#and find his own life

[thingswhatareawesome]

¨

#(not that anyone from that star rail post about dan heng and jing yuan will read but i wanna ponder it anyway) #but that tangled mess that would be jing yuan and his feelings about dan feng vs dan heng and his struggles to free himself the past #and find his own life #i just imagine the mc caelus being in love with dan heng or well on his way to being that #and falling for jing yuan too #and seeing/hearing jing yuan and dan heng in moments like this #and it just hitting caelus how they've had hundreds and hundreds of years #meanwhile he's just this blip in either of their lives momentarily there and then gone soon #(lord knows probably gone early bc he's got a stellaron in him what's that going to mean for his lifespan in the end? #he'll more likely than not either go out in a blaze of glory or have to be sealed away for the good of the universe #to not spread the fragmentum corruption) #and how could he in the face of something that's been between these two hundreds of years and could go on for hundreds more #mean anything but an eyeblink to either of them #and perhaps that's why he goes so silent and doesn't say anything when dan heng tries to talk to him in the story quest #caelus is just overwhelmed by all he's feeling and all he's seen and experienced and all he knows now about dan heng/dan feng and jing yuan #and this long long history between those two and how much pain they've both suffered #and all that caelus is feeling is like a great wave of emotion looming over like the waves dan heng #so caelus doesn't say anything bc if he does he'll loose hold of that wave of feelings and it'll crash down all around him/them #so he just keeps them in and keeps silent and mentally steps back and away from the other two #what they're goign through doesn't involve him it's not meant for him *they* aren't meant for him #they're meant for each other #he mentally steps back so he doesn't get int the way of whatever jing yuan and dan heng need to do #to untangle the hurts between them and find a new path forward and a new friendship--and maybe more #caelus won't get in the way of that or complicate it he'll be gone on the express soon anyway #and maybe dan heng will come back too but in the end dan heng has such a long future and caelus has just moments in comparison #dan heng and jing yuan have and to him should have all the hundreds of years to work out their future #and caelus will be just this speck of a memory hundreds of years down the road that maybe if he's lucky will have a statue #the other two could visit and reminisce by #(and wouldn't it be nice if in figuring out themselves dan heng and jing yuan realize that they do want caelus in their lives too #no matter how short a time that might be)

[canisalbus]

Ok ok hear me out: it could end in tragedy,, AND have a happy ending. The attempt(s) on Machete’s life force him to flee, he doesn’t even have the chance to find Vasco. Cue gay longing for at least a few years while Machete despairs over the loss of his love, his life, his status. He and Vasco only reunite (again) in their later years. Their relationship is forever flavored with loss and loneliness, but that only means they savor every moment that much more

I also I would like to see them as old men. Vasco would be so droopy :)

You gave me such old dog brainworms.

#Vasco would go white and gray in the face like an old golden retriever and get wrinklier #his golden fur would get shaggy and gradually lose it's shine #at some point he wouldn't be allowed to ride horses anymore which would upset him greatly #he'd get rheumatism and bad back and his hearing would worsen but he'd be an active and jolly type of grandpa #Machete would mellow out considerably if he managed to retire #I'd like to believe he'd be able to find some sort of inner peace in his later years #even in his prime his eyesight was bad and he spent his entire life fearing going blind so if he eventually got cataracts and lost most of #his remaining vision he'd probably be relatively fine with it as it was something he knew to expect #and he would have Vasco to look after him #his left ear had trouble staying upright when he was a pup so it would be kind of funny if it started drooping again #answered #anonymous #Vasco #Machete #own art #own characters #this isn't canon or anything I'm just musing

[lazycranberrydoodles]

getting back into the untamed and i had a thought. / follow for more yllz babygirlism

#i saw someone a while ago talking about how wwx always has good intentions…. #his personal road to hell was paved with good intentions yes but i’m not sure where making a guy eat his own legs fits #it is so funny to me how the tiger tally/yin iron influences wei wuxian differently in each adaptation #i remember making a sliding scale of how ‘culpable’ wwx is from adaptation to adaptation #based on how they portray the mental effects of the iron #but for the life of me i cannot find it :( #wwx really said ‘if i had a cursed amulet i simply wouldnt be corrupted🙄🙄’ #that’s basically what he tells lan zhan in this episode…. if necromancy was having ill effects i would notice #and you know. at this point he is lying about everything. but i do wonder how much he actually believes that 👁️👁️ #how much of his mind is resigned to doing whatever needs to be done to exact revenge regardless of harm to himself #and how much genuinely believes that he’s smart and competent enough to make it through whole #the answer of course is BOTH!! bisexual pride #mdzs #art #mdzs spoilers #wei wuxian #lan wangji #wangxian #mo dao zu shi #grandmaster of demonic arts #grandmaster of demonic cultivation #my art #the grandmaster of diabolism #cql #the untamed #魔道祖师 #陈情令 #mdzs meme #doodle #lmao

[little-pondhead]

DP x DC Prompt

…

There are no more heroes.

Well, okay. Rewind a bit.

Danny has been doing the hero thing for a while now. He’s had a big reveal; everyone has accepted him (including his parents), the GIW disbanded, the Anti-Ecto acts repealed, and generally, everything is going great. Some of the A-Listers are even training as junior ghost hunters to help give him a break from his rogues! (Being Ghost King makes things hectic sometimes, and he just needs the extra help. Sue him!)

The point is, literally nothing is wrong with Danny Phantom’s afterlife.

And then Valerie Gray, the Red Huntress, disappears in front of his eyes.

Danny is baffled! She’s just…gone! Valerie just popped out of existence, like she was never there. But no matter how hard he searches in the Ghost Zone, he can’t find her soul anywhere. His core isn't broken in grief. So she’s not dead. Which is good. So then, where is she?

Some of the others come forward with ideas on how to find her. A few ghosts volunteer to go out into the mortal realm, an area Danny had declared off-limits, to see if she was out there. Danny approves it. He rounds up some of the friendlier (i.e., discreet) ghosts and Amity Parkers and demolishes the outside travel ban.

So everyone spreads out, looking for their dear frenemy and teammate. But it becomes apparent very quickly that something is wrong with the rest of the world.

There are no more heroes.

Every single living superhero on the face of the Earth has just…vanished. Villains are running amok; the countries are in chaos! Some aliens are invading Earth, mythical deities are trying to take over, and society is crumbling to the ground. Everything is on the brink of collapse.

Well, Danny was still there. And so were his people. They were pretty spread out, so could they just…take up the mantles? He also knew where to find the souls of dead heroes in the Zone; surely they wouldn't mind coming out of retirement for a little bit, especially if they couldn't die again. Oh! And that skeleton army leftover from Pariah Dark's reign might be useful in repelling those invading forces.

Honestly, there were more than enough hands to go around! And with the heroes gone, Danny didn't mind letting everyone out for a little break, as long as they followed his rules. They wouldn't stop the search for the other heroes, but hopefully, when they found them, the heroes wouldn't mind Danny's intervention too much. :)

In other words:

Someone fucks up, and all of Earth's living heroes are either wished out of existence or are whisked away to some far-off realm where Danny hasn't checked yet. In the attempt to figure out what's going on, Danny lets the dead run amok over the Earth as they search for clues. The skeleton army repels the invading armies, the souls of dead heroes deal with the world leaders, and his rogues and other Amity Parkers set up shop in place of famous heroes, trying to get the cities under control again.

Basically, they just do their best to keep everything from imploding until the Justice League and others are back.

(And why is it that Danny hasn't disappeared? Well, whatever caused everyone to go poof! only affected living heroes. Anyone heroes that were dead in the first place, or even just half-dead, stayed behind.)

#pondhead blurbs #danny phantom #dpxdc #reveal gone right au #ghost king au #for plot reasons #it doesn't count if the hero had died and then came back to life #lots of heroes would still be around then #but this is me pushing the halfa!jason todd narrative work with me here he deserves the fun #deadman is there too #and he's just thriving honestly. it's so nice to be around his own kind even if the world is ending #maybe ellie is whooshed away too cause she never technically died but she took up danny's moniker when he was crowned #vlad is ecstatic cause danny put him in charge of several states while they looked for clues including Wisconsin #skulker is replacing superman and just has a shitty S painted on his chest and just eats kryptonite like candy the first time he meets Lex #Kitty and Johnny take over in gotham and sam is now the new wonder woman #idk man just stupid stuff like this #the press is flabbergasted cause the fucking KING OF GHOSTS just showed up and he's 14 and just looking for some friends #Danny: hey guys sorry about the zombies and fire i'm just here to find my coworker and lil sister and maybe the other heroes #Danny: in the meantime i'll just let my army into the mortal realm to defend it while we figure out what's going on pls don't yell at us :) #the press: how do we explain this to the justice league when they come back. how do we explain that earth was saved by a 14 year old boy- #also idk which heroes are technically dead but are still kicking so if you feel like someone deserves liminal status slap it on them idc #some villains are trying for world dominance and some are just trying to find their buddies. their fight buds. where'd they go? :( #joker gets bitch slapped by a skeleton two days in and waylon becomes bffs with wulf #danny uses the watchtower as a base of operations and it's the only thing he doesn't want to give up when the heroes are back #i have no plot ideas beyond this #i just want everyone to be baffled that an army of the dead showed up while they were gone and just made sure everything stayed cool #later danny realizes he was technically the ruler of the world for a bit since his people were everywhere keeping the villains in check

[egophiliac]

I got a really tough question.

What’s your favorite Twst event of ALL TIME?

I like Harveston

this truly is the hardest question. :( but after much consideration, I think Endless Halloween Night wins out for me, because it's nonstop Characters Being Silly the whole way through. the whole thing is just lots of these little dorks having the most ridiculous interactions, which is always my favorite! and of course the big twist is SO delightfully stupid and doubles down SO hard that it becomes AMAZING and I 100% unironically adore it. AND it's Halloween! everyone is in their cute little costumes and having a spooky adventure! it's great!

however, I am ALSO a big fan of the Harveston event! how can I not be! everyone is wearing comfy winter outfits and getting along really weirdly well with Epel's grandma and he's getting a little worried about that! my terrible loud son sews a plush squirrel and then gives it a silly little nickname and refuses to leave it behind when it breaks! the ending shot with the sled! I LOVE IT.

obviously we need the best of both worlds now

#art #twisted wonderland #malleus in the background: RYUU } >:( #(this is an au where sebek wears his own halloween costume and isn't obsessively trying to match with malleus) #(unless malleus is also wearing a patchwork squirrel costume. hold on wait i should've drawn that instead) #my favorite is when people draw sebek's room and have risugurumi just hanging out on his desk or something #SHE GAVE HER LIFE FOR HIM #well she gave her leg or something anyway #it's been a while i forget #anyway endless halloween night also has my favorite cutscene #which is the five second long cutscene that is literally just floyd going OOH WHAT DOES THIS BUTTON DO and then a battle starts #thank you twst #i believe this is also when trey finds out that sebek's dad is a dentist and immediately makes it weird #while rook is just. dancing around and singing opera in the background. #'did...did he hit his head when we fell through the mirror?' 'no he's just like that' #i have to stop or i'm going to end up recounting the entire event #(sorry this took so long!) (i have been back in Deadline Hell) #(i didn't mean to actually answer this on halloween but it kind of worked out! HAPPY HALLOWEEEEEN)

[tofixtheshadows]

So I've been thinking lately about how Mithrun is Kabru's dark mirror (more on that another time- it needs its own post), and I thought it interesting that one of their parallels is that they were both cared for by Milsiril, but in opposite directions. She took Kabru in as her foster after he was orphaned and tried to convince him not to become an adventurer. On the flip side, she helped rehabilitate Mithrun specifically so that he could rejoin the Canaries.

And I kept wondering: why?

For Kabru, obviously she loves him a whole lot- despite any other shortcomings in their relationship, I do believe that.

So I get why she tries to convince him not to go dungeoning, and, failing that, at least prepares him as thoroughly as she can.

But why help Mithrun? She used to hate Mithrun, but after realizing what a secretly twisted person he was, she actually thought of him more positively (oh, Milsiril). So it wasn't as if she held the kind of grudge that might motivate her to make his already-depleted life even more miserable by sending him back to the dungeons. And it wasn't that she felt bad for him either, since she didn't visit Mithrun for the first ~20 years of his recovery.

The Adventurer's Bible says that Utaya was the impetus for Mithrun returning to the Canaries, but Milsiril is the one who made the trip to see him and tell him about it.

Why would Milsiril work so hard to get her old coworker back into fighting fit? Why encourage him to return to such a dangerous lifestyle, when she was the one who chose not to mercy-kill him?

That last panel is such a crazy thing to hint at and then never elaborate on. Without it we could have just thought that Milsiril wanted the Canaries' work to continue without her, even if it seemed out of character. I think some people even assume she's just a natural caretaker as a foster mom and handwave it to include nursing Mithrun too. What could Milsiril's suspicious motives be? What does she gain from Mithrun joining the Canaries that isn't an altruistic desire to see dungeons safely sealed? Feeling a sense of responsibility for the work she left behind isn't an ulterior motive.

My theory is: Milsiril, knowing that Mithrun was empty save for the burning desire to face the demon again, wound him up like a clockwork doll and pointed him back at the dungeons.

Hoping that he'd eliminate the biggest threat to Kabru's life, before it was too late for him.

Milsiril the puppetmaster.

#Dungeon Meshi #Dungeon Meshi meta #Mithrun #Milsiril #Kabru #btw I'm working with the only translations I could find sorry #so keep that in mind #like it just seemed WEIRD to me #that gloomy introverted Milsiril #who left the life of a Canary behind #decided to do this Canary-adjacent work of helping this guy #maybe the queen made her do it because so many people died and they needed more Canaries idk! #but why would anyone pick Milsiril as a life coach? I really think it was her own choice #it's so interesting how we get these hints of a downright sinster Milsiril #I really like the complicated relationship she and Kabru have #struggling to fully humanize him from her elven perspective #but still taking him seriously wrt: his fears over being a monster or his desire to go to a party! #crazy stuff there #everything about Kabru and adjacent to Kabru is insane what a character #musings with Dea

[thegunslingerletmedrop]

#911 abc #911edit #chimney han #911 gifs #madney #kevin lee #maddie buckley #glmdedit #jee yun buckley han #albert han #henrietta wilson #karen wilson #john lee #anne lee #eddie diaz #evan buckley #ravi panikkar #bobby nash #look i hope people are as emotionally damaged by this as i was making it #we only had kevin for like 25 mins but i've never gotten over him #this guy has every reason to be a horrible miserable character but no #no he's the coolest cheeriest funniest caring man alive #sick dead mom at a young age and abandoned by an absent father and taking care of sick after her diagnosis #ideas constantly shut down for owning a business and losing his brother on the job #and also sorta losing mr lee who couldn't bear to see him without being reminded of kevin bc they were so intertwined #failing in love and getting stabbed and left for dead #oh and the rebar accident where he almost died again #losing the love of his life and then finding her but not being together with her

[skylersprompts]

DC x DP Prompt *32*

This was the ninth- no.... tenths loop. He is eating his breakfast and he is dizzy again. Because Mom drugged his oatmeal, because Mom and Dad knew! Danny stood up from his chair and tried to leave the kitchen. (He knew it wouldn't work, it never worked) His eyes grew heavy and a few steps later he hit the ground.

He wakes up to the same gruesome picture as in the last nine loops. But Danny doesn't beg anymore. Or says anything. It hurts, but it's nothing he hasn't had felt before. It would only take them a week before they would destroy his core again and then everything would start anew. Maybe he could think of something better for next time.

.

.

.

The last feeling he remembered was an all encompassing pain, as his Dad crushed his core. But he was at the breakfast table again, already feeling groggy. But maybe this time he could get help? He knew that he could fight the drugs for around ten minutes, as long as he didn't stand up.

So instead he got his phone out of his pocket. He knew that neither his sisters, nor his friends would be fast enough, he already tried them, but maybe someone else could be fast enough.

He opened Twitter and started to write a new post, ignoring his atrocious spelling in favor of getting as many information out as possible.

@theoneandonlyflash I'm kinda stuck in a time looop and my parents will koll me in about a werk they druged me so I'll be in they lab in a fee minotes. Pleaase helpp and fins me iin Amyt Park, Illnois. My name iss Dannyy Fentin

He was able to press send, before his vision would become to spotty. Now he just needed to hope that the fastest man alive would be able to help him. Danny's head fell on the table.

.

.

.

It was the eleventh time he woke up to the same scene and this time he couldn't do anything against his tears. He would die again... and again and again...

Danny's spiraling thought were interrupted by the basement door, that had hit the wall. This was new!

#skylers prompts #dcxdp #dcxdp prompt #dpxdc #don't tag the danny phantom fandom #the flash #barry allen #wally west #Wich ever one you prefer #Danny is stuck in a loop #His parents found out and vivisected him #They destroy his Core #He is back a week before his Core destruction #10 minutes before they take him down to the lap #This happens around ten times without him finding a solution #He finally thinks of something that might work #He @ The Flash on Twitter and begs for help #His parents have him cut open again #but this time someone comes for him #I'm back bitches! #sorry life was a little chaotic #my daughter learned to walk and too sleep in her own bed

[s0fter-sin]

soap and ghost, after months of flirting, of having each other’s backs and saving each other’s lives, of knowing the other better than they know themselves, finally getting together

ghost letting himself free fall onto the bed, soap following, always following his lead. they barely pull apart enough to get their shirts over their heads, hands running over muscles and scars and holding close

soap kisses every new scar that’s revealed to him, from the thick keloid divot over his ribs from some kind of puncture to the innumerable slashes and stitch wounds holding his torso together until he’s mouthing over his collarbones; the tips of his fingers lightly caressing the edges of his mask

ghost who’s been so quiet, so overwhelmed by soap’s touch that all he can do is sink into him, panting gasping breaths, finally pushes out, “don’t ask me. please…”

soap freezes, mouth hovering over his skin. “ghost…?”

ghost’s face is tilted away, eyes held so tightly shut they tremor while the rest of his body stays lax beneath his. desperate. resigned. “please don’t ask me, johnny.”

soap lets his hand fall from the mask, coming to run soothing circles over his clothed hip. “why?”

“because i’ll say yes,” he confesses and it’s great and terrible; a warning and a relinquishment laid at soap’s feet. “i’ll always say yes to you.”

for a long moment, there’s nothing but their shared breaths, nothing but their hearts beating for the other. until soap finally leans down to press a kiss to the corner of his hidden mouth; his lips meeting faint raised scar tissue he might never see

“i’ll never ask.”

ghost’s eyes drift open and they catch on soap’s; on a sea of promise and fierce protection

“i swear… i’ll never ask, ghost.”

#ghost who would take off his mask for johnny in a heartbeat and soap who would never let him take it off for anything but himself my belove #they proceed to have the softest most tender sex youve ever seen #im talking missionary chest to chest arms and legs wrapped so tightly all they can is rock #just god the love and the trust and the understanding #ghost knows hes not ready knows he would be violently uncomfortable the entire time #but would still put himself through it if thats what johnny wanted #and soap who would never ask him to sacrifice his comfort for something as insignificant as his own wants #like he would ever see that as a worthy reason #like he could ever find happiness in it knowing ghost was uncomfortable #he’ll spend the rest of his life showing ghost he doesnt need to compromise his comfort or his coping mechanisms for him #coming out of my cage and ive been soing just fine.txt #john soap mactavish #soap cod #simon ghost riley #ghost cod #soapghost #ghostsoap #ghoap #ghost x soap #we’re a team. ghost team #save post

[somegrumpynerd]

When you find out years later that you accidentally named one of your henchmen

Image ID: A multi-panel comic featuring au sanses. Panel 1: In Killer's original universe. A dark figure stands in the foreground while Killer is sitting back in the snow, covered in blood. Killer says "wh-what are you?" Panel 2: The dark figure is Nightmare but only his smile is visible. He says "I am Nightmare, guardian of all negativity in the multiverse ...and I have a proposition for you, Sans." Panel 3: Nightmare's hand is outstreched, he says "Come with me willingly and I'll take you out of this desolate and barren universe and let you loose on many others." Panel 4: Killer is looking back at Nightmare warily, a thought bubble shows he is thinking "other universes...?". He says "...in exchange for what? What do you want with me?" Panel 5: Nightmare's tentacles are reaching out towards Killer. He says "I feed off the fear and misery and hatred in this world, stirring these up will keep me powerful enough to fight against the guardian of positivity. In short," Panel 6: Nightmare is looming over Killer now, his tentacles surrounding him. He says "I just need you to be a good little killer." The word killer is in red text. Panel 7: Killer is grasping Nightmare's hand, having accepted his offer. Panel 8: Now in a different au, Nightmare stands beside Killer as he taunts Dream, who is out of frame. He says "You're outnumbered now Dream, I have a killer with me this time." The word killer is in red text again. Panel 9: Dream is lying on the ground looking hurt and ruffed up. Killer is standing in the background, looking ready to continue beating Dream up. Nightmare says from out of frame "You should know better than to turn your back on a killer by now." The word killer is in red text again. Panel 10: Nightmare is standing by Killer again, looking smug. He says to Dream, who is not shown "You'll need more than that pathetic bow next time you meet with my killer here." The word killer is in red text again. Killer is looking towards Nightmare, pleased with this. Panel 11: We are now in Nightmare's castle, present day. It is revealed to be Killer telling these events to Dust, who looks bored. Killer says "-and the name stuck, so that's why I'm called Killer now." Dust says very quietly "did I ask" Panel 12: Nightmare is standing in the corner behind them, he looks very surprised and concerned after hearing all this. Text with an arrow pointing to him reads "Didn't realise he had done this." Killer from out of frame says "he doesn't really call me his killer anymore tho" with a frowny face. Dust, also out of frame, says "that's nice now shut up" End ID.

#UTDR #UTMV #My Art #Truce au #Killer Sans #Nightmare Sans #Remember when I said I wouldn't have that comic done? Sike I finished it earlier #Anyway you ever accidentally name a guy and don't realise until years later when he brings it up #Killer loves it because he feels special for getting his own name that's not just his au #(and also because he wants to be Nightmare's favourite and this is his evidence) #Nightmare hates this. He did NOT mean to name his henchman like a pet he feels awful #Maybe down the road Dream can convince him how much Killer loves it and he'll let it go #Killer absolutely hates being called sans he doesn't want to think about his old life #So the new job and name were kind of just what he needed at the start #Anyway I'm rambling. I just thought it was interesting Killer was one of the few to not be named for his au #And given the name it might be something Nightmare had a hand in #He also helped him find his signature look with the inverted clothes colours but we'll get to that another time this is already too long

[eshithepetty]

I feel like not enough people talk about how desensitized Mob is to horror. As in, there's literally an omake where he watches all through a horror movie with a straight face, only flinching because of the sounds, and also, his percentage never ticks up just because of a spirit, even if it's an objectively terrifying one. I mean, it's obviously because he grew up alongside spirits and so they are a perfectly normal part of his life, but like.. that's so fun i think?? And it has a lot of comedic potential methinks.

Like, imagine his school friends inviting him along to a horror movie night, expecting the seemingly timid and naive boy to get scared shitless, but instead they're the ones who end up clinging to each other, hiding behind their hands and crying, all the while mob is nonchalantly watching, and lowkey falling asleep even - and they're all just "???? How??? Are you so fucking calm??!?" And Mob just shrugs and points to a being missing a jaw in the corner of the screen and says "i like that one. It looks cute". They all stare at him like he's insane;

Or him helping Ritsu when he realizes the younger has been struggling with getting used to spirits now that he's an esper - seeing shadows in the corners of his vision, knowing there's things watching him as he goes about his day, decapitated bodies and strange creatures roaming the streets - and tries to help him see that they're not always harmful, and teach how to get them to go away if need be, and reassures him that they can't get in their house due to Mob's aura, so he's still safe there - which is to say, at least, now Ritsu knows for sure that there are no spirits in his room, still traumatized from a comment or two Mob made when they were kids and never bothered to elaborate on, lmao. Mob apologizes for not clarifying that they were long gone, it just never occured to him that that would probably be scary to any other normal kid;

Or imagine him entering the s&s office one day, and Reigen greets him as usual, until he looks up from his computer and there is a fucking eldritch abomination of some sort of misshapen child hanging off of Mob's shoulders, and, as one might expect, he Freaks, and Mob is just like "Shishou, stop screaming. This is Lily. I promised to help her with her homework so she can pass on on her own". Etc...

Like, it's just really funny to me. Let Mob be a bit strange and off putting, he deserves it <3

#mp100 #mob psycho 100 #kageyama shigeo #i feel like people sometimes forget that mob can see spirits tbh jdshs #like thats just a normal part of his life. he would not be scared of them. #(no offense to the people making the funnies about mob 'hallucinating' ghosts and getting terrified of course jdhdhdh. i find it funny too #i just dont think its entirely accurate) #kageyama ritsu #reigen arataka #headcanon #meta #my own post #i just really like thinking about spirits in the mp100 universe and mobs relation to them tbh......

[canisalbus]

To me, Machete kind of has the energy of a secondary villain/coldhearted side character in someone else's story that a lot of fans latch onto, moreso than the protagonist. Question is, would he be the villain in anyone's story?

Why, thank you! I'm actually glad to hear he gives off that vibe. I don't think he set out to become a villain but a lot of people certainly view him as one.

#in the 16th century canon he starts out as an introverted but sincerely well meaning guy that never quite manages to find his social niche #he was a sensitive kid and when subjected to enough pressure #his insecurity fearfulness and powerlessness mutate into distrust resentment aggression suffocating repression and self-restraint #I don't think he's a bad person in fact he consistently tries very hard to do the right thing #do his job properly avoid letting people down and get through life with a sense of dignity #but he is supposed to come across kind of cold impersonable and difficult to be around if you don't know him personally (and very few do) #people can sense there's something wrong with him and are put off by it #Vatican is a nest of vipers and as the stakes rise he retreats deeper into his coldblooded untouchable work persona #he has no choice but to start lying scheming blackmailing and eliminating his enemies #in order to maintain his position keep Vasco safe their relationship under wraps and his own head above water #essentially playing by the same rules everyone else in the holy see has been playing with for centuries #eventually he loses his spot as the secretary of state and is manipulated/forced to take on a role in the roman inquisition #and if people were sort of iffy about him before being the authority overseeing trials torture excommunications and executions doesn't help #and since he has so few allies and such an infamous reputation he's an easy target for scapegoating whenever necessary #towards the end it dawns on him that he's become the kind of twisted cruel corrupt person he used to fear and despise #and the guilt moral injury and abject self-loathing had largely sapped him of his will to live by the time the final assassin gets him #answered #anonymous #Machete #Vaschete lore #he thought his dream of priesthood would make him a better person more worthy of admiration safety and love but he climbed too high #and got roped up in the dangerous games that take place under god's nose and slowly got strangled to death

[neversetyoufree]

I've been thinking lately about Vanitas and Noé's first "what is salvation" fight at the bal masqué and what it means about their individual definitions of the concept, and I've realized something about Vanitas.

Noé's definition of salvation is the obvious one. It feels natural. To save someone is to keep them from dying. But in a way, his understanding of salvation is also almost selfish. Noé's foundational trauma is the constant loss of his loved ones. He is the eternal sole survivor. So of course he wants to keep people alive—he wants to "save" the people he cares about in the way that keeps them by his side this time.

It's not wrong to want that, of course. I don't mean "selfish" as a condemnation. It's just that the definition of salvation that Noé starts the series with is inarguably the one that best serves his own happiness.

And it's the same with Vanitas.

When Vanitas kills the little girl Catherine by restoring her true name, he tells Noé he doesn't know what salvation is. He might be lying there, or he might be telling the truth in that he's never put his definition of salvation into words or acknowledged it on a conscious level. Either way, though, I do think he has a definition of salvation somewhere in his mind, and it's a very personal one.

Vanitas sees salvation as the preservation or restoration of one's true self. You're saved so long as you can preserve your essential self, uncorrupted by outside forces. Even if the price of that selfness is death.

While Noé's foundational trauma that informs his worldview is the loss of his loved ones, one of Vanitas's foundational traumas is the loss of his bodily autonomy. Through Moreau's experiments and Luna's mark/bite, he has been transformed into something no longer fully human, and he hates it. From the moment Luna told him he was dying, he said he wanted to die as himself rather than live as their kin, and he has been denied that opportunity.

Nothing is more important for Vanitas than being able to dictate the destiny of his own body, and malnomen are the ultimate corruption of bodily autonomy and selfness. Altering one's true name warps not only their physical body, but their very being on a metaphysical level. The curse takes everything a vampire is and changes it, and doing that to an unwilling victim is the ultimate horror for Vanitas.

Given that context, of course Vanitas thinks that killing a child to restore her true name counts as saving her. He's restoring her essential self and un-corrupting her body and being, and even if her self is only returned for an instant before she dies, it's preferable to living on as something warped by an outside force.

Vanitas absolutely starts the series with a definition of salvation, and like Noé, it's the one that best serves his own happiness. He wants to be saved. He wants to be returned to his human self, and failing that (since he knows it's impossible), he wants to wipe out all traces of the force that changed him and then die without going any further down the path of inhumanity.

Vanitas might not be able to admit that definition out loud (or even to himself directly), but it's there, and it guides him early in the series as much as Noé's own definition of salvation guides him in turn.

#and perhaps noé will learn to see death as a form of salvation when life is corruption #and perhaps vanitas will learn to see the value of preserving (his own) life #and perhaps they'll both find a definition of salvation that is neither of these things 👀 #but that's not the point of this post #anyway this is one of those concepts that I've been orbiting around and maybe gestured toward before #but I don't think I ever quite put it in words or thought about this connection so directly #so here we are #vnc #vanitas no carte #the case study of vanitas #vanitas #vanitas my beloved #english major hours

[aledethanlast]

I think if I had to make exactly one change to aftg I would make Neil...not a pyromaniac, but definitely a habitual arsonist. Would it be fucked up for his preferred mode of violence to be his last connection to his mother? Yes. But imagine how funny these books would be if Neil had to constantly argue himself out of burning Evermore down and running for the hills before anyone can stop him.

#aftg #on a more serious note tho #something about Neil finding power in his own brand of violence #but over the course of the series realizing that he cant bear to live a life of constant destruction #and his relationshio with Andrew would begin on mutually assured destruction leading into mutual disarmament

[rendellstreet]

Brief character blurbs from the TBEA / TTS Seasons 1 + 2 pitch bible

#Tangled The Series #Varian #Lance Strongbow #Captain of the Guard #Stan the Guard #Pete the Guard #''We'll come to find Varian is an antagonist force to be reckon with'' the understatement of the century LOL #Captain's ''he'll need to accept that Cass is not his little girl anymore and she can make her own decisions'' 😭 #''Lance would give his life for Eugene'' 🥺 #So was Pete supposed to be pegged as the new guy on the guard #And Stan was the older more experienced guy looking out for the rookie? #''Slightly wiser'' now why is he catching strays like that fdkbfkdb

[ganondoodle]

you know, i had a totk thought (uh oh)

soemthign thats really bothering me about the whole "actually, ganondorf didnt like the guy appearing out of nowhere marrying a hylian and just saying yep das our kingdom now and we can mine it barren under your nose and also i got laserbeam pebbles that i totally wont ever use on anyone come join me or die just bc of all of that but mainly bc the guy brought some weird tech with him that he dont like" - thing is that ......... we see almost not a single tech thing in the past (and for that matter see nothing of the oh so perfect and peaceful paradise hyrule was before big evil desert man didnt want to join our paradise- like what is the point about making the whole point of the game be -we need to restore hyrule to this paradise it once was- when you dont even see it or get to care about anything of it)

it might sound like a weird hangup but no really, the most we see is like two servant constructs, thats it, when they 'prepare for war' im pretty sure all you see is some lightly dressed ( ... is it just me or does their whole get up look alot like native american/other indingenous people too ... i still dont know how to feel about that- kinda adjacent to some of the sonau armor, the battery one i think??, also having that look...) hylians with spears, where the heck is all that tech?? is it implied to be all down in the mines hollowing out the underground (for no real reason either bc .... theres only two sonau left and no one else seems to want use nor need the tech otherwise there should have been more traces or soemthing left of it -unless it all just magically appeared out of nowhere in mostly prime condition while all shiekah tech jsut vaporized for bs non reasons just for it to be in tha game but oh dont you see its always been there lmao- so whats the point really????)

or up in the sky as most battle constructs are and they cant get them down in time bc *gestures vaguely*

or is it intentionally kept out of view bc idk seeing an army of robots on raurus side he can send out on a whim might not make him look as oh so good and perfect as they want him to look when he already got laserbeam pebbles (most of which hes been hoarding until ONE falls into hands not under his control) ?? like it just ... feels weird?? so many battle constructs that can even be a threat to link are jsut fully functioning strolling around in the present still, why wouldnt you want to use any of them to battle gan and if they DID why wouldnt you show that (no the 3 second unicorn cutscene doesnt count bc its just .. gan and his monsters isnt it) ?? (also ... why isnt there a big like battle ground , like fine you dont have to animate an army of monsters and robots clashing but... wouldnt it be cool to have you discover a giant flat plain in the underground (that magically got put under ground like gan just decided to stroll down there to get sealed lol) and its the only mostly empty field in the game littered with thousands of monster bones and dead constructs intermingled?? just to give it all a bit of weight?? evidence that it happened?? cool ass discovery????)

(also also i cannot let go of ganondorf apparently being sooooo anti tech but then clamgan uses the shiekah stuff??? shouldnt he also be against that then or is that suddendly fine bc- oh woops sorry, forgot clamgan is actually just something, not connected to gan at all actually, i mean why else would miasma turn into malice only to turn into miasma again haha none of that is connected actually what is a calamity anyway? also im sorry to bring this up again but i just cannot let go of the ppl in the present being so obsessed with using sonau tech in every part of their life now- they just lived through an apocalypse of a barely understood strange tech but CLEARLY this other even less understood strang tech is not dangerous at all lets make CARS OUT OF IT and what theres no danger in miasma and that tech existing at the same time LIKE SOMETHING ELSE BEFORE THAT IDK SEEMS LIKE A BAD COMBO--- oh sorry forgot that ceased to exist in both the world and peoples minds for *gestures vaguely* plot reasons- why why why are monsters mining the sonanium?? they dont even work with the yiga no that is also completely disconnected we dont wanna draw and interesting connections after all- whats the point if it means nothing but to be a loot box for the player-- actually, so much of totk is just a so built around throwing you into a box of toys with no substance to it- listen i know games are kinda like toys but if it doesnt make sense and offers you nothing interesting to think about even slightly whAT IS THE POINT)

#ganondoodles talks #zelda #ganondoodles rants #totk #like not to make myself sound like a better writer ............ BUT #in my rewrite rauru does that also to suck the life out of the desert more and more to force the gerudo to be depended on their trade #to both pressure them and force them better into submission #bc of the whole plot point (in my rewrite) that rauru came from the underground with his dying people bc they discovered warnings of old #about the king of a deserts nation becoming a horrible world destryoing monster and so plotting with sonia to get gan secretly sealed #and by doing that rauru seals his own fate (rauru dies and its his stone that gets taken) like the fairytale prophecy thing making people- #-do exactly what leads to it while trying to avoid it #bc gan finds out and plots against it #-ANYWAY #when i see other people talk i need to talk again even if i make little sense