variety of topics that can help him get out of uncomfortable situations.
3. Shu
Shu may have many flaws, but he is undeniably intelligent. He appears apathetic, as if he doesn't care about anything, but he knows far more than you'd think. I believe he is the best candidate for king among the Sakamakis because he is open-minded and can reflect on his thought process.
4. Kino
Probably a very unpopular opinion since people don’t really seem to like Kino and yeah, he seems kind of dumb at times, but I'll give him credit for being a really good antagonist. He beat the Tsukinamis on this one; this guy is really good at devising different evil plans in order to sabotage the Diaboys, which I find really interesting.
5. Reiji, Ruki
The boys who like belittling others, despite being more on the booksmart side. They're very knowledgeable for sure, they both have a lot of information in their heads, and they're also more strategic than their brothers. In a nutshell, their intelligence is beneficial. However, because of their overconfidence, they are prone to reacting incorrectly when things do not go their way, which can lead to serious breakdowns.
6. Azusa
Azusa is most likely the character who speaks the least; he is timid and silent, but isn't it true that quiet people have the loudest minds? He pays close attention to everything that goes on around him, and I firmly believe that he is one of the best characters at seeing through people.
7. Kou
Another unpopular opinion since people like to portray Kou as a dumb guy, but that’s not the case. Sure, he doesn’t care about many things and doesn’t always pay attention to what others are saying but that’s because he simply doesn’t want to. I know Kou acts occasionally childish but he has a very mature point of view. Even if his magical eye allows him to read people’s hearts, he must be very cunning to know how to manipulate everyone based on this without coming across as obvious. Additionally, he has an unpredictable nature.
8. Ayato, Yui
Mr. “I’m impulsive and don’t care about others’ opinions” and Little Miss “I act without thinking and have to face consequences afterwards”. Not counting the fact that Yui has more morals and knows more about human stuff (since she’s human after all), they both have the same number of brain cells. Both canonically have little knowledge, they require help most of the time when doing something, and their plans are literally dead ends, BUT I can't deny they're very perceptive at times. I wrote more about Ayato here; he appears ignorant but notices important details and analyzes the behavior of those around him. The same can be said for Yui, who can also be a good observer.
9. Shin
He has more knowledge than Ayato and Yui and was quite clever in Ruki's DF route, but SORRY his LE route made him appear so stupid in my eyes. All of his problems could have been solved if he had tried to use his brain, but he didn't, which is why his route was so frustrating. Don’t get me wrong, I understand that every character has dumb moments, some more, others less, but come on... he didn’t try to logically solve his problems and only suddenly had the big realization to do so, which was IN HIS VAMPIRE ENDING. I excuse characters who make mistakes or act on a whim, but Shin crossed the line in LE. I can't imagine a Diaboy in his own route as dense as Shin was there; he kept getting himself into more and more trash, which is a shame because he would have been much higher on this list if they didn’t do him so dirty there.
10. Subaru, Yuma, Kanato
I feel bad for rating them so low because I really like Subaru and Yuma; Kanato is intriguing too, but the problem is that they almost never get the chance to prove themselves. I understand Subaru's situation because he doesn't have any deep bonds with anyone, after all, he's the only Sakamaki without a brother from the same mother, and he's also quite asocial, so it's not like he'd pay attention to anything that's not his business, but I really don't get why the others didn’t get a big chance to use their brains. Yuma is very useful though, but Kanato's case is a whole other story. I can’t deny that he’s actually sly sometimes but he was Laito's closest brother during childhood; why is Ayato the one to best analyze Laito and not him?? Ayato was literally locked away in his room all day, unlike him, who played with Laito on a daily basis… so much lost potential.
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k0ff1n · 1 year
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WHY EVERYONE IN THE TWST FANDOM IS A PUSSY AND DOESN'T WRITE ABOUT ORTHO:
First of all, sorry if there are any errors, english is not my first language and I'm still learning it.
Seeing how people reacted to this post I'll add some things first, to at least not be called a pedo:
I'm literally a minor, so please don't call me a pedo because that's not really possible I think
If you were to actually read the post, not because you agree but because you want to complain then you have two options, to not read it at all or to consider the first point and the fact that I too would prefer the people writing about him to imagine a older looking version.
As stated before, if you want to complain pls don't interact
So I suppose that everyone who plays twisted wonderland knows who Ortho is, but in case someone doesn't, here's a little description:
He was and still is Idia Shroud's little brother, he died when he was a child and his body was remade by his brother to somehow "keep him alive".
I know that reading this gives the idea of him still being a child and that, if he was one, writing fanfictions about him would be wrong, so this is why I'll try to explain why having this idea while knowing the full story is kinda stupid.
1: HIS AGE
After saying that he died as a child and was made anew it gives the idea that he's still a child, but he technically isn't.
In the birthday card form the first year of the game, which is almost three years ago at this point, Yuu asks him in the interview what was his best memory from a past birthday party. To this Ortho answers the party that was held when he was five, which was eleven years ago. If you know basic math you should understand that 5+11=16, which makes him as old as the first years. Ok I know, some of you don't understand that being sixteen isn't the same as being five years old but for the sake of this post we'll say that, yes he's still a minor and we shouldn't write romantic stuff about him because bla bla bla (Also I'd like to point out that I'm not talking about writing nsfw stuff about him, just relationship scenarios instead of only platonic ones) but if you consider the year in which the card was released then it means that this August he'll be eighteen, so yeah legal age for stuff.
In case you want to argue about what he says in the story I'll leave the screens of the translation:
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2: HIS MENTAL AGE
Writing this might seem stupid but some of you don't understand it so I'll do it anyway. We said that his body is new, and this applies for his mind too, well kind of. Some of his memories as Ortho Shroud, the one who actually lived, are still inside his head, we know that because Idia somehow put some of them back inside of him to "preserve his little brother". With this said we are left with:
50% old memories
50% all that's known to mankind
We know that in his head he can search everything, you can clearly see that during history lessons and in some of his cards (if I'm not wrong it was a birthday one but I'm not sure which of the two). He talks about how much he likes playing games with other students and that since he can predict everything they'll do they decided to create a handwritten list of moves to use against him. From this we get:
He can know everything from the entire internet, from every site and from every data storage around the world
Can without much trouble go against entire groups of people at once and still win, something that I don't think someone with the mind of a kid can do
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To conclude this first part about his head I'll just say that you can't have the mindset of a child if you know everything, and this applies to him too. 3: HIS PERCEPTION OF HIMSELF
This is still about his mind but with a different point of view. When we finish the sixth chapter of the story Ortho gains a real heart, a real himself we can say. He's finally free from his brother's restrains and he starts to become a real person. The school realizes this too and accepts him as a student, starting from the first year. This might seem obvious but we know that two years before, when him and Idia arrived at the school, he wasn't perceived as a person, he was just a tool, another piece of metal and cables that his brother bought with him. Now having a heart and a mind of his own he still has the knowledge he had before but he can also appreciate things from another prospective, one only a real living being can have. I feel like saying this might not mean much but to put it simply: he arrives at the school and is fourteen, he stays a total robot for another year and then we meet him when he's sixteen. After another year he gains a heart and he's almost an adult and now, one year after he's become a person, he's to become eighteen. He's almost a literal adult, this is what I wanted to say. Another thing that I'd like to point out is the fact that during chapter six he acts a different way when with or without his brother. The "childish" version of him is only visible when he's talking to Idia and that single time that he slips in an annoyed expression, one his brother has probably never seen, he gets asked if there is need for maintenance. His real self is later introduced, he's way more similar to his brother if not worse at some points. Various times he expresses amusement in seeing someone struggle, something that even Idia had never done. We can clearly see that the version of Ortho that we've always seen wasn't the real one but something that his brother remembered about him from their childhood and that he had to take as his only option regarding personality. His real personality is yes, friendly, but not childish in the slightest. The most childish character in the game is probably Kalim lol. Btw these are some screens from one of the cards where be talks about himself and stuff, even before becoming a real person:
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4: HIS BODY
We know he's short, he's 148 cm. Oh wait you want to say that his face almost looks... like the one of a young looking person? Please don't. Seriously, this might mean something if he was the only character in the game with a young looking face but he isn't, we literally got Epel and Riddle a similar design. And oh look, people write about them, even nsfw stuff, but no one complains for some reason. Epel is sixteen, a minor, but no one says anything if someone decides to simply add the "every character here is aged up so everything's fine" thing. Riddle is seventeen, oh look, another minor people don't have a problem writing about. You can clearly see how stupid this is, he's the same age as them, has the same type of design as them but for some reason is treated different from the fandom. Also, to add things to this mix of reasons, his body isn't even human, he's a literal thing made of metal, wires, fans and a heart. Idia could customize him any moment, and maybe in the future he will who knows, but for now this is what we got.
There's also a "problem" with his voice if we want to call it that. Yes, in this case I'll say that he sounds like a kid, but there's a reason. When Idia created him the only voice he has ever heard his little brother speak with was the one of a five years old, we can clearly hear the similarities between Ortho's real voice when he was a kid in chapter six and the one that AI Ortho has. But during chapter six we also hear the voice that he's supposed to have now, and it's not a childlike one, he really sounds like a teenager.
5: THE FINAL (not the dir en grey song) PART
After all these paragraphs I sincerely hope that at least some of you understand how all this doesn't make sense. I know I'm not the only one who thinks this, I know other people with this same idea but at this point no one can really write anything without being called slurs or assuming random things about them. This post was just a simple explanation of how I see this "issue", if we want to call it that.
Also as stated at the start of the post I too would really prefer an older looking version of him, one with the voice we hear in chapter six from his real and current self and not the one that resembles his old one. This said I understand why some of you want to complain about me wanting fantictions about him and this is why I say that if there will ever be some I will only be imagining the "older" version and not the one that we have now in the game.
Thanks for everyone who read till this point and have a good day :)
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star-anise · 1 year
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Speaking of potatoes and fantasy worldbuilding and the impact that they have on a culture: You discussed how potatoes free a society from a lot of things that grain imposed. Including how potatoes are pretty much ready to cook/eat right from being grown. That had me wondering about potatoes in various worldbuilding projects which leads me to this: Is it as easy to turn a potato into a food item that will keep, potentially for months or years, as one can with wheat (see: Hardtack/etc, for an extreme example). Or is that actually an advantage of wheat over potatoes? Because your post kind of makes it sound like once a society gets potatoes, why would any peasant choose to keep growing wheat? Or is that the point, they really *wouldn't* choose to keep growing wheat?
I think modern society's uses of the two are pretty good illustrations. We like wheat, and we also like potatoes! Bread, but also french fries! Beer, but also vodka!
So it's not always an either/or choice: Homesteads that grow for their own tables tend to have their fingers in a lot of different pies, like livestock, dairy, poultry, field crops, fruit trees, and vegetable crops. This is partly an insurance policy: If one crop doesn't make it, maybe another will. Maybe it rains so hard your potatoes all rot in the ground, but your wheat finds a way to survive—or the storm is so violent your wheat is all flattened in the field, but your potatoes were perfectly fine.
But there's also the part where we humans tend to like variety in our diets, which is partly physiological (we need a lot of different vitamins and minerals, and which ones we need can shift with the circumstances) and partly psychological (because we can get really tired of having to eat the same damn thing over and over and over. Yes, samefood crew, we exist, but we're also statistically rare.)
But if you had to choose: If you intend to eat what you grow and you've got limited land and equipment, potatoes are the hands-down winner. It's really easy to plant a pound of potatoes and get five pounds back at the end of the season. Depending on storage conditions, you can keep them for several months.
However, if you want to earn your living by selling your crop for cash, it's a little more complicated. Potatoes, though lovely, are also demanding; they are prey to literally dozens of problems that range from "potato is being eaten by an insect" to "potato is being eaten by a fungus" to "potato did not get enough water" to "potato got too much water." Even when your potatoes are technically edible, they might end up harder to store, harder to turn into food, or just plain ugly, which makes people less likely to buy them.
Also, and maybe this is just my personal perception from trying to pick three acres of potatoes by hand when I was 13, harvesting potatoes is a pain in the ass. They grow down in the dirt, so to get them out again, you have to physically dig them up and shake them apart from chunks of earth. I've never harvested grain by hand so maybe I'm just ignorant, but to me that's a lot of bending, kneeling, crouching, and scrabbling through the dirt. Like, harvesting 1 potato plant? Delightful search for buried treasure. 10? Wipe sweat off your brow and feel very satisfied with yourself. But the year I was 13 we harvested at least 100 potato plants. It was the year we studied the Russian Revolution in school and I felt the peasants had a definite point.
(And then they weren't good enough to be sold as food crops. They stayed in our garage, a giant pyramid touching the roof, for half the winter. We ate potatoes every single day until my brothers campaigned for an end to it. My parents donated 10,000 lbs of potatoes to the local food bank and my dad bought a potato picker at an estate auction the following year.)
Wheat does not make a great home-consumption crop these days, since it takes a lot of work to process into flour. In the last decade I've seen some affordable home flour mills, and if you have a combine harvester that's actually doable, but when I was a kid, the nearest flour mill to us was 1000km away. Without a combine, you still need to thresh and winnow the grain. It's a whole thing.
On the other hand, if you have the tools and facilities to process it, wheat is generally simpler to grow, easier to transport and sell, and the straw it leaves behind* is a useful byproduct. And while I do love eating potatoes, and you can technically make cake and bread out of them, I, like much of the rest of the world, prefer to eat things made with wheat flour, and am also fond of other grain products like rolled oats, rye bread, and multigrain bagels.
(*Sidenote: Straw and hay are different things. Straw is the stalk of grain like wheat or barley. It has minimal nutritional value and is used for bedding and insulation. Hay is a nutritious blend of cut grasses and plants that are fed to farm animals instead of, or in addition to, access to pasture they can graze in. In case that's useful.)
In British history there IS a whole huge thing with the Agricultural Revolution where land use transferred from smaller peasant farmers growing food for themselves, to larger farmers growing cash crops to feed a mostly-urbanized population, which was part landlords kicking people off their land so it could be used differently, and part peasants seeing factory jobs in the city as a welcome escape from the backbreaking labour of farming. While I think the landlords shortchanged their former tenants, and the urban factory owners were horrible to their workers, I think we also need to remember that the peasants who said "Fuck this hoe, I'm off to town" had a very valid point.
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Lumi headcanons
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i have dragged myself outta the hell that's been my weekend and have FINALLY cobbled together all of my thoughts abt Lumine,,, it's a lot so bear w/ me bc i love her so so so much. the big list of h/c's: - extroverted lumi,,, - tired older sister / mom of Paimon. Paimon may know more about Teyvat than Lumine does, but Lumine's the one who takes care of Paimon and guides her through the harder things in life; definitely gives the vibes of Paimon being a kid sister and Lumine being very protective of her. somewhat mother but also not??? definitely the adult between the two smh - incredibly smart. very perceptive with a lotta intuition. i mean, you need to be able to be quick on the draw if you're going to be traveling nonstop, y'know?? - paragon Lumi is my roman empire. - frugal as SHIT, penny pincher extraordinaire. Paimon has yet to find all the emergency funds, and Lumine is adamant on KEEPING it that way. - abandonment issues. listen,,, listen she's got em, we all know she does, and i feel like she gets very attached to people but doesn't really let them know. - stemming from abandonment issues, I feel like she's got this issue of putting the weight of the world on her shoulders? like she cannot let herself feel negative emotions and bottles up a lot of the bad shit she deals with. her belief is that if she's not being a positive force, she's failing everyone around her and they'll one day leave her behind. - adding onto that bit, it definitely shows through the fact that she's not quick to actually anger. like her anger is VERY VERY rare, and usually she's very relaxed and tries to work through things as calmly as possible. - despite lumi being slow to anger, she's def violent in a mischievous gremlin way. definitely gives the vibe of 'u called me short, i am consuming ur knee caps'. But this is more of a bit and something to do as an intimidation tactic for ppl who don't know her, and it feels very accurate tbh - Lumi is bilingual, nothing more needs to be said. - she has scars. like a few of em, too. Mostly from her adventures in Teyvat, since she's less durable than she's used to being??? She has some scars from her fight against Dvalin, a scar or two from fighting Childe, a LOT of scars from Inazuma, as well as scars from using the elements!! - on the topic of scars, i DO believe she has scars from losing her wings in the fight with the Unknown God. and like, this hurts her. she feels such intense guilt over what happened and how she failed to protect her brother. she would gladly boast to you about any of her scars, but if you mention the ones on her back, she gets,,, quiet,,,, - i have done a deep dive dissection of the differences between the twin's elemental animations, and one day i will post that i swear; but for now all imma say is that Lumi struggles w/ Geo element the most. - fear of failure! i mentioned it before, but I personally feel like this has such a huge affect on her? - speaking of fears; CLAUSTROPHOBIA! listen, lumi definitely feels like she'd be claustrophobic, can't handle tight spaces. she also is terrified of the Abyss specifically, but tight spaces? unable to move? feeling trapped???? yeah, she's got that besties. - she feels like such a mom sometimes i s2g. like some of these characters feels like characters she would call her kids teasingly. personally believe Bennett called her "mom" once and he hasn't been able to live it down since b/c she refuses to answer to anything else from him now. - protective Lumi is my favorite, nothing more to add. - Lumine is very dancer-like in a lot of her animations, so me personally i think she would be a good dancer ong. - GOD tiered Cook, she's so fuckin good at that shit, like girl can crack just about any damn recipe she gets.
OKAY,,, I THINK,,,,,,,,,,,, I THINK I GOT THEM ALL DOWN,,,,,,,,,,
this went way longer than i meant, the brain worms ate through my skull and i got very carried away. but also it feels good to have the general gist of it all down,,, my beloved lumine i adore u so so much,,,,
anyway these were my h/c's for Lumi, i'll work on Kaeya next i think b/c i have Many Thoughts (tm) on him. :)c
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leonscape · 1 month
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i feel like we all perceive the suitors differently based on who we are and idk why or what compelled me to make this post but i’m sharing anyways
i’ve seen people hc sexualities and i feel like i have a unique view because im ace but i also don’t call characters gay just because? i have never developed feelings for anyone nor do i participate in discussions about who’s hot and who’s not. im kinda not wired that way so i feel like that makes my perspective different.
i think it’s interesting when people call the suitors gay and ship them because they’re actually straight, meant for a female audience. it’s not heterosexual content and i think it really comes down to how the characters are written, and the type of person viewing the characters.
disclaimer: this is my opinion you do not have to agree with it, but i do ask you to be respectful. you do not need to argue your opinion or against mine so let’s keep it chill
okay let’s start ^_^
jin is straight there’s literally no arguing this one. his love of women is very intense but he’s just being one of the bros unapologetically? i think everyone can agree on this one.
chevalier hear me out is ace. i bet he’s the type to read erotica with a straight face and it truly is for the plot. it doesn’t bother him and he doesn’t pay attention to that kind of thing. if we take out the otome aspect out of ikepri, he’d just be aroace fr. and i think this way because he tells emma to prove that romance and love has worth. so i don’t see him attracted to men and i don’t think he’s attracted to women either he just falls in love with emma because she’s the beauty to his beast romance?
clavis probably is also ace, gray ace. in my post about ace hc’s i said he’s probably ace and im pretty sure that was before his route came out and now after having played it, i still stand by that. i think sexual attraction isn’t important to clavis. i think he’s more worried about abandonment and figuring out if this person is his ride or die kind of person. i just think his priorities are different and maybe that’s why it seems like he comes off as ace. i do not see him being attracted to men.
leon is straight. maybe it’s jin’s influence and i see them as very similar. maybe it’s purely just my perception of him. i have heard that some people think his bi because everyone is charmed by him? but i just don’t see him reciprocating that kind of preference to guys. i think he also has a hard time reciprocating energy towards women too. idk i guess i imagined him talking to a nice girl, everything’s going well, but his stomach drops as he reminds himself that he’s a fake. he doesn’t let people get too close to him otherwise he will get eaten alive by the guilt from deceiving them but he’s also afraid to tell them. i mean how is he supposed to tell his partner when he hasn’t told his closest brothers? the brothers that he’s grown up with and grown close to? i also just think he’d be enthusiastic about being a dad and starting a family because he didn’t know his parents and he didn’t even have the luxury of having leon’s parents either so i think it would mean a lot to him to start a family and give his kids a mom and a dad. wait this isn’t a post about just leon i got carried away oops but does this mean i think leon is ace? nah he’s just afraid that his insecurity in his identity will damage the relationships he has and the illusion of leon.
yves is ace i don’t care what they say his spicy content feels very performative and fan service-y to me. i said he’s ace in my ace hc post too so i still stand by that. he gets embarrassed when he talks about it so i don’t think he’s really comfortable in his sexuality? me personally i project onto yves just a bit?? like im just gonna say that desire does not equal sexual attraction because i get confused and uncomfortable about it sometimes so i have to remind myself. i think he wants to participate in those types of acts but feels conflicted. also i know he’s the resident femboy and that’s more likely to get him labeled as gay or something but i actually don’t see him being into men but we know he’s an ally from that one bond story of his.
licht, i swear im not doing this on purpose because of my own biases, but he’s ace too bro. he doesn’t really pay attention to sexuality and attraction and stuff. or maybe the more traumatized or mentally ill they are the more i think they’re ace. wait that’s not true i’ll get to nokto after this. yeah idk licht is depressed af so he don’t have time to think “mmh men” or “mmh women” or “mmmhh both” there’s no attraction until after he established a relationship so yeah i guess he’s demisexual.
nokto is gay. okay fine i’ll say bi. weeell ok not naming names but kinda because it’s a small fandom and it’s not hard to figure out. but my perception of him has definitely been influenced by fandom. now i just think he likes men
luke is honestly i don’t know i guess he’s straight. he doesn’t do sus things and he just seems like what jin was like before his addiction to breasts and to “the sand in the hourglass” (assuming jin wasn’t always a pervert like that).
i do not have enough information on gilbert
keith is straight you cannot tell me he wouldn’t have a wife and 10 kids if he was born a commoner. he’d be a farmer just plowing the fields, growing medicinal plants, and providing for his family. he just seems like a straight up guy (see what i did there) making an honest living and obeying his wife who is in charge of the household.
silvio is another straight guy. attracted to women but doesn’t want to be because his money attracts the wrong kind of women.
rio also straight he’s probably only attracted to emma actually so yeah i know we joke about it but i think this guy really just only likes emma
finishing off the list strong with my sariel ace hc. yeah he’s giving the “i’m too busy with work/school” ace tbh. he’s like the professional guy that ignores the flirting but every once in a while it does affect him if he’s interested. but i don’t think he experiences much attraction and maybe he doesn’t have time either?
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teabreaking · 2 years
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i think it’s interesting how there are a lot of similarities between the playable cryo characters: they all tend to have contradicting personality traits, they deal with isolation/loneliness, and due to these factors they are emotionally repressed. i think cryo vision theories differ so much from each other because they have so much in common, and this makes it difficult to pinpoint how exactly these characters get their visions.
but personally, i believe that cryo visions have less to do with any of these things, and more to do with the concept of preservation.
(more details below)
think about it: there is already evidence of cryo having a rather…unnatural property of being able to preserve living beings. in xiangling’s story quest, we learn that a man from springvale was frozen for around three hundred years by a cryo regisvine (and managed to survive after all those years). similarly, in dragonspine (a region with an abundance of cryo energy) there are blocks of ice which are able to preserve elemental beings and living creatures without killing them…
now here is where we delve into the characters (well, at least all of them except aloy, who doesn’t have a vision story for some reason)…
i’ve come to the conclusion that a common theme of cryo visions is the desire to preserve something.
in shenhe’s case, this meant preservation of oneself (or survival). her story is simple: by gaining a vision during her struggle with a monstrous god, she was able to tip the scales in her favor and well, win and survive.
rosaria’s situation is quite similar. after she was captured by bandits, her life was a constant battle against hunger and cold. her cryo vision is what ultimately allowed her to gain the respect of the bandits, which was essential for her survival as she had already been driven by hunger and worn down from hard labor…
eula’s survival mechanism is definitely more of a mental struggle rather than a life-or-death situation, but in her vision story it is quite literally referred to as “her means of self-preservation” so… i think this one fits perfectly
qiqi’s vision manifested right before she was about to die, and in that moment she wanted to stop the flow of time. she didn’t want to die, she wanted to preserve her life and the memories of a happy past with her family…
now kaeya’s is one that confuses me a lot, because i can’t decide if his vision can be traced back to a survival instinct he felt during his fight with diluc, or if it’s something more complex involving his ties to khaenri’ah
the other one that i’m very unsure about is chongyun, mainly because he had three major ambitions when he received his vision: “become the greatest exorcist in liyue, control his abundance of yang energy, and rid the world of evil spirits.” personally i think controlling his yang energy would involve him preserving some kind of “emotional homeostasis” so that kind of works… i guess…
but it’s also important to note that preservation can extend to other things as well…
take diona, who desperately “wishes for her father to always be the man that she admires.”in other words, she wanted to preserve that positive perception of him
then there’s ayaka, who felt obligated to preserve the prosperity of the kamisato clan alongside her brother (who had just become the new clan head) as her mother lay sick and dying…
and as a pacifist who cares deeply for all living things, preserving the peace in liyue after the archon war was of prime importance to ganyu, and it seemed to be on her mind as she became secretary in the government and got a vision
i feel like there are many holes in this theory but there were also so many things that lined up, so i just wanted to make a post about it. i’m curious to know what everyone thinks, so please tell me 👀 (if anyone actually ends up reading a post this long and disorganized smehdmjdjd)
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karamazovposting · 1 month
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On Ivan and bipolar disorder (part two)
Before continuing from where I left off in part one I have to say something: I go over some heavier stuff in here. Nothing that isn't already present in the book and that I haven't seen mentioned in other people's metas, but I still want to give you a heads up: the main focus of part two is suicide/suicidal ideation and childhood trauma. I mean, this is a The Brothers Karamazov meta about a bipolar coded character so I think you all already knew these things were going to be in here, but I think that if you have bipolar disorder or are close to someone who has it some things could be upsetting or remind you of some unpleasant (to put it mildly) experiences. Writing certain things hits me at least (though not in a triggering way), but I think it's important to touch certain topics as they are core topics when it comes to bipolar disorder and it's impossible to talk about it without going over the ugly stuff. I've also been on meds and in therapy for years and I'm doing fairly well in life now so that's all in the past. Anyway don't worry, this is the only part of this essay that includes these topics.
This said, here's what I'll go over in this post: mostly what Ivan says in The brothers get acquainted, Rebellion, and The Grand Inquisitor, focusing more on the former two than the latter, as I personally find a particular passage of The brothers get acquainted to be one of the most beautiful and bipolar things I've ever read and we need to talk about Rebellion to further understand Ivan's inner world. The Grand Inquisitor isn't really that useful in this case but there's one thing that caught my attention.
As I already said in part one, The brothers get acquainted is the chapter that made me decide that Ivan is bipolar coded. I've even written a specific part of it down and read it to my therapist because I am, in fact, clinically insane. At this point I don't think I can hide how biased I am anymore, not that I ever really tried anyway, so I'll start by saying that this is my favorite part of the whole book. It may seem strange because it seems like such a small and simple chapter: it's not The Grand Inquisitor, it doesn't have the dreamlike atmosphere of Cana of Galilee or the chaotic passion of Delirium; it's not the courtroom scene or the epilogue. No one's getting murdered or hallucinating the devil or getting falsely accused, just Ivan talking about himself and letting us see his humanity like we had never before. We get to know him in the same way and at the same time his own brother does.
Why is this, in my opinion, the most crucial passage? What does it tell us? This is the first window on Ivan's inner world we get and the first thing it tells us, through Alyosha, is that there's a significant gap between how other people see Ivan and how he actually is. I mean, we already had a glimpse of that in the previous chapters through Miusov, Dmitri and even Fyodor, but Ivan was never there. The difference here is not only that Ivan is present, but also that Alyosha managed to see right through him in a way the others didn't, and it's telling that Alyosha asks Ivan if he'll get angry and feel insulted after hearing what he picked up on, considering that it's just that Ivan is after all a regular twenty-three year old. Alyosha even tells him he's nice! The thing is that Alyosha thinks that to Ivan the offense wouldn't be in what he managed to see in him, but in the fact that he managed to see it in the first place. I think I'll go over this and the other characters' perception of Ivan in part three because it doesn't really fit with this part's themes and also I have a feeling this post will get long even without it (sorry!).
Ivan is not angry at all though, he's amused and he takes this opportunity to open up; after all he did say he wanted Alyosha to get to know him (and viceversa!). I think it's important to note that he ends up pretty much monologuing for three chapters straight, almost as if he's used to bottling up his feelings and keeping his thoughts to himself (I'm pretty sure it's actually stated somewhere that he does, I had some little notes I wrote in my phone mentioning something like that but my notes app crashed before I could save them and I can't for the life of me find it in the book, but I swear it's there).
Here we get to see Ivan's rather unusual attitude towards life: he's not actively suicidal in that moment, but he doesn't exclude the possibility of suicide later in life, and not only this is a very bipolar feeling on its own, but the origin of this feeling and the way he explains his reasons also are. Ivan is very tired, both physically and mentally, it's stated multiple times through the novel, but he doesn't necessarily hate life even though he has mixed feelings towards it; on one hand he says there is no kind of misery, no matter how deep, capable of making him want to stop living (after all, bipolar disorder is all about bouncing back up no matter what), but on the other hand he's repulsed by life and that's why he describes his lust for it as inconvenient and against logic. He wants to live but he hates that he wants to live and he knows he'll eventually get tired of it and just quit, and it's something he feels very strongly, all of it. The thing that really sticks out to me and that struck me is that his passive suicidal ideation is very thought out (unlike Dmitri's which feels more impulsive to me but that's another story for another post), like he's gone through miserable periods of his life several times (I mean, the narrator does also say it) and he came to the conclusion that yes, this is bearable, but only for a limited number of years. He says he asked himself a thousand times if it's worth it and after a thousand times he gave himself the illusion of choice: I will kill myself but I won't succumb to my misery, I'll just be too tired to keep living, it will be my choice. With Ivan (just like with bipolar disorder in general) it's all about control and it's something that hits very close to home to me to the point I had to stop reading to stare at the wall and go he gets it. He really does, this is a very common sentiment and experience among people with bipolar disorder and that's why it's sadly one of the mental disorders with the highest suicide rate (and most historical figures with bipolar disorder I know about actually did die by suicide). The constant up and down is exhausting and that's exactly the feeling Ivan's words gave me, he describes the bipolar experience so well I was genuinely impressed considering The Brothers Karamazov was written and is set in the second half of the 1800s, when psychiatry and psychology were just starting to be born. I think it's also important to mention that he doesn't really give himself much time either: he's only twenty-three and he set his own life to end at thirty. It's only seven years, but seven years can seem like an infinite amount of time when you have to deal with what we have to, especially if we consider my interpretation of Ivan and his childhood. What do I mean by that? I mean that this is about to get interesting (and kind of personal).
Now, in the past almost two-hundred years, no one has still figured out the exact cause of bipolar disorder as the exact mechanism behind it is still unclear (to the point we don't even know why the meds used to treat it work, we just know that for some reason they do) but it mostly comes down to two factors: genetic and environmental. It's usually a mix of the two and it's most likely that once again it varies between individuals, but a very common bipolar experience is the one of a traumatic and overwhelming childhood: many of us had to deal with a mentally ill parent growing up due to the genetic factor and many of us went through so much stress and trauma that the end result could be nothing but bipolar disorder. And this is where Ivan's character stumbles in: I think his protectiveness towards children and his impossibility to accept their suffering stem from his impossibility to accept his own traumatic childhood. Let's be clear, all four brothers had a traumatic childhood, but Ivan seems to be the one who's most impacted by it. Dmitri was abandoned by his mother at the age of three and his father forgot about him (just like he forgot about Ivan and Ivan also seems deeply affected by that considering how he reacts when Fyodor doesn't remember Aleksej's mother was also his own), Pavel never got to know his due to her death in childbirth, and Aleksej's only memories of his mother are fuzzy and dreamlike, which leaves Ivan as the only one who actually has clear memories of his mother: an ill woman who probably couldn't take care of him and his little brother properly because of that and who died young (very traumatic for a child); he probably still remembers her screams. There's a very well written post about how each brother was affected by their respective missing mother figure so I won't go into that because there's no need and it doesn't really fit in here, but I think this is a very important part of Ivan's life that also obviously reflects in his adulthood (again, I'll talk about it in the future), and that we have to take into consideration as an example of what kind of pain a child has to go through to turn out a certain way.
But why am I saying this? I'll be honest with you: mere projection. Ivan's words on the injustice of children's suffering resonated with me so much, especially in relation to his refusal to accept God's existence in a world that allows such things to happen. As you probably figured, I'm an atheist myself and I am for the same reasons he is. There's a quote by Sylvia Plath, who also had bipolar disorder: I talk to God but the sky is empty. I won't elaborate because I don't feel like this is the place, but I relate to it a lot and I think it's applicable to Ivan as well. Mind you that I'm not here to talk about religion, I mean no disrespect and I wouldn't have mentioned my atheism if it hadn't been relevant, so please don't say anything unnecessary about that.
My projection went even further when I realised that Ivan is young (we're the same age actually!), what business does he have to be talking like that? Why does he talk like that but his brothers don't? But I also talk like that so here's that and here's connecting the dots, as I started doing a couple paragraphs ago.
Symptoms of bipolar disorder on average start manifesting during early adulthood, which checks out because Ivan is twenty-three. But he already seems to have a lot of experience "on the field" and it's unusual for someone that age, so it got me thinking a lot, mostly about my own experience. I was "lucky" enough (I still haven't figured out if I'm being sarcastic or not, as it can be both a blessing and a curse, how ironic) to develop symptoms way earlier than the usual onset age of twenty-five, which led me to being diagnosed and starting treatment as a teenager (blessing, the earlier you start treatment the more effective it is on the long run), but which also means I was a terrified child fighting for my life on a daily basis (curse, for obvious reasons) and I thought that maybe Ivan's background could be similar to mine considering what I said earlier about his very strong feelings towards the suffering of children; it's still projection but at least it makes sense. I genuinely don't know how common this experience is, apparently cases like mine are quite rare (I've had this disorder for most of my life), so I guess I also take some sort of comfort in Ivan's character due to this.
And with that, we're done with both The brothers get acquainted and Rebellion, so where does this leave The Grand Inquisitor? As I said earlier, there isn't much to say about it in my opinion when it comes to the point I'm trying to make, but there is one particular thing that I noticed: Ivan thanks Alyosha for listening to him, he thanks him for caring. I found it very sweet but also quite sad and I think it's useful insight about how Ivan lives his life and his relationships with other people. If everything goes as planned, part three should be mostly focused on that and Ivan's particular (and partially self-inflicted) loneliness (which is also tied to how other people perceive him, I already mentioned that, I know) so I won't talk about it now. I also want to highlight that Ivan makes a joke! It's not the usual kind of joke he makes though, as we previously see that Ivan's humor consists mostly of taking the piss out of people he doesn't particularly like or agree with, this time he makes a lighthearted joke about his poem that isn't at the expense of anyone ("that's plagiarism") and he's even described as being delighted in that moment. I personally found that cute and I think we don't talk about this side of Ivan enough.
I'll stop here because I think I covered everything I wanted to regarding these particular parts of the book. I'm not completely satisfied with this, but I got stuck for days because it was a little hard for me to write this part, I wanted to get it over with as soon as possible because I had to treat matters I'm sensitive about (hence the slight change of tone between this and my other posts, I noticed and I hope it wasn't too depressing, I tried throwing in some humor here and there), so I wrote in as little sittings as possible and I barely gave this a couple rereads, sorry. It feels more emotional than part one, which is something I am not a fan of but I'm not surprised and there isn't much I can do about it (other than fix my own discomfort with human emotions I guess but I'm working on it). I wanted to write this but at the same time I didn't but there was no way for me to completely exclude my personal experience as it's the main reason why I saw what I saw in Ivan and I'm writing this essay in the first place, but please don't dwell too much on it. I managed to edit most of it out anyway but still.
I wanted to go over Ivan's implied problem with alcohol as well and also the comparison with Dmitri (I mentioned him at the beginning for this reason) because I see the two of them as being two sides of the same coin, but I didn't really know how to include them (I think I'll briefly talk about the former in one of the next parts but I'm not sure how or when) and then I realised these topics can be treated together (as I think they're related) in a separate and more elaborate post that is not part of this essay, so look forward to that (and the rest of this long ass thing).
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deripmaver · 8 months
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Griffith, Sex, and Power
Feat. a brief special guest: Laurent of Vere from Captive Prince (spoilers, and of course canon typical content warnings for both Berserk and Capri)!
Ok time for a complete 180 from all my Berserk meta posts so far hahahah. Probably this is one that’s been made before, but I wanted to take a crack at it possibly from a different angle than before. This’ll be just sort of a ramble, no panels ‘cause those panels make me sad and I don’t want to go looking for them.
In CS Pacat’s Captive Prince, Laurent of Vere was directly inspired by Griffith from Berserk. Part of what allows the audience to forgive him for the sexual violence he causes Damen is when we learn that said abuse is just being replicated from his own experiences. Laurent has learned by being abused as a teenager that sex and power are intrinsically linked (as he says to Damen, his perception of sex is that it occurs “as a man takes a boy”), and so when the man who killed his brother (and lead to his abuse in the first place by leaving him with his uncle) is put in front of him, the ways he dominates and reasserts power over him come from his own sexual trauma.
It’s not hard to see how this characterization draws from Griffith. As a young teenager, he is given the “choice” (which isn’t really a choice at all) to make money to sustain his dream by winning battles, and thereby sending his followers to their deaths, or by prostituting himself to Gennon. As far as we know with what’s given to us in canon, up until he sleeps with Princess Charlotte this is his only sexual experience - purely transactional, a show of power from those who have it forced upon those who do not have it. 
When Griffith has sex, in Princess Charlotte’s case, or... commits sexual assault, in Casca’s case (twice), it’s not a coincidence it happens at moments where he feels at his lowest and most powerless. It’s ALSO not a surprise that he replicates the dynamics he’s familiar with during these sexual encounters. With Charlotte, he goes to see her to regain a sense of control and authority after Guts leaves, and during that encounter she expresses uncertainty at the beginning, outright saying no before eventually just kind of submitting to it. This encounter I think falls into somewhat of a gray area of fictional consent, because we see ultimately Charlotte happy with it, and thinking only fondly of it in later chapters, but it’s undeniable it’s coercive and considering how the whole thing is framed vs the sex between Guts and Casca is framed, I think the discomfort is intentional. 
Then, of course, with Casca, these encounters are outright sexual assault and rape. Again, it’s not a coincidence that these happen when Griffith is feeling completely shattered, completely without power, at rock fucking bottom. It’s heavily implied that some of Griffith’s torture was sexual in nature, if not outright rape though considering how much rape of women there is in Berserk I’ll forever be pissed as hell that Miura didn’t bother to show any of that happening to an (adult) male character if that is what he intended. 
So now, as far as what’s been shown in canon, Griffith’s sexual experience is underage prostitution, coercive sex with Charlotte, and now possibly rape combined with torture. After this, he assaults Casca in the wagon (only stopping because he physically can’t go through with it due to his injuries) and when he’s able to move again as Femto, rapes her. Rape is fully about power, and to Griffith sex is about power in general, and the eclipse to me is a very clear show from Griffith that he’s the one with power, he’s the one whose will the world bends to, and he needs to reassert that power over everyone. 
As an aside, it’s very interesting to me that in those moments of powerlessness, the people he uses to reassert his own power aren’t the men who have taken from him, but women. I mean, during the eclipse he’s hurting Casca to get at Guts, but like... He doesn’t rape Guts LOL when he easily could. I’m sure most of that is just Miura not wanting to draw sex (even if it’s rape) between adult men, but taking a more meta view, it replicates power dynamics and hierarchies of misogyny and oppression in the real world in an interesting way.
Griffith, as a character, knows what it is to be powerless, and is desperately climbing for more and more power throughout the story of Berserk to never experience that again. However, in doing so, he becomes the same as the oppressive nobles who hurt him, and once you accept that hierarchy it chips away at any intrinsic sense of justice you may have. This hasn’t come up again since his rebirth, but it will be interesting to see what his reaction will be if something happens that does shake his absolute authority over humanity, and what he’ll do about it. I think that moment might be coming up sooner than we expect.
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a Mai-Azula-Ty Lee analysis bc i have Many feelings
so this is definitely super random for my blog, but i just rewatched the boiling rock (bc ofc i did lmao) and i've been obsessed w this quote since like age ten, but it just hit different this time around and i feel the need to share:
"You miscalculated. I love Zuko more than I fear you."
so. here's the thing. this quote is objectively insane for a million reasons, but i want to talk about some of the parallels we can pull from it bc imo it makes it so. much. WORSE.
"No, you miscalculated! You should have feared me more!"
here comes the main theme of this post: fear, juxtaposed with love.
i do genuinely believe that Azula loved Mai and Ty Lee. not in the way typical friends love one another, because Azula is not a typical person who learned to love in a typical way, but love nonetheless.
(we can trace this back to her relationship with her father VS her relationship with her mother. Azula had a very distinctive way of looking at her childhood: she was her father's daughter, and Zuko was her mother's son. while we never saw Azula's reaction to his banishment, whether it was positive or negative, this surely cemented this idea for her. once their mother was gone, her father had no use for him. but of course he still had use for her—he loved her.
and if her father loved her, in a father-daughter relationship fueled by fear and intimidation, and her mother didn't, in a mother-daughter relationship that wasn't, what do you think she learned of love? but we'll bring this idea back later.)
she loved them, and she trusted them, and they betrayed her.
but before i really dig into the quote, i want to go over this love-fear juxtaposition, because it is a common theme throughout her character arc as she spirals further and further.
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this scene is set after the betrayal, and the fact that they brought in a hallucination of her mother is very, very important.
once again, these opposing feelings of fear and love are brought back again. before, i said that Ursa and Azula's relationship wasn't fueled by fear. but is that true? Azula says very clearly here that her mother fears her and thinks that she's a monster. And this hallucination of her mother, a figment of all her worst fears and regrets and internal conflicts, brings up Mai and Ty Lee.
And then:
Even you fear me. No. I love you, Azula. I do.
"even you fear me" "no. i love you"? this is so, so crucial to what we know about Azula and her perception of love. she views love and fear to be very closely linked, even intertwined, not something to be separated in such a way.
even you fear me — but do you love me? i don't know if you do. but you fearing me does not stop you from loving me. they are not separate entities. i do not know how to be loved if i am not feared.
no. i love you — you are my daughter. i do not fear you. i love you. they can be separate. i love you without fearing you. no, i do not fear you. i love you.
and this is Azula's breaking point. tears stream down her face and she shatters the mirror. this separation of fear and love—it's too much. she doesn't know how to handle it. she knows fear without love, but she does not know love without fear.
her relationship with Zuko is another prime example. i fully believe that Azula loved her brother, or at least cared for him in some capacity. you see it in scenes such as these:
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she had no reasonable ulterior motive here. she genuinely was trying to help him and look after him—but he's also afraid of her. he's afraid of what she might do or what she wants from him, even if in this particular scene that fear is unnecessary.
even when she recruited Ty Lee, she used fear to get Ty Lee to join her:
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Ty Lee is legitimately happy to see Azula, but you can see the fear on her face when she turns down Azula's offer to search for the Avatar. and then, you can see that fear again when Azula tells her she'll be attending her show. and of course, Azula sets the net on fire, and Ty Lee ends up accepting Azula's offer.
i do believe Ty Lee and Azula had genuine love for one another, but Azula just never knew how to have that love without the fear.
and finally, we come back to the quote.
I love Zuko more than I fear you. / You should've feared me more.
or: I love Zuko more than I love you. / You should've loved me more.
the use of the word "miscalculated" fits perfectly here. everyone adores Azula. she's the prodigy, the crown princess, the Fire Nation's darling. no one is supposed to love Zuko. Zuko is the failure, the banished prince, their nation's greatest shame.
you miscalculated. you were supposed to love me. you were my friend. you were my ally. i trusted you. i made you fear me. you were supposed to love me. no one loves Zuko. everyone loves me.
you miscalculated. love doesn't work like that. love doesn't come with fear. fear chases love away. you made me fear you. you made me hate you. i chose Zuko, because you don't know how to love.
and it all always comes back to Zuko, doesn't it?
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but i'm yours. Zuko was mother's, and mother is long gone, and see, Zuko was a traitor. Zuko was nothing. you treated Zuko terribly because Zuko wasn't yours. but i am. i am your daughter. i am your prodigy. i am your princess. i am your heir. how dare you treat me like him. like nothing. how dare you.
i also believe that this was the true final blow that sent her spiraling into her downfall. she's extremely vulnerable here: her two most trusted friends and allies have just betrayed her, and here it is, another betrayal. where she is usually cool and collected, she is snappy and hot-headed, here.
his betrayal is quickly and immediately rectified when he informs her she will become the new Firelord. see, she's not like Zuko. Zuko is banished with no crown and no legacy. she is different. she is her father's child. Zuko is her mother's. she gets the throne. he gets nothing.
but Mai still chose Zuko. and she was absolutely furious, of course, but even this she could still handle. it's what happens after that she can't.
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The thing I don't understand is why. Why would you do it?
why would you choose him? why would you choose Zuko? only one person ever chose Zuko: Mother. but she doesn't matter. she's gone. but why. why. (why do they keep choosing Zuko?)
and then, probably my favorite shot in the entire series:
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Ty Lee looks at Mai, then Azula. it's barely a second long, but it speaks volumes. she's making a decision. Mai, or Azula? Mai, or Azula?
throughout our time with Ozai's Angels, it's obvious that Ty Lee is Azula's right hand woman. she goes with her everywhere. even in this scene, Ty Lee is right next to Azula the whole time.
and Mai chose Zuko. Mai chose Zuko. she says that "I love Zuko more than I love you" and she should've loved her more, and so now Azula is going to kill her. she's about to summon her lightning, and—
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so Ty Lee chose Mai. and Mai chose Zuko. and her mother chose Zuko. and Azula chose her father and her nation and her ambition, and she thought her father chose her, and he did, he did.
thing about Azula: she loves. she loves Zuko, and she loves Ty Lee, and she loves Mai. but she doesn't prioritize her love the way Zuko does. her love comes last. her father comes before her love. before her father, her nation. but before all of that, her ambition.
for her ambition to ever come to fruition, she needs fear, doesn't she?
and Zuko fears her.
so she wins. right?
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wrong.
she loses.
she gave up everything, absolutely everything, and she. still. loses. to fucking Zuko.
he won their mother's love. he won Mai. he, indirectly, won Ty Lee. and now he won the crown, her crown.
Azula, born lucky, born a prodigy, never wins.
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misc-obeyme · 8 months
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Hard Lesson 20. I'm just. What the. Speechless.
Spoilers below!
WHAT WHAT WHAT.
Now, I know we never truly get to know who Raphael is talking to because their name remains "???" the entire time, but really we all know it's Michael, right?
And you are TELLING ME that Michael was the one in the Devildom DISGUISED as Raphael the WHOLE TIME?!?!?!
Also can we just appreciate Raphael for a minute, though?
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Pfff. Poor guy. I'm getting pretty fond of him.
Anyway, here are the things I realized:
First - this could be the answer to my double Solomons theory. If Michael can disguise himself as anyone to the point where nobody can tell the difference, maybe it's him that's been pretending to be Solomon all this time? I was originally thinking it was past!Solomon, but maybe it's just been Michael in disguise? On the one hand, it makes sense because Michael knows MC is from the future. On the other hand, though, there's one part of this that doesn't quite make sense to me. While Michael is in the Devildom disguised as Raphael, we have the Solomon who is wearing his casual sorcerer outfit (and later the suit). I have always thought this was our Solomon, the one who came back in time to help us. Which would mean that if Michael has been masquerading as Solomon, he's been doing it in Solomon's human world outfit - the trench coat one. And if that's the case, then it would mean that he was the one who made a pact with Asmo. And that doesn't seem possible. Soooo I don't know. It's an interesting thought, but I'm not sure it actually works.
That being said, it could be an indication of the fact that this is a possibility, though! Like maybe Michael isn't the only one who can disguise himself as other characters. Maybe... if Michael is not Nightbringer... maybe Nightbringer can do that too and he's the one who's been pretending to be Solomon?
Second - speaking of Nightbringer... I had officially crossed Michael off the Might Be Nightbringer list but now I think he's back on it. Because if he can disguise himself like that... I mean, really all bets are off! I don't know if he can only disguise himself as other angels? But if he can disguise himself as anybody then that means he could be interfering in all kinds of different ways. I don't think that's been happening (aside from the Solomon possibility of course), but it does make me question things.
Third - my entire perception of Michael as a character has changed. Back in this post, an anon asked me what I thought his personality might be and obviously I was way off. Because if that truly is Michael behind those ???s, he sounds like way more of a troublemaker than a strict older brother type. He straight up left Raphael in charge of the Celestial Realm so that he could assume his identity and travel to the Devildom to give the brothers that he supposedly still loves and misses an ultimatum that would require them to leave behind one of their own or bring war to their new home. Like. Dude. What the fuck.
So, anon, if you're reading this, I think I was completely wrong lol. I think maybe Michael is more like... a guy who clearly has a lot of power, but never really takes anything too seriously. The way Raphael talked about him saying he runs away and that he's probably just going to fall asleep at the poetry reading... like, clearly he doesn't take anything too seriously at all. And yet he's willing to do some really crazy stuff just to see his old brothers again. We still have very little information, so it's hard to say.
In conclusion, when does the next season start?? Anybody know? I have no idea how much time they used to have in between seasons and I KNOW this one just ended but I need ANSWERS.
I think it might be a while, which is fine I'll just write some fanfics in the meantime, thanks.
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twisted-broth · 1 year
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Jade Leech Yandere Profile
Template by @cinnamonest
Warnings: kidnapping, mention of force feeding, torture, humiliation, noncon, biting, bondage, one mention of breeding, branding, drugging, overstimulation
Reader is gender neutral with female genitalia
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Intelligence/Perceptiveness: 10
Brutality: 9.5
Physical capability: 7.5
Mental/emotional instability: 1.5
Restrictiveness: 9.5
Sexual sadism: 10
Stubbornness: 8.5
What are they generally like? Lucid, aware? Obsessive? How do they behave?
Totally obsessive. You’re on his mind all the time and it drives him fucking crazy
You could say he’s aware that normal people don’t kidnap others and think about ways to make them scream all day, he just doesn’t care
He and Floyd have lived their whole lives doing and taking whatever they want and they don’t plan to stop anytime soon
Jade doesn’t really feel love like other people. Both of the twins were raised with a warped perception of love and don’t really understand it completely
Jade loves his brother. He knows that much is true. But he feels something very different when he thinks of you. Since he doesn’t know what being in love feels like then this must be it, right?
How likely are they to kidnap their darling? How quickly will they do so?
Like 100%
If you’re the new interesting thing in his life then he needs to have you immediately
And of course he also has Floyd as support if he needs it
When those two work together, there’s really nothing they can’t do because everyone is too afraid to stop them
Some people aren’t as afraid of Jade because they don’t know him that well but everyone is afraid of Floyd
So when Jade finds you working late by yourself in one of the chem labs, he calls in his brother to stand guard while he goes in for the kill
As for the timeline, Jade is not a hesitant person. If he takes a special interest in you then he’ll kidnap you within a week or two
How difficult is it to escape from them? How do they keep you restrained? How do they deal with attempted escape? 
Impossible. Jade is incredibly smart and he knows all the tricks in the book. He never lets his guard down, always retaining his fake smile and personality. The only person to ever see the real Jade is Floyd, and even that is rare
You’re like an experiment to Jade. He likes to change up the way he keeps you restrained every so often just to see how you react. Often, you’ll have any number of limbs handcuffed to the bed posts. Sometimes he keeps you in a cage of his own design but his favorite is a small glass box where you’re completely exposed to him for days on end with not even enough room to sit down
The display case is often just used as a punishment, usually after you’ve just made an escape attempt. It’s covered in locks and impossible to escape. The only opening is a slot right by your mouth that he can open to shove some food down your throat
Other punishments can range from sexual to forcing you to try his new potion just to see what happens
How easy are they to trick, deceive, or manipulate?
Also impossible
Like I said before, Jade always has his guard up and would only ever lose face in front of his brother
He’ll let you play out your little act of trying to win him over but he won’t buy it for a second
Even if you do actually start to develop Stockholm syndrome and fall for him, he won’t believe you but he’ll go along with it
The only chance you have at earning more freedom would be to play along with him and be his perfect little plaything for several years. Then maybe you can have free roam of his room if you’re lucky
How lenient are they? What privileges can you have, and what will you be denied?
You’re nothing more than a pet to Jade but he still wants to keep you alive
When he’s in his best mood, you’re kept in his room with an ankle cuffed to the bed, but a long enough chain that you can reach the bathroom. He’ll also feed you three meals a day and maybe, if you’ve been really good, he’ll let you read some of his plant books
He also knows that humans need exercise in order to thrive. Once a week, in the dead of night, he’ll sneak you over to the pool and let you swim for an hour. But of course pool time is also terrifying since Jade is hovering over your shoulder in his eel form
Of course this all goes out the window if you put a toe out of line. You’ll learn the hard way to appreciate what you have
What kind of rules do they have? What kind of punishment would they use?
What rules does he not have is the real question. The only thing Jade lets you do on your own is breathe
He will drill into you the obedience of a well trained dog
Eat the food you’re given or else you won’t eat for days. Don’t complain about anything or it will be taken away. Don’t speak unless spoken to or you’ll be gagged
Just normal healthy relationship stuff
How do they deal with rivals, or perceived rivals? Will they get rid of them? Will they kill them themselves, or find another way?
This is not a problem for Jade
He already wiped you off the grid when he kidnapped you and people gave up looking after a month
Sure there are some people like Ace and Deuce who are more heartbroken than others but it’s not like they’re going to come and vent their troubles to Jade Leech
He would get annoyed if people are still talking about you after a while
He wants everyone to just forget about you and leave you completely isolated
On the off chance he does hear someone drop your name, he can get them to shut up by simply bumping shoulders and apologizing with that sinister smile of his
That would make anyone clam up
How easy is it to make them mad? What does their anger look like?
Jade’s patience is seemingly never ending
Growing up with Floyd, he pretty much had to have the patience of a saint so as not to invoke his brothers temperament
If Jade were ever to get angry for any reason, you would honestly have a very low survival rate
He wouldn’t intentionally kill you but it is very possible
Since everything he does is planned and meticulous, if he were to succumb to his rage then even he couldn’t say what he might do
But that would never happen so no need to worry!
Do they see you as above them, beneath them, or equal to them?
Jade already sees everyone who isn’t a merperson as being below him, but you’re a human and you can’t even use magic. How much more pathetic can you get?
So yes, you are definitely far below him
Really, you should be thankful you have him to watch over you. First you were relying totally on Crowley and since you clearly can’t take care of yourself, surely Jade is the lesser of two evils, right?
He mostly treats you as a pet/ science experiment but that doesn’t mean he’s a total monster
Since Jade can sustain himself on the shrimp bar at the dining hall, he usually uses his free staff meal at Mostro Lounge to bring you something nice if he’s so inclined
Otherwise you’ll share his food which is mostly raw shrimp (yum)
In his endless kindness, he also takes you to the pool in the middle of the night so you can get your exercise
“You humans do tend to accumulate fat quite quickly, don’t you?”
Don’t think you have any chance of escape once your in the water. Jade is in there in his eel form and there is no universe in which you can outswim Jade
How determined are they for you to love them? How hard will they try to make it happen? Or are they content just having you?
It would be a pleasant surprise if you were to start loving him, but he’s not expecting it by any means
He himself probably wouldn’t tell you that he loves you until a year passes. He also wouldn’t believe you if you said it back, at least the first hundred times. He might have some trust issues
Once he does believe that you love him then he’ll use your feelings to find new and interesting ways to torture you
What do you mean you don’t want to clean the floor with a toothbrush? Don’t you want him to be happy?
He always believed that love was a weakness but your love for him gives him power. Who is he to deny you?
Bonus: Is there anything that makes them unique, in comparison to other yanderes?
Sadism
Among all the yanderes at nrc, Jade is pretty much unmatched. The only ones who may even hold a candle to him would be Idia and maybe Riddle on a bad day
But Jade is mean as a yandere. You are a worthless, magicless human. You’re lucky he even bothers to give you the time of day
Another unique aspect of his is his relationship with his brother
Jade would move mountains for Floyd and vice versa so if Floyd is having a bad day and needs to let off some steam then Jade will graciously volunteer you
Jade does like having you for himself so it wouldn’t be a very frequent occurrence. Not to mention that your body probably couldn’t handle being Floyd’s punching bag very often
But Jade is sure to remind you afterwards that you’re so lucky to be his toy instead of his brothers. You should be thanking him, really
General perverseness: how sexual of a person are they? What’s their drive like? How touchy do they get? Do they have any reservations about sexuality?
Jade is really not a super sexual person. For him, sex is the most vulnerable he could possibly be and he is not about that
But he’s more than willing to torture you! He’ll tie you to the bed with a vibrator pressed against your clit until you pass out in a pool of your own cum. Only then when he knows he’s safe will he relieve himself
He mainly uses sex as a punishment for you but sometimes when he’s fed up with Azul or he took on a bigger workload when Floyd was pouting, he’ll take his frustrations out on you
He ensures his safety by completely tying you up with either handcuffs or rope, leaving you entirely at his mercy
While full on sex is very rare with Jade, it’s enough to leave you worn out for days on end. Even if you could escape, you doubt your legs could carry you
How forceful are they? Do they care about your willingness?
Couldn’t care less. You’re his toy so why should he even bother caring about what you want? Kick and scream all you want but that will only make it worse for you in the long run
He actually thinks it’s quite cute when you put up a fight. He’s a natural predator so of course he’ll win in the end. If he’s feeling extra mean he might even let you think that you’ve won for a second
The game is over if you actually manage to land a hit on him, though. Obviously you won’t do any damage, but he’ll need to remind you of your place if you start to get too bold
If you do play along then he won’t have to hurt you too badly, but where’s the fun in that?
What sort of kinks or fetishes do they have, or would they fill?
We know that Jade messes around with a lot of different plants and potions but when he found one combination that had you on your knees begging him to fuck you, that definitely unlocked something in him
The sight of you so desperate for him just over one little potion is something he could easily get used to
Hes really just into anything that results in you crying, covered in marks from him and begging him to stop
Maybe the biggest thing that gets him worked up is the sight and taste of your blood. His razor sharp teeth are perfect for drawing little droplets of blood wherever he decides to bite down
He tries not to indulge himself too often because when he gets a taste of you his instincts kick in and urge him to keep going until you’re bruised and bloody and on the brink of death
What kind of (nsfw) punishments would they use?
If you weren’t confined to his room then he would definitely like to publicly humiliate you. Unfortunately, he’ll have to make do with just humiliating you in front of himself and Floyd on occasion
One of his most common punishments is marking you. Mostly hickeys, but you probably also have his initials carved into you somewhere
Pretty much any sexual punishment you can think of is something that he would do. Overstim, impact play, edging, nothing is really off the table
He’s also threatened to breed you a few times. Jade hates kids and never would risk getting you pregnant, but he thinks it’s funny how scared you get
What body parts of their darling do they like the most?
Though he has been exposed to legs for two years now, they still fascinate him which is part of the reason your thighs are his favorite part of you
He also likes the fact that you don’t have many important arteries in your thighs so he can bite down as hard as he wants without risking you bleeding out. You humans really are so fragile
You will probably never see your thighs original skin color again because they’re always covered in new and old bruises
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imminent-danger-came · 7 months
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What do you think are some of LMKs most prevalent themes are? besides the power of friendship of course
I'll just throw 'em into a list!
Fate VS Freewill / Destiny (2x05, 2x10, 3x10, EYD, 4x07-4x10 ; characters love to run from destiny/the narrative in lmk)
Identity ("You are not the Monkey King" "You're right—I'm the Monkey Kid!" ; "This thing, whatever you are, embrace it. Embrace your destiny." ; etc.)
(Bonus post where I point out how Destiny and Identity get a little too closely linked for my comfort)
Self-worth/Self-Reflection [Kind of a subset of Identity] ("Just believe in yourself! Even a smidge makes all the difference")
Companionship as Salvation ("As long as we stand together, there will always be hope!" ; "You're the one always running off! [...] You're the one who wouldn't quit while we were ahead!")
Exchange ("You don't know, we'd risk it for sure! I won't abandon them when they need us." ; "I'd do anything for my friends! But at the cost of the world?" ; "This is Azure's utopia, and this barren wasteland is the price he paid to build it.")
Not knowing what to do and how to move forward with that.
Pain being inevitable ("Don't you realize you're hurting the people who care about you the most?" ; "All my lady ever desired was a world no longer plagued by pain" ; "No matter what I do, it’s going to lead to pain.")
Perfection being unachievable (1x05, "You can't judge things by their worst quality!" ; "A perfect world is what you make it. So as long as I have my friends by my side...this world, is, perfect!" ; "Look around brother! This is not the change we dreamt of.") But there also being beauty in imperfection. The imperfect being worth fighting for.
Heroism (Perception VS Reality) ("Sometimes the path of the hero may seem chaotic and directionless" ; Heroes "inevitably bring darkness to those they hold dear" rip. ; "But it took me far too long to learn what real heroes look like.")
Trust ("That Monkey is not to be trusted!" ; "We trusted you! All of us!" ; "He's a villain MK! We never should have trusted him.")
Power and the point of having it ("Now do you understand? From the start you never had what it took to defeat me. All your power could do was make me stronger." ; "I needed something so powerful even she wouldn't be able to win—a weapon." ; "Only we decide who we are and what we do with the power we have!" ; "But it wasn't in my power—it was in yours.")
Change ("Forever's a long time bud." ; "But we can't! Not after all we've seen—all we know and all we don't?" ; honestly just look at s1 vs s4)
Legacy (*gestures at pilgrims* ; "MK, from the moment you picked up the staff their stories became our stories—it's our responsibility to write the final chapter, no matter the outcome." ; "Why would our legacy be any different? Actually no no—the chaos and destruction we'll bring upon the world will make Wukong's past look like nothing.")
Leaving the world a little better than you found it (even and especially in spite of your mistakes and shortcomings)
and of course the Power of Friendship (plus the themes Tang literally lists in 3x14 "We're comforted by familiar tales of friendship, courage, redemption.").
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