#and his abandonment trauma means that he's also convinced if he isn't good enough at helping everyone will leave him | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

dontlookforme00 · 10 months

Text

NEW MORRO AU TIME!!

Info and images beneath the cut! Pls click for quality.

Ok, this is a song au, based off of these three songs: The Heart Acoustic, The Mind Electric, and The Soul Eclectic, all by Chonny Jash. If you don't already know them, please go listen to them in that order!

I've gotten really obsessed with them lately (thanks worm anon lmao) and I do what I do with all media I like, which is make it about Morro.

In this au, Morro developed some very specific mental disorder that split his personalities (possibly D.I.D?) that called themselves the Heart and Mind, and him the Soul. This is how I'll refer to them all from now on.

First up is the Heart.

He's basically a collection of Morro's childhood traumas, and is in constant agony because of how intense his emotions are. Heart can be very childlike.

He feels everything. He switches between being painfully empathetic, and having barely enough energy to empathise. He's kinda very depressed.

He hates the Mind because of how inhumane he is. He is very stubborn in this hatred.

Heart can be pretty useless, but it's not exactly his fault because yk, emotional agony. However, he shouldn't be underestimated. As the memory-holder of the system, he has the worst memories out of the three, and this trauma can cause violent outbursts. He can absolutely be dangerous.

He can also be reasonable, it's just that mind sends him over the edge so often.

I designed him around the outfit the ninja find on his skeleton in canon, and his green ninja outfit. Have fun w those connotations

Next up is the Mind.

This is supposed to be an embodiment of Wu's teachings, and how they affected him.

This is why he looks more adult, more grown than the others, and also had the braid (but longer) that Wu has in canon.

Because Mind is basically like Wu, and Heart is an embodiment of Morros traumas, you can imagine how very much they hate eachother.

In the song, Mind is a machine. In this au, he's not, but he's very robotic and very strict. Heart calls him a machine as an insult. Mind is kinda more of a "fighting machine", yk?

He's incredibly unemotional. Lacks empathy, only knows how to negotiate. He thinks very lowly of Heart for being so controlled by his emotions, because it means that Mind can't make the system to be the perfectly efficient machine he wants it to be.

He is very stubborn in this trying to convince Heart to suck it up and be just as robotic as he is.

Finally, the Soul.

This is basically just canon Morro.

Canon Morro except as he's carefully navigating his way through the Cursed Realm, he is in perpetual conflict because he can hear these two sides fighting day and night in his head, and he can't get them to shut up.

He is the host, and definitely has the most power over the system. He is also in control of the body most of the time, Heart and Mind-- when they're not endlessly fighting-- are trying to negotiate with Soul.

This is not a good thing for Soul lmao. Now he has to deal with bickering, and the occasional stubborn persuasion.

They both try so hard to convince him to get rid of the other, convince him that they're right, convince him to do anything, to help them both stuck forever in this hell with the person they hate most.

Mind tries to appeal to his desires, (quotes from the songs): "He's [Heart] a depressed fool. Abandon him and we could live so free."

Heart tries to appeal to his humanity; "He's [Mind] a damn madman. Is that the one you truly want to be?"

Ultimately, they have no real power over Soul, but Soul has all the power over them. So they whine and yell and try to convince him, but Soul isn't having any of it. He's developed a lack of empathy, because it is constantly being used against him.

So, he's very reckless and easily agitated, he's very quickly starting to go insane, and often lashes out in manic-like episodes. Sometimes at others, sometimes at Heart and Mind.

He keeps trying to shrug off these voices and they keep coming back. Every now and then, the voices stop, and he has a moment of clarity, and he breaks down, so scared and confused of what's happening, begging the outside world for help.

If he gets revived [idk yet] this will all persist into his life.

Keep in mind I'm just deriving all these personalities from the songs, so seriously, if you haven't, then go listen to them!! They're great songs!!

They'll provide great context and you'll probably understand what I'm saying even better.

Okkkk, I'll reblog this with some other pictures I've drawn of it, (other quotes from the songs lmaoo) so if you've read this far then omg tysm!!! :DDD

#ninjago #lego ninjago #morro ninjago #morro #ninjago morro #my art #ninjago fanart #digital art #artists on tumblr #ninjago au #my au #heart mind soul morro au #heart mind and soul #chonny jash #music

140 notes · View notes

remyfire · 2 months

Note

I think the funniest thing about Hawk being Like That is that Alan Alda has writers credits on the show. This man voluntarily made his character the most touch starved needy desperate person on the planet and that's so fucking insane of him. But also Mr Alda I would like to give you a little hug and a kiss for giving him to us because I love him with my whole heart. And don't even get me started on the fact that Hawkeye yelled to a general "I want to have your baby!" In literally the first season. Like Hawkeye my love not everyone needs to know you want to be pregnant 😂 And truly he deserves to be absolutely smothered with cuddles, everyone loves him and he loves everyone and I think it could help fix him.

Listen my Trap brain is always on, he's my man, I am thinking about him quite literally daily. And now that you reminded me of the priest line I'm gonna think of that too! Like Trapper my love what happened in your past? Did your parents give you that many names in hopes you'd be a priest? Did you pick one yourself for confirmation? Why did you keep all of the names despite seemingly abandoning the religion? I am peering at him like a bug under a microscope and there's nothing he can do about it.

That little coffee through line with Margret is so cute! Even though I'm sure it was unintentional on the show's part I definitely couldn't help but think of it and flash back to The Nurses in both the scenes in Temporary Duty and CAVE. Margaret and cups of coffee representing her character growth is honestly so sweet and I love it. Also ooohhhh self proclaimed Military Brat Margaret Houlihan realizing that the Army Way isn't the only way or even the best way, and the things that would DO to her. The realization that what she's learned her whole life isn't necessarily good, and having to contend with what that means for her and her career and her personality. And also having to face her father after that, because we see in Are You Now, Margaret? that she cares very much about disappointing him and even affecting his career. Would such a realization maybe help her become more of her own person that isn't living only to make her father proud and keep up the Houlihan name? Or is her desire to be a point of pride for her family more important to her than her personal development? Truly she's so fascinating to me. And it's definitely an interesting parallel with Mulcahy, both of them having something so deeply ingrained in them that it h u r t s when it's finally inevitably broken out.

Everyone in this show suffered enough in the narrative for several lifetimes but damn if I don't wanna give them a little bit more hardship to really crack them open and wrap up their character development in the way they deserve. I'll definitely give them softness and love but first they need a little bit of pain I think 😂

(Also I am officially onto season 8! I finished Goodbye Radar last night and was a Wreck. Man I love this show)

Okay hi again anon, sorry for making this sit while thinking too hard about Hawk and Beje and Trap things.

I swear that Alan did more to break and attempt to breed Hawk than any of us fanfic authors have ever done. I am not entirely convinced that this man didn't start getting the bends once he couldn't whump Hawk anymore and instead pivoted to writing fanfics for the old distant zines that popped up in the '80s. He probably has multiple AO3 accounts right now just churning out agonizing pain. Alan we know what you are.

I do hate that we got so little development for Trap compared to Beej but it's also delightful because it means all of us get to sit here and rotate him on a merry-go-round that goes faster and faster and never stops. Anything is possible. He's so INTERESTING!!! He's like half a guy! No matter what anyone says, they could probably make it work! And that means I am in fact slam dunking the religious trauma into him at breakneck speeds. Sorry, bud (lie).

I'm so glad you mentioned Are You Now Margaret because that's one of those underrated episodes that always has its teeth so deep in me. We learn so much about her so fast. Her big friend group!! She had so many people who loved her and who she loves enough that she refuses to endanger them even though she hasn't spoken to make in years!! The fact that she will give her father that kind of deference even though we all know in our bones that he doesn't deserve it! God, Margaret.

I love people like you who run in with a wrecking ball just absolute decimating all these characters that we know and love so that I can come in after in my little clown car with hot chocolate and blankets. I am a simple author. I know what my duty is here. And it's getting everybody laid by everybody else but ALSO giving them extreme amounts of aftercare and pillow nests ;v; We all share such a vital role in this ecosystem.

#and my role is to be very simple and i know this #my ramblings #long post

8 notes · View notes

lazylovedragon · 3 months

Text

KIMETSU ACADEMY AU: "THE REBELS" Background Info!

First up, we have: Zohakuten Kuromiya, the oldest out of his friend group yet youngest out of his family! Zohakuten comes from a middle-class family. His mother dying when he was around seven years old left quite the impact on his father, Urami, because of that he and his older brothers spent a lot of their childhood at their grandfather's home. Zohakuten had grown resentful and hateful of his father, blaming him for a lot of the trauma he had endured during his childhood since their grandfather was clearly mentally unstable and could not care for them. Zohakuten does not blame his grandfather, but he does hold a lot of hate in his heart for his father and Sekido(sometimes).

Zohakuten and Sekido get into a lot of fights, mainly arguments, but they have gotten physical. Despite having a similar personality to Sekido, he's the closest with Aizetsu. He tolerates Urogi and Karaku, but it's so obvious that he favors Aizetsu mainly. He's close with his brothers, but all of that changed once Zohakuten entered high school since that's when a lot of struggles came to be.

His family began to fall apart when their grandfather became ill, since that meant their father would be around more. Knowing this, Zohakuten refused to be home most of the time, which caused arguments between him and Sekido. Sekido kept trying to convince Zohakuten that their father had changed, but Zohakuten continued to harbor a deep hateful resentment against his father. Often, Zohakuten would either stay at his friend's houses or stay out late at night until he felt like going home. Zohakuten has clear signs of anger issues, abandonment issues, trust issues, family(daddy and brother) issues, and some sort of depression along to go with it.

Hence why Zohakuten is so protective of his friend group because they are the only people he's ever trusted with his deepest secrets and has shown vulnerability towards. They're like his other family in a way.

Up next: Etsuko Sato, the second oldest of her friend group and middle child of her family! Etsuko also came from a middle-class family, though since she was born a premature baby, her family dubs her a "problematic child" because of the medical expenses they had to pay because of her. She was seen as a burden most of her early childhood, often neglected and emotionally abused.

Eventually, Etsuko began to fend for herself. She unfortunately still deals with her family, yet she bites back at their insults and petty remarks. Even though she has a tough exterior, Etsuko is very much a softie. She often does spend her time at Senjuro's house or at her older cousin's house just to escape her family from time to time. Most of the time, she's mostly with Senjuro or Zohakuten. If not, then she's with Rui by the library.

Etsuko really doesn't like the kamaboko squad, mainly because she envies how easy they seem to have it. So, she pulls pranks on Kanao, Nezuko, and Aoi because Zohakuten and Rui like to pull pranks on the boys. Though sometimes she wishes that she could have it as easy as they did.

Etsuko suffers from asthma, anxiety, some sort of depression, self-confidence, Mommy + Daddy issues, and abandonment/isolation issues. Hence why she's always with her friends, she can't handle being alone for long periods of time. She's also very protective of her friends as well and won't hesitate to jump anyone who messes with them.

Next, we have Rui Ayaki, the youngest of his family! (Him and Zoha twining fr)

Unlike Zohakuten and Etsuko, Rui actually came from a well-off family. However, that doesn't mean his family is pretty. Rui resents his family, mainly because he's never felt home at his house. Sure, he loves his mother, but that doesn't mean she is a good person. Rui isn't dumb. He's smart enough to understand that his siblings dislike him due to the fact that their father doesn't bother with Rui.

It irritates Rui, knowing that his family will never truly be a "family" is a feeling he despises more than anything. His father is a brute, Rui knows this because of how much his mother flinches or has shown signs of fear around him. For being quiet, Rui has learned to read the moods of people around him to accustom himself. Call it a trauma response, but it works pretty damn well when your math teacher throws people out the window.

Rui spends half of his time at his uncle's house or at the school library. He doesn't bother going home early since it's boring, and he feels like an outcast 24/7. Rui suffers from a form of separation anxiety, finding it difficult to leave his friend group at times since they make him feel safe and vulnerable. Rui also is a very huge nerd, say what you want but he takes his grades seriously, A's and B's for this boi.

For our final member, Senjuro Rengoku! Now, this lil nugget here is the sunshine out of all of them. Senjuro may have a heart too big for his own body, but it's okay since he has guard dogs™️. Although Senjuro doesn't mind, he just knows his friends are looking out for him(especially since people would pretend to be his friend mainly because his older brother was the history teacher and they wanted good grades). Senjuro knows basic first aid since his father owns a dojo, which helps whenever Zohakuten or Etsuko get into fights(he's also teaching Rui first aid as well).

Senjuro used to be in the kamaboko friend group, but he stopped hanging out with them(which made Muichiro sad since he lowkey may have had a crush on Senjuro). Mainly because he envied how easily Tanjiro was able to get his father to train him at his dojo when he never bothered with Senjuro in the first place. He doesn't hate the kamaboko squad, but he will help set up pranks on them.

Senjuro mainly hangs out in the school gardens or any café shop closest to him(He avoids the Kamado Bakery like the PLAUGE). He also enjoys being in the art room, mainly because Rui drags him there whenever the library is full or overcrowded. Besides that, Senjuro is close with Etsuko. He sometimes spends the night at her cousins house whenever he's overwhelmed at his own house. Plus, it's not like Senjuro likes being at his house anyways, he'd much rather be with his friends.

Senjuro suffers from crippling anxiety, some depression, self-confidence, family(daddy) issues, and (some sort) of PTSD. He also doesn't have a mom since she died(him and Zoha bond over the fact they're motherless, lmao). Senjuro will get into arguments with his older brother, Kyojuro, but they don't get violet, unlike Zoha and his own brothers. Senjuro respects and admires his brother, but deep down, he just wishes that Kyojuro would just listen to him talk about his feelings without turning it into a lecture. Plus, Senjuro hates the fact that Kyojuro often doesn't come home often and leaves him alone to fend for himself whenever his father is drunk or just a jerk in general.

____________________________________

ANYWAYS, that's all I have written so far. I might actually make this a series, but I'm not too sure yet. I also might do Zohakuten's brothers + Senjuro's brother as well since this mainly focuses on the kiddos. Stay tuned, my loves!

#oc x canon #kny #demon slayer #kny senjuro #kny zohakuten #kny oc #kny rui #demon slayer au #kny au

6 notes · View notes

yanderes-galore · 2 years

Note

Can I request a Yandere Quentin Smith or Tandere Ghostface?

I am assuming DBD but this could also be considered Slasher.... Aged up as usual. I've done Ghostface a ton already so I'll do something different.

Yandere! Quentin Smith Concept (DBD)

Pairing: Romantic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Mentions of past death/trauma, Insomnia, Overprotective behavior, Clingy behavior, Jealousy, Mentions of torture, Slightly forced relationship, Potential spoilers for Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)

- It's stated in Quentin's DBD description he is determined and provides aid and guidance to his team in the fog.

- His presence is also comforting to many.

- He'd be Overprotective for the most part based on what he's seen, but Quentin could also be a jealous Yandere.

- Quentin has lost many to the knives of Freddy, even now the demon still follows him.

- The fog also took him away from his previous relationship.

- His fate was sealed if he died by Freddy in his dream or in here....

- Except here... there were many more monsters.

- He considers every survivor his 'friends' even if he can be jealous.

- Quentin would probably be quite sweet even when Yandere.

- It's easy to find his presence comforting, always looking tired yet determined to see things through.

- He's also good with finding medicine when it's needed.

- If you or him are in danger, he's got it covered.

- When he first gets there he doesn't consider starting a relationship with you, still dedicated to Nancy back at home.

- Then he slowly starts to realize... he may never leave this place.

- He may not see her again and it saddens him.

- However he can't think of that now, there's no time.

- People here need his help, help he's ready to give.

- Especially you, someone who he's now befriended within this realm.

- He doesn't show much Yandere behavior around you.

- He's usually just very sweet, kind, and encouraging towards you.

- Quentin is someone that makes you smile when he comes near.

- You don't notice his behavior until he starts getting a bit hostile towards his fellow survivors.

- He looks so out of it, snapping at them when they do something he isn't fond of.

- People could easily say it's because Quentin doesn't get enough sleep, yet it feels like more than that.

- You have your theories when Quentin shows distrust towards other survivors except you.

- Even trying to convince you that they're too reckless, that he'll be the one to get you both out of here!

- You appreciate his enthusiasm....

- But none of this means you should abandon your team!

- You try to excuse him, agreeing he needs more rest.

- He refuses to consider rest.

- Even though death is not permanent in this realm... he doesn't wish to go through it again.

- In fact, he doesn't want you to go through it again either.

- Neither of you deserve to suffer.

- This makes him determined to get you out of here with him.

- "Just look at me. We'll get through this. I'll make sure we'll both get through this...."

- Quentin would probably only freak out more if Freddy was in a trial with you.

- If you went in alone, he's frantic towards you.

- Asking if he hurt you or if you're okay.

- He hates that demon with a passion.

- If he was able to kill him again, he would.

- Then there's if Freddy is in a trial with the both of you.

- There's no doubt he's going to target Quentin, maybe even you.

- Which only encourages Quentin to stick around you more.

- He couldn't forgive himself if he let Freddy or anyone hurt you.

- Quentin isn't really a possessive Yandere which makes him easy to deal with.

- He is, however, affectionate.

- At the campfire or in a trial, Quentin likes to keep you alone with him.

- Occasionally he pulls you aside and holds you.

- His face in shoved into your neck, grip tight on you like he'd lose you any second.

- He doesn't care if anyone sees.

- When he's like this, he feels he needs you.

- He loves you, he won't ever let you forget that.

- You make him feel a little safer.

- He just hopes he does the same for you.

- As long as he has you the trials fly by.

- He would go through any sort of hell if it meant Freddy or any other monster never got to you.

- "I can't lose you... I've lost so much already...."

#yandere dead by daylight #yandere dbd #yandere quentin smith #yandere nightmare on elm street

64 notes · View notes

rosehearrt · 1 year

Note

💐 - What small things go a long way for your muse? What small favors can someone do to get on their good side?

💝 - What's their love language?

❤ - What's something you feel like your muse needs to work on for a relationship to happen or for a relationship to be healthy? Do you think that's possible? Or is it something that'll likely never happen?

🖤 - What's something that will instantly make them dismiss someone as a romantic partner

ACCEPTING ━ Let's talk about romance! .

💐 - What small things go a long way for your muse? What small favors can someone do to get on their good side?

This one actually has four pretty simple answers, which are as followed:

give praise when due - after experiencing a childhood with absolutely no celebration of his accomplishments or positive reinforcement for his constant pursuit of pleasing his family, words of affirmation go a long way for Riddle. of course, they have to be well-timed and sincere, and the person saying them to him has to mean it from the heart, or it won't land the right way. expressions of gratitude fall under this umbrella as well, if they are spoken in a way that includes recognition of how hard he tries and how much work he takes on to do as much as he can for his dorm and his school...even though he can, at times, be misguided or come across as too harsh.

listen & take interest - Riddle has so many different fascinations, of which are constantly changing. He adores learning above all else, and he's constantly starved for information. When he becomes particularly impassioned by a subject, he's been known to go off on tangents about it, both to express his excitement and, at times, to attempt to share the knowledge he holds with others. Oftentimes, others seem to ( understandably ) find this somewhat obnoxious, but it all comes from a good place. For another person to listen to what he has to say with a smile and take a genuine vested interest in it would mean a lot. Bonus points if they can contribute to the conversation, or even teach him something additional he does not yet know about the topic.

notice things - take the time to pick up on things like when he's working too hard, hasn't been sleeping well, or isn't eating enough. The tells may be small and difficult to pinpoint, but if you really look for them, they'll be there. He isn't used to anyone other than Trey caring deeply enough to learn said tells, or to try and fight through his stubborn nature in order to support him or convince him to take care of himself. A lot of people just throw up their hands and give up when faced with his tendency to rage at them, but if you don't do that and in fact decide to stick to your mission of looking out for him / get creative about ways to disarm his temper, it will mean a lot in the long run.

take him as he is - this is perhaps the most important point. Riddle needs someone who will understand his difficulties and his trauma, and understand that even as he works on himself he will be a difficult person to stay with, but to choose him consistently regardless. This would, of course, begin with a friendship that functions this way. Riddle needs to know that he won't be abandoned no matter how hard things get, because he knows he can be a nightmare to be around, but he's also quite sensitive, and he does have rather prominent feelings about most things. Sensitivity to rejection is no exception, especially seeing as though he's been all but refused love by his parents all of his life, and then rejected by the dorm he'd been trying to do right by ( though ultimately knows he failed with his tyranny ). Stick with him - that speaks volumes.

💝 - What's their love language?

He has many different kinds, but gestures mean the world to him. As an old school romantic, Riddle is an adamant lover of bouquets of flowers arranged with the language of flowers in mind ( a guide he lives by ), poetry addressed to him either self-written or passages that remind one of him ( he's liable to do this one often himself, and send novel passages as well ), and perhaps even a handmade dessert or handwritten composition. He adores things that having meaning and sentimental value behind them - a lot of his own gestures are bound to as well.

He also greatly enjoys highly romantic private moments, such as a waltz by candlelight or tea beneath the stars.

There are three things that particularly stand out in my opinion:

his control issues - make no mistake, this is not to say that Riddle will try to exhibit control over his partner in a toxic or abusive way, but he's very concerned with making sure he's the one to oversee everything going on in his dorm, making sure that he's the one attending each dormhead meeting, making sure he's the one correcting negative behavior from the students under his rule, etc. I think that letting go of some of that psychological need to be aware and in charge at all times would be incredibly good for him as an individual, but it would also be very beneficial to his relationship, so that he isn't constantly distracting himself from his partner with his countless duties. I think he could do with sending Trey to weekly dormhead check-ins at times, or allowing him and Cater to oversee things in the dorm. Riddle having less of a chokehold on Heartslabyul would be good for everyone involved.

his fits of rage - a no-brainer. Everyone knows that Riddle has anger issues - in fact I hc that he has Intermittent explosive disorder among a few other disorders which I will get into at a later time ( psa, everything I post relating to my muse's disorders comes from either personal experience with my own disorders or from my professional and educational background, I would never give something to a muse without making sure I'm as informed as possible about it first / how to depict it properly ). But the unfortunate reality is whether directed at his partner or not, these fits of rage could be extremely damaging to a developing relationship, not only because of his partner's personal feelings, but because it could be very uncomfortable for them to witness his behavior towards anyone else as well.

his neurosis - much like when it comes to his control issues, Riddle's obsession with rules and regulations ( alongside his own ridiculous little ideals to live by, as well as outdated mandates from the days of the Queen of Hearts ) often make him aggravated and anxious. He becomes uptight, and at times incapable of seeing reason, which would very likely pose a problem for him while dating someone, seeing as though he would attempt to encourage them to be extremely by the book just as he is...which is rather unhealthy, to say the least.

As we can see in canon, he's slowly getting better with all of these, but he still has far to go. I think that ultimately he could get to a place where things are manageable and wouldn't get in the way of his relationship, but I don't really think they're things that will ever just fully 'go away'.

🖤 - What's something that will instantly make them dismiss someone as a romantic partner

answered here !

#FINALLY REMEMBERED TO START PUTTING UP MY ANSWERED BANNER #wishkept #thank you for the askkkkkk #i'm sorry it's so long hdgjfyesvegfhd i'm loving these #.*･｡ﾟ♕ ˗ˏˋ ANSWERED. ˎˊ˗ ─ 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯 .#.*･｡ﾟ♕ ˗ˏˋ HEADCANNON. ˎˊ˗ ─ ��𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘪’𝘮 𝘮𝘢𝘥 .

5 notes · View notes

thecarnivorousmuffinmeta · 2 years

Note

What would be the best time in the books for the Jasper/Bella path to happen? Is there a particular moment in the books that you have in mind that with a couple of changes, could lead to the timeline where Jasper/Bella happens? Any particular moment where Edward's being his worst, Edwardiest (lol) self with Bella, and the change could be Jasper happening upon this and realizing that hey, something isn't right here?

Thoughts on Jasper/Bella.

Well, anon, you're almost asking me to write a fic here. The answer is with enough elbow grease and prose, a good author can convince their readers of almost anything, including the validity of Bella/Jasper wherever they see fit. So, I think this would be up to the individual author.

But if you're asking my opinion then I suppose I can put on my outlining hat and see what comes out.

Note that here I assume I'm not playing dirty and that we're going with canon as how I interpret it. So, no changing Bella on the side or Jasper on the side to make this work.

Muffin Chooses a Point of Canon Divergence

There's a couple places more obvious than others to me.

New Moon

Edward leaves, abandoning Bella, and she becomes an utter ruin who has to build herself up from the ground up without Edward's help. By the end of the novel, right after she jumps off the cliff, she comes to realize Edward will never come back and she has to move forward (coincidentally, Alice comes back right at that moment and Bella can shove that thought out the window).

In canon, it's Jacob's friendship that helps Bella build up the pieces. But their relationship had its very rocky moments as well, notably the period where Jacob also appears to abandon her.

This is where Jasper could come in.

I do think Jasper would leave. He has no reason to stay and given his overwhelming guilt over what happened, he wouldn't want to. Any attempt to force that would just be OOC ridiculousness.

However, there is the question of "What about Victoria?" In canon, Jasper ends Twilight thinking she'll be out for revenge and that they should not have let her get away. They're going to regret that. However, I imagine he thinks she'd be after the coven rather than Bella, especially after they leave Bella, and it's not really his business.

And he wants to go with Alice, especially as she's on this journey of personal discovery that is bound to be extremely painful. He didn't abandon her in the middle of that in canon.

However, here's where we can diverge. Jasper and Alice's relationship is an utter disaster, and more Jasper is wracked with guilt over what happened. He could hear from Edward that Edward lost track of Victoria and is now bumming around uselessly in Rio. Jasper might consider it his personal responsibility to take out Victoria, as a means of making amends not only to an unwitting Bella but to Edward whose love life he ruined.

Alice approves, as this might help improve Jasper and Edward's relationship and she feels awful over Bella as well, and tells him to get gone. She can do this self-discovery thing on her own. Jasper's not exactly happy about that but he goes and lo and behold, his search brings him back to Forks.

Where he happens to show up right around the point where Jacob has been ordered to cut all ties with Bella. If the fates are really with us, Jasper's the one who murders Laurent.

Bella's overjoyed to see him, tells him what Laurent just told her, and Jasper realizes that "Oh shit, Victoria's after Bella." Well, he can't interrupt Alice's journey and he doesn't want her in harm's way, so he has to call up the other family members to keep an eye on Bella while he goes hunting.

Bella nearly vomits in terror at the idea of having to face the Cullens after their rejection and Jasper realizes this girl has some deep, personal, trauma to work through.

Trauma is worked through, dirty secrets of Edward's are slowly revealed, Alice's dirty secrets are also slowly revealed (in just how much she knew/how much she enabled comes out), the newborn army thing probably happens and the Volturi show up and also turn Bella as Jasper's excuse was that he personally couldn't do it, Edward eventually shows up scary as hell which Alice enables, and Jasper realizes Alice wasn't what he thought she was while Bella realizes the same with Edward.

Betrayal is the word of the day here but eventually this could lead to Jasper and Bella finding solace in each other.

Breaking Dawn

Bella is pregannant and has her first terrifying disagreement with Edward where she actually has to protect herself and her child from him. If anything was close to breaking Bella out of her romantic fantasy: it was Edward in Breaking Dawn.

Now, in Breaking Dawn, Bella turns to Rosalie due to her knowledge of Rosalie's past. Had she not heard Rosalie's story, she would have had to turn somewhere else and I doubt Rosalie would be her first thought.

She might choose Jasper due to having protected her in Phoenix that one time and being a very competent and scary fighter. If she does, Jasper is faced with the heady responsibility of having to protect this pregnant woman from her husband while knowing that he may have to very well murder her child when it's born.

He's going to be an utter mess.

However, he'll pull through and have to make increasingly awful calls as tension keeps wracking up. Something has to be done about Edward, about Jacob, about the wolves in general, about Bella's health conditions, about the Volturi who are watching for any slip.

Due to this new position of responsibility, and due to how much Edward loathes Jasper, Edward probably won't be in the picture when Renesmee is born. Bella is devastated as her husband has left her, even when their daughter turns out to be beautiful. Then, of course, there's the Irina disaster. In canon, Jasper and Alice leave to go on a quest to find Nahuel (though also, perhaps, to get out of dodge on the off chance they don't find a miracle in South America). In this world, Jasper sees Bella who is utterly broken, and he can't do it. He can't leave with Alice.

This breaks them apart as I imagine Alice has a Drusilla type vision in which she dumps Jasper before he can dump her. It's an utter mess.

Bella/Jasper can be made to happen though.

#twilight #twilight meta #twilight headcanon #twilight shipping #twilight renaissance #bella swan #jasper whitlock #bella/jasper #meta #headcanon #opinion #shipping #ludicrousloopylozza

113 notes · View notes

fillingthescrapbook · 3 years

Text

(Reworking) Army of the Dead

I'm gonna veer away from just reviewing this film because I don't want to contribute to the negativity. Zack Snyder seems like a nice guy based on how his crew (and his actors) talk about him, so let's not punch down. Instead, I'm going to offer my two cents on how to improve the dazed and confused Army of the Dead.

Now, before I begin, I just want to say that I was really looking forward to this film. The trailers promised a colorful good time. I was dismayed by the fact that nearly half of the film takes place outside the zombie apocalypse. The good time was in short supply. And the colors? ... Well, I played myself there. I made myself forget that Snyder isn't a fan of colors.

But enough about my gripes. If you plan on watching the film and haven't yet, I would suggest you scroll away now. We're about to get into spoiler territory because here's my pitch on how to improve the movie:

Number one: Let's give the bad guys a clearer objective. The movie begins with a road accident that unleashes a super zombie into an unsuspecting Las Vegas. He's fast and doesn't just attack people. It's pretty clear from the get go that the movie is setting him up to be more than just the instigating incident for the zombie apocalypse. So I don't understand why, after a very cool opening sequence, that super zombie is swept away to focus instead on casino owner Bly (Hiroyuki Sanada) hiring someone to steal money from his hotel inside Las Vegas.

I mean, after watching the film, we know that obtaining one of the super zombies was the real mission. And I get that the writers wanted that twist. But why make the bad guy the owner of the safe he wants to steal money from? It takes only a few dialogue changes to make him a former partner at the casino, that he wants the money his partners never gave him--and that explains away the need for mercenaries and a safe-cracker.

And why wait to introduce Martin (Garret Dillahunt), his right-hand man, until the team has already been formed? Martin should have already been present during the initial meeting, providing reasons to Scott (Dave Bautista) on why Bly can't just get his men to come in and out; that they know Scott has a way in, that they know Scott has a team he can convince to go in, that they know that there are zombies inside the city of Las Vegas that aren't like other zombies--that's why they need specialists. When Scott asks why Martin needs to join them, Bly would wave it off as him wanting an inside guy in the team to make sure they deliver the money to him. But an exchange of looks between Bly and Martin could already set the tone for the viewers that there's a different mission at play.

Also: it's fine to play Bly and Martin as desperately courting Scott since he and his team are desperate as well. They need the money that they're gonna get from the heist. That should've been implied from the beginning as well, that Bly and Martin have already done their research on Scott. That would've allowed us to speed through getting the team together. So we could have a scene first of Scott and Maria (Ana de la Reguera) having a scene arguing about taking the job. Scott would be for it, needing the money to provide for his estranged daughter. Maria would be against it because she wants out of the mercenary business. But because she loves Scott, she agrees.

I have no problem with how fast they recruited Marianne (Tig Notaro). That was one of my favorite scenes in the movie. My only wish here was that they didn't have to green-screen Tig Notaro in, that they had cast her in the first place instead of the other guy. Because Tig as a badass? Something I never knew I needed.

They should've had Vanderohe (Omari Hardwick) live in the tent city just outside of Las Vegas. The film established that he needs the money, but not really why. Having him need money to evacuate his family completely from the tent city provides a visual reason. He also could've been Scott's way of keeping tabs on his daughter, since we learn later in the movie that he became an absent father because of his guilt. Scott's first scene with his daughter could've been while he was recruiting Vanderohe.

Mikey (Raul Castillo) should've been Scott's contact in how to get into Las Vegas. Mikey is shown to be a YouTuber of sorts who regularly sneaks into the Vegas area to kill zombies for views. I don't understand why he couldn't be the one who has access to Lily (Nora Arnezeder) and her container gate. He could be the one to suggest that the team douse themselves with "perfume" made of rotting smells--which he uses to make himself less noticeable to zombies when he films his videos.

Which leaves Dieter (Matthias Schweighöfer) and Chambers (Samantha Win). Dieter is supposedly a known safe-cracker, and it doesn't really fly with me that he doesn't have someone guarding him at all times. Instead of Chambers belonging to Mikey's crew, she could've been Dieter's bodyguard instead. They could still keep in the detail that she's never fought a zombie before, but she could still remain a really good fighter on account of, you know, being in charge of Dieter's protection. The guy who walks out could be part of Dieter's team as well--and someone who knows that going against zombies, even on your own terms, is still a suicide mission.

The first complication, instead of Dieter not knowing how to kill zombies, should not have been in the planning of the heist. Bly and Martin should already have a plan in place. They are, after all, running this show. The first problem should come up at the tent city--just prior to the team meeting Lily. Vanderohe would report to Scott that his daughter Ella (Kate Ward) sneaked into Las Vegas to find her friend Geeta (Huma Qureshi) because Geeta's kids wanted their mother. That takes away the unnecessary scene of Scott and Ella arguing if she's joining his team or not. Because neither Scott nor Martin should have allowed Ella to go in with them. At the most Scott would offer to find Geeta. But they were operating on a plan that had only one escape helicopter. Adding more people to the team at that point was stupid. Having Ella sneak in prior to the team going in would take care of that, and would make Ella less liable for the deaths that happen later on. And Scott, knowing he can't just abandon his team, decides that he will stay on the mission--and once he has delivered Dieter to the safe, he would go off on his own to look for Ella.

I don't mind the tribute to the queen zombie all that much--had we actually seen zombies threaten the team first. Mikey could be shaken that his rotting "perfume" didn't work, with Lily explaining that some of the zombies have higher intelligence and rely on sight and warmth more than smell.

Having Lily lead the team up until that point, fighting zombies, and then using Burt (Theo Rossi) as an offering to get the Queen to allow them passage would've been more impressive than a zombie tiger to be honest. And when the Queen takes Burt, Lily should have told the team that her job is done and that she was going to come back for them at a certain hour. Martin should've been the one to convince her to stay, citing that they need her knowledge of Las Vegas zombie lore to guide them to where they need to go. Which would then alert Mikey and Chambers that something is not right with Martin.

When Martin approaches Lily about his other mission, Chambers should've been there to see the exchange. Maybe even a handshake between the two. That way she has a reason to confront Martin about his lack of trustworthiness.

After the confrontation, I feel like Martin should have been more proactive in getting rid of Chambers. Making her go last should have been Martin's idea, saying it's a precaution since she's Dieter's bodyguard. Creating noise that would wake the dormant zombies should have been Martin's move as well, and not Chambers making a mistake. Just locking her in with them feels like a very cowardly thing for the current main villain to do.

And then, when Chambers bursts out of a glass window, I feel like Martin should've shot her just as she was about to succeed in beating down the zombies. Excusing his act by lying and saying he saw her get bitten, and that he was just saving Chambers the trauma of turning into a zombie. By then, Martin should have gotten everyone to move on ahead, keeping back in the guise of being concerned for Chambers. Maria and Lily could have stayed with him, as Mikey would've been Marianne's guide towards the helicopter, and Scott and Vanderohe would have continued to guide Dieter through the casino and towards the safe.

When the team regroups (sans Mikey and Marianne) is when they should start to encounter the zombies as integrated challenges into the heist. Like, they need to turn on the electricity to get to the safe--but the lights and the noise would wake the zombies inside the casino. So the plan would be situating Vanderohe, Martin, Lily, and Dieter by the elevators so when the electricity comes in they could get in immediately. They could create barricades or traps to ensure they would be safe from the zombies.

Scott and Maria would be the ones to turn the electricity on so they could go find Ella while the others are focused on the safe. The plan would then be to evacuate Ella through Lily's gate instead of exiting with the team, leaving the rest of the team to be the ones to squeeze into the helicopter.

Over at the helicopter, Mikey would warn Marianne about his distrust of Martin as he shoots zombies while Marianne refuels their escape plan. Marianne could also vocalize her concerns about Martin's shadiness, with the two concocting a plan to get rid of Martin as soon as he makes the wrong move.

When the lights come on, Martin convinces Vanderohe to accompany Dieter to the safe. Leaving him and Lily as lookouts to make sure no zombies get down. And giving him and Lily time to do his other mission.

Scott and Maria, succeeding in turning on the generators, would then make their way to where the super zombies are--having learned from Lily at the beginning of the heist that that's where possible survivors are imprisoned by the intelligent undead. It's while they're leaving the heist casino that they learn about the government's plan to move up the schedule on nuking Las Vegas. They radio to the others about the government's change of plans.

Martin, upon hearing this news, pushes Lily to leave Dieter and Vanderohe since they're running out of time for his other mission.

Dieter and Vanderohe, in place of having a crisis with Mikey on the lead up to the vault, would instead be using the zombies there as bait for the booby traps. Remember, in this pitch, Bly and Martin have already given them everything they needed to know to open the safe. The only thing they don't have is the actual safe combination. (As an added complication, it would be great if Dieter actually gets bitten prior to getting to the safe--and then having the team amputate one arm to stop the spread of the virus. It's an additional wrinkle into the heist that could exist in a zombie apocalypse.)

When Martin kills the Queen, Scott and Maria would see the change in the zombies outside their headquarters. They wouldn't know that Martin killed the queen, of course, just that something's changed--and they have an opening to get in and save Ella. So they take it.

Meanwhile, Martin offs Lily because he has already acquired his true mission: the Queen's head. He can even keep his evil mustache-twirling dialogue with Lily. His goal now is to get to the helicopter before Vanderohe and Dieter unlocks the safe.

The action here would then be amped up as Scott and Maria work as a team to take down the stragglers on their way to find Ella. They could even encounter Burt, who is still unturned, while looking for Scott's daughter. Burt could still be useful later on as someone who betrays them.

At the casino, Martin has to be smart about his way to the helicopter as zombies are already roaming the halls and he doesn't have that many bullets left. He uses one of the elevators as a distraction, leading some zombies to enter the elevator that Dieter and Vanderohe will use later on.

Inside the safe, Dieter has succeeded in opening the safe. They are using radios to ask for help in taking the money and bringing them to the chopper.

Outside, we hear Vanderohe's voice in Lily's radio as the King zombie finds his queen's body. He growls at his legion of zombies to find who is responsible. He takes the queen's body back to the zombie headquarters.

Up at the helipad, Mikey is answering Vanderohe's call for help saying he could leave Marianne for a bit to go to them--but he gets cut off when Martin shows up to try and take the helicopter. They have a fight at the helipad, avoiding using the guns so as not to damage the helicopter. But we see that Mikey and Marianne are ready for Martin's inevitable betrayal. We pan out and we see that the hotel is now fully swarmed by the zombies.

Dieter tells Vanderohe that they could start loading up the elevator with the money. But when they open the elevators, zombies start pouring out. Leaving the two surrounded.

Meanwhile, at the zombie headquarters, Scott and Maria find Ella. They get a happy reunion and Scott gets to have a moment with his daughter--which is cut short by Maria telling them they have to go. But before Maria could finish, she gets killed by the King zombie. Maria gasps as she tells Scott to save Ella and run. This is when Burt could play the traitor card and push Ella, or the friend she was trying to save, so the zombies would turn on them instead of him. Right before he gets killed. Ella promises her friend that she will take care of Geeta's children.

Scott and Ella has to run.

Meanwhile, Mikey and Marianne succeed in knocking Martin down. He drops his bag and the Queen's head rolls out--and bites Mikey. Marianne is concerned, but Mikey knew he was gonna get bit someday. Martin regains consciousness, shoots Mikey twice. Before realizing he's out of ammo. He then picks up the queen's head and threatens Marianne with it. Before he could take another step though, Mikey tackles him--and they both tumble off the helipad together. And then zombies start coming out of the stairwell. Marianne radios Vanderohe--

Who saves Dieter from a particularly strong zombie just in time. He knows they're not getting out alive. They have managed to barricade themselves by the safe using the rails. But it's about to give up. Vanderohe tells Marianne that they're gonna lock themselves up in the safe. That she should fly out and come back for them after the nuke hits. Hopefully they'll survive the blast.

Dieter and Vanderohe run for the safe. The barricade gives way. Dieter pushes Vanderohe into the safe. He pushes the safe door close before he is overwhelmed by the zombies.

Marianne is already inside the chopper. She hears Dieter's screams through the radio. She shoots a zombie and then flies out.

Scott and Ella manage to get up to a squat building to another helipad. They see Marianne's chopper flying out of the heist casino. Scott shoots a flare. But there's still light and Marianne is seen flying away instead of towards them. Scott and Ella say their goodbyes to each other. The King zombie reaches them. Scott tells Ella he loves her as he faces off with the zombie. And then the chopper arrives to take them. Scott pushes Ella to go on first. He does his best to battle the super zombie.

Inside the chopper, Marianne tells Ella that she still has guns. Ella uses one of the guns to shoot at the zombie so Scott could get into the helicopter. Which he does. But the zombie is also able to jump in.

They struggle inside the chopper.

The nuke is launched.

Marianne is focused on flying the chopper. She gets shot. But she waves it off. Saying it's just her arm. Ella has to help her fly the helicopter though.

Scott succeeds in killing the King zombie. He pushes the zombie out of the helicopter and into the tent city.

The three of them make it out.

Marianne lands the helicopter a safe distance away from Las Vegas and the nuclear blast. And then it's revealed that her "arm wound" was a shot to the stomach. And she has bled too much to survive.

Scott and Ella mourn the loss of their friends and loved ones.

And then Scott discovers he's been bit.

Ella cries. She tells Scott she may have hated him, but she never stopped loving him because he was her father. And then Scott forces her to shoot him, so he doesn't turn. She does as he wishes. She is the only survivor of the heist.

Until--we see the safe from the heist casino. It's been a few weeks since the nuclear blast. The safe door bursts open: and out comes Vanderohe. And we see he's been bitten. But he hasn't been turned into a zombie. The bite saved him from the nuclear fallout, while the radioactivity is keeping his zombie gene dormant.

And then, at a tent city, we see the King is still intact. He has been retrieved after the nuclear blast, having fallen outside of Las Vegas. And we see Bly there with a smirk.

A sequel is coming.

And that is how I would have reworked Army of the Dead.

#Army of the Dead #my words

4 notes · View notes

crossdressingdeath · 4 years

Note

Re Guanyin JC, true, I always forget how WWX never had a non abusive relationship in his past because it's so sad! So that's definitely a worry, but a big game changer imo is that after his rebirth, he isn't persuaded he has a life debt to the Jiang abusive family for fostering him and to JC for "stealing" his place in the family by being too good which guided many of his decisions in his past life. He had lived with the Wens who loved and respected him and LWJ choose to stand by his side 1/4

(Wens sibs also did), Jc revealed his true colors re genocide of people who saved his life (and WWX is good at resenting insults to others and not to himself)... Jc knows it hence why he's brandishing the promise and the debt to the Jiang as an argument, and not love or brotherhood. In canon, I'm nearly sure WWX won't come back by himself if JC doesn't make at least a given gesture which of course with his pride, anger and blaming others for his own faults, he'll never do. 2/4

Even with nice fanon JC, as you said, people can only imagine JC wanting WWX back, not WWX deciding to rebuild the bond lol It galls me how fans are persuaded that WWX (or JL or poor LXC in the popular ship) just need to learn that coming from JC insults, blame, anger and rejection means love and learn to navigate and degrade themselves enough to make it work. No, it's abusive and JC must learn to stop it first and 3/4

work on his trauma before being let back into polite society? YZY doing it is bad and abusive, but when JC does it, it is not because ...? 4/4

Hey, it’s not that he never had a non-abusive relationship in his past! He had JYL, who couldn’t do much about his situation because she was a child (even if she did end up having to pretty much raise him) but did clearly love him and want him to be happy. But between her genuinely not being able to do a lot to help him and, let’s face it, her love for both her brothers blinding her to how downright cruel JC could get, in the end he still ended up with approximately zero sense of self-worth.

Re. the deaths of the Wens, I’m pretty sure WWX has convinced himself that JC really couldn’t do anything and it wasn’t his fault, never mind that JC led the siege. I don’t blame him for that; JC is pretty much all he has left of his old life, and WWX really does love him. Blaming him won’t bring the Wens back and it’ll destroy any hope WWX has of getting some small scrap of his childhood back, so it’s easier to just... not. It’s not necessarily the best way of dealing with the whole situation, but... it’s understandable. Of course, the other part of his reasoning (”It’s actually all my fault because I killed JYL (never mind the person who actually stabbed her) so of course JC needed to get revenge (never mind the fact that he was at the ‘let’s kill WWX right after saying we wouldn’t’ party to begin with)!”) is... infinitely less healthy.

I think people look at WWX saying “Oh, he’s insulting me out of love and it’s all playful!” and take it at face value? I mean, playful insults are a thing; see WQ and WWX’s dynamic, which is mostly snark with a solid core of trust and affection. But WWX has convinced himself over years that JC’s insults come from a place of love and care because the alternative is that his brother always hated him, and he can’t even bring himself to consider that possibility. WWX is not a reliable narrator! JC’s style of loving insults is constantly putting down anyone who even looks like they might be better than him, and it’s only considered loving because WWX, who thinks the way YZY treated him was okay and justified and all his fault if you really think about it, says it is. Because, again, he has zero sense of self-worth and is just full of self-loathing, so despite his skill and outward arrogance there really wasn’t much left for JC to degrade. A good example of this is how WWX really does want to rebuild their bond, but seems to be under the impression that that’s his responsibility and it’s all his fault their relationship went south, as if JC didn’t abandon him, call him a traitor to the sects, show up to pledge troops to try to kill him, lead a siege to kill him after their sister died to save him, spend thirteen years torturing to death anyone who reminded him of him, tried to kill him again the second he suspected he’d come back to life, and then when that didn’t work deliberately triggered his cynophobia for “proof” even though he already knew with 100% certainty that that was WWX and so it was probably just for funsies. And that’s not even getting into all the shit he does before and during the Sunshot Campaign!

As for it being bad when YZY does it, an irritatingly large portion of the fanbase seems to be under the impression that her being an abusive bitch is actually all JFM’s fault for not bowing to her every whim and being head over heels in love with her, so...

#grapehate #asks #anon

10 notes · View notes

thebluelemontree · 6 years

Note

What does GRRM mean with this: "Q:[Will Sandor and Sansa meet?] A: Why, the Hound is dead, and Sansa may be dead as well. There's only Alayne Stone". Because what he says doesn't add up in the actual text from AFFC. In the Alayne chapters 'Alayne' still has a lot of 'Sansa thoughts'. I don't see any indication that Sansa is 'dead' no more than that Arya is 'dead'. I know The Hound isn't dead either, but he is supposed to be but his comments about Sansa/ Alayne confuse me a bit.

Don’t we all want to know what that means exactly! It’s a very cheeky answer that GRRM is want to give when he wants to skirt around spoiling something yet to unfold. Very observant reading by the way. More under the cut because this will be long.

Sandor’s part of the quote is a lot easier to understand. The Hound is dead, but Sandor lives. Obviously this isn’t about literal death. His duality and struggle with the Hound persona was already well-established. In hindsight, we can see this end to this persona is coming what with “a hound will die for you…” Later when he’s mortally wounded, all his options to return Arya and find a way back to Sansa have dried up, and not until he’s completely broken and stripped down does he finally confess his regrets and take full responsibility for his moral failings. This is the Hound’s death rattle. This is Sandor getting back in touch with his humanity and noblest self.

His time as the gravedigger is a direct confrontation of and penance for the Hound’s callous attitude toward human life. Remember all that blustering about being a butcher and everyone else is meat? Remember “if you can’t protect yourself, die and get out of the way of those who can?” Oh boy, is he going to eat those words. As the gravedigger he must labor for the innocent victims. He must look them in the face all day long. They were murdered by Rorge and Biter, two men who represent the Hound totally without conscience and gone fully broken man. One is wearing the Hound’s helm while raiding the Saltpans for Pete’s sake. Not only that he must serve food and clear the table for the penitent brothers. These are people the Hound would have mocked as stupid and weak lesser men. They believe in the gods, they openly acknowledge their trauma, and have chosen a life of nonviolence. The villagers and the brothers are the kind of people knights are supposed to protect. Now Sandor has to STFU, be respectful, and serve them on the humblest level. Sandor is being rebuilt from the ground up.

So “Sansa may be dead.” That’s a lot less definitive than his statement about the Hound. Like the Hound, we’re talking about the life and death of an identity, but which one will die in the end? Alayne or Sansa? You are right to notice that she has plenty of Sansa thoughts while being Alayne. Sansa Stark isn’t dead, but she’s not in the driver’s seat either. Hence why George might say “there is only Alayne Stone.” It’s more like she’s dormant or sleeping for the time being. The question is more like “will Sansa sleep for so long that she never wakes up again?”

Think of the snow castle scene in the Eyrie’s godswood where the statue of Alyssa lays broken in two and half-buried in snow. That’s a metaphor for where Sansa is in the story. Split in two with one half gone to ground. As a “Stone,” she is in danger of eventually petrifying into a cold, stone statue if she abandons all of Sansa’s empathy and idealism and adopts Littlefinger’s cynicism and cold-hearted selfishness instead. This also has applications to Catelyn turning into LSH. The Alyssa Arryn of legend was cursed by the gods to never know rest until she could openly weep for her dead family. Specifically, her tears must fall upon the Vale of Arryn below where her loved ones are buried. The waterfall known as Alyssa’s Tears turns to mist and is blown away by the wind before it can touch the valley floor, which is where the Gates of the Moon is located. Sansa does weep for her loved ones, but only when she can’t help it and it’s always in private. She actively tries to suppress thinking of them because it cracks her wide open. Alayne Stone has no family except Petyr and she must be Alayne all the time. Its clear though that Sansa’s tears have a direct relationship to her Stark identity. More on Alyssa’s Tears toward the end.

Before I get into the pitfalls, there is some good to be mined out of Alayne for Sansa’s character growth. Petyr may have given her the name and the backstory, but Sansa has fleshed out Alayne into the person she wants her to be. There’s a lot of fake it ‘til you make it going on here. Alayne is older and more mature. She’s pretty, but more practical and isn’t given to wearing too fine of gowns and jewels. She’s had the bastard’s hard knock life, so she’s got grit and determination to not be crushed by the worlds scorn. Alayne doesn’t take shit from Harry the Heir. She doesn’t cry in embarrassment or blame herself for his rude behavior. She doesn’t blush like a pomegranate over everything. Alayne is clever, more world-wise, and self-confident. Where Sansa was all cool and proper courtesy, Alayne is warm and engaging. Can you picture early Sansa impulsively hugging a shabby sellsword like Lothor Brune? No way. The very idea would have been appalling. Most importantly, Alayne looks straight ahead and unflinching at the path that lay before her.

“Coming up, Mya had warned her to keep her eyes on the path ahead, she remembered. “Look up, not down,” she said … but that was not possible on the descent. I could close my eyes. The mule knows the way, he has no need of me. But that seemed more something Sansa would have done, that frightened girl. Alayne was an older woman, and bastard brave.” – Alayne II, AFFC.

And as long as Sansa can convince Petyr that she has fully embraced Alayne, it lulls him into trusting her enough to let some of his guard down and trust her with more freedom than she had in KL. By constantly emphasizing their father-daughter relationship, it helps mitigate some of his unwanted sexual advances.

The danger lies in becoming his daughter in her heart, suffocating Sansa out in all but name. Petyr’s philosophy and skill in dealing with adversity is seductively attractive, leading to conflicting feelings within her. She isn’t comfortable with how he operates and she’s constantly pushed past her boundaries by him. Yet “he is so bold. Sansa wished she had his courage.” She mistakes his fearlessness for courage.

And yet the thought of leaving frightened her almost as much as it frightened Robert. She only hid it better. Her father said there was no shame in being afraid, only in showing your fear. “All men live with fear,” he said. Alayne was not certain she believed that. Nothing frightened Petyr Baelish. He only said that to make me brave. She would need to be brave down below, where the chance of being unmasked was so much greater. Petyr’s friends at court had sent him word that the queen had men out looking for the Imp and Sansa Stark. It will mean my head if I am found, she reminded herself as she descended a flight of icy stone steps. I must be Alayne all the time, inside and out. – Alayne II, AFFC.

Of course this would seem appealing to girl who has been powerless, afraid, abused, manipulated, and wanted for regicide. Petyr is never afraid. He’s never the victim or helpless. No one hurts him. He deftly handles his enemies before they can strike, leaving them impotent. He always knows what to do. Petyr is the magic man that makes everything go his way and he’s going to show Sansa how to do the same. All she has to do is become as cynical as he and be willing to use other people. He teaches her the world is divided into players and pawns and you do not want to be a pawn. Think of how this is reminiscent of Sandor dividing the world into butchers and meat. Yeah, Sansa is being tempted by the warm, safe blanket of absolute freedom from conscience and all it’s “benefits.” She might as well be handed the Hound’s helm and put it on herself. As Lem Lemoncloak says when he explains why he took up the helm: “the sight of it will make my foes afraid.” If that happens, all of Sansa’s goodness might truly die along with her Stark identity. Now I’m confident Sansa will find her back from the brink, but for the story’s sake, the danger and drama has to feel real and present. As a writer, GRRM has definitely pulled off that feeling as there are many readers who are convinced Sansa has already checked out completely no matter how many of those Sansa thoughts she has. :/

Back to Alyssa’s Tears and bear with me as I go on a tangent. I’m a subscriber to the theory there will be an avalanche on the Giant’s Lance. My gut feeling says Alyssa’s Tears will come into play and here’s how those “tears” might finally reach the valley floor in a very appropriate way for Sansa’s arc. We’ve already established the metaphoric connection between Sansa’s tears, identity, and the statue and legend of Alyssa Arryn. In winter, the waterfall freezes and becomes 20 foot long icicles pointed straight down toward the Gates of the Moon. That seems kinda ominous; however, the passage where they are mentioned is interesting.

The snow-clad summit of the Giant’s Lance loomed above her, an immensity of stone and ice that dwarfed the castle perched upon its shoulder. Icicles twenty feet long draped the lip of the precipice where Alyssa’s Tears fell in summer. A falcon soared above the frozen waterfall, blue wings spread wide against the morning sky. Would that I had wings as well.

Like that falcon soaring above the waterfall itself in the glorious light of dawn, I think Sansa will fly away and escape again, just as she did King’s Landing. Icicles are likened to weapons in the Eyrie and we’ve heard the phrase “tears are a woman’s weapon” often enough. Lysa used Tears of Lys as a weapon, but Sansa’s tears may be very different. I think we’re meant to make a connection between those 20 foot icicles and Ned Stark’s longsword Ice, an instrument of justice and her father’s philosophy. Recall that Ned was beheaded with Ice, likely because Littlefinger influenced Joffrey to change the plan from Ned taking the black. If one of those bad boys were to crack and crash to the ground, not only could it cause said avalanche that would effectively “behead” the mountain’s peak, but “Alyssa” would finally be set free from her “curse.” Not that I’m saying Petyr would literally die by getting impaled by an icicle, though that would be nice. I think it means his time as her father is quickly coming to an end. Sansa’s tears, her best weapon against Littlefinger’s psychological hold on her, is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. She needs to be brave, dispel the web of lies that binds her to him, and openly reclaim her identity despite the risk of capture.

Now I don’t think the Alayne persona really needs to die completely so Sansa can live. It’s possible she synthesizes the two into a newly remade Sansa, one who possesses the best traits of both identities. Sandor isn’t going to take vows and devote himself to quiet and celibate contemplation. Stranger is kicking down the stable walls and refuses to become a gelded plow horse. Some of Sandor’s old ferocity and his moody temperament will still be there, but he’ll definitely be changed by his experience as the gravedigger. It think it will be the same with Sansa. She’ll keep Alayne’s courage, strength, brains, and feminine wiles, but Sansa’s core values will guide her choices and actions.

#sansa stark meta #sandor clegane meta #alayne stone #the gravedigger #the hound #petyr baelish #littlefinger #Alyssa's tears #Alyssa Arryn #twow spec #avalanche theory #grrm quotes

135 notes · View notes