Tumgik
#and we see how this had a negative effect in canon
hanadoesstuffwrong · 2 months
Text
Thinking abt the air nomads:
What if, after the war, once the dust has settled a little, Aang goes back to travelling, hoping that maybe he can find at least some trace of surviving airbenders. As an added bonus, he gets to do more of the exploring and wandering that he had to put on hold.
Toph goes with him ofc. She only just got a taste of real freedom and it was overshadowed by ever-present impending doom. While she's on speaking terms with her parents, she isnt quite ready to be back under their roof on a permanent basis. The rest of the gaang have their individual homes and responsibilities that they get back to, though they join for the odd field trip or adventure when they can.
So anyway, they're touring all over the world and over the years they notice just how displaced so many people have become. EK citizens who barely escaped the blaze but lost everything; FN military now decommissioned with no idea how to carry on; people looking for a new start in the hard-won peace. Maybe it starts with Toph heading back to Earth Rumble, where a group of young runaways scrounge for cheap fights to make a little money.
At each turn they find more and more people with no homes to return to and no family to protect them; runaways escaping the roles the war forced them into. Gradually, Aang and Toph start to see that they aren't so different from themselves. They just want a new start.
So they decide to give them one. They clean up the temples and set up villages in the surrounding areas (helps to be master earthbenders), where people can arrive and stay as long as they need. Travellers and refugees pass through in droves, sometimes choosing to stay and rebuild their lives there, sometimes continuing in their wandering with a guarantee that they'll always have a place to return to should they have the need.
Over time, the lemurs grow in number and even some flying bison calfs (hybrids with a relative species maybe?), can be seen in the skies. Whenever the founders visit, it isn't the same but Aang feels a little more at home.
The first time someone asks Aang to teach him his philosophies, and expresses his desire to become a monk, how can he refuse? Maybe it's a former soldier, somebody who's done terrible things, looking for a path to redemption. So Aang teaches him, and then he teaches others. And though they may not be airbenders, they are as earnest and faithful as any nun or monk Aang knew before. The temples become filled with new faces: Firebenders, Earthbenders, Waterbenders and non-benders all wearing Air nomad orange and yellow.
Aang always feared that it would be his responsibility to have airbender children, and the idea of forcing that on someone he loved terrified him. Maybe that's why he waited so long before acting on his feelings for his best friend, his travelling companion, his fellow-village builder and temple-restorer. How could they have a truly happy relationship with this pressure hanging over them? He wishes he could be content with the new way of things that he and his friends have created. But he knows that he can't be the last airbender forever...
Nobody knows why some children can bend the elements and others can't. Is it blood? Is it blessing? Is it the land in which you're born? Or is it the simple allocation of fates decided by the values and norms you're raised believing in? Is it enough to be surrounded by the culture and beliefs of the Air Nomads? Nobody knows...
All they know is that nobody sees it coming when the six-year-old daughter of two non-bender villagers from the Earth Kingdom and Northern Water Tribe sends herself flying twelve feet into the air with a sneeze.
144 notes · View notes
sailormoonandme · 8 months
Text
Mamoru is NOT useless in the Anime
Tumblr media
Yes, yes, the memes are funny and all, but this is simply objectively not true and I'm rather exhausted of folks critiquing the character/the anime as though it were.
I will hopefully kill his BS once and for all.
"He just throws a rose and leaves!"
For those who have actually watched the anime (or even just the very first episode) to describe Tuxedo Mask as 'useless' is reductionist to the point of being outright disingenuous. In particular when this argument is made in such a way as to negatively compare him to his manga counterpart, who is put over as allegedly superior on this point.
The original 1992 Sailor Moon anime had 200 episodes, 3 TV specials*, 2 theatrical shorts and 3 films, with these latter theatrical releases being dubiously canonical to the anime. Mamoru appears in the overwhelming majority of those 208 entires, even accounting for the final 34 episodes where he was dead/functionally absent almost all of the time. Even if we seriously low balled things, the majority of those appearances feature him partaking in the following scenario.
Sailor Moon, often with her fellow Senshi, are fighting the monster of the day (maybe it's a higher ranking villain, or a general threat they are dealing with).
They get into a tight spot where either they or whoever/whatever they are trying to protect is in danger from whatever threat they are combatting.
Then, out of the blue, a rose slices through the air and imbeds itself into the scenery like a dart. Typically, this action saves the lives of Sailor Moon, her friends or whomever they might be protecting.
Tuxedo mask gives a speech and either leaves or else sticks around to see Sailor Moon perform her finishing move that effectively ends whatever threat she was dealing with, often with Tuxedo Mask being the one to prompt her into performing this finshing move.
For the sake of argument lets pretend that the above is literally the sum totality of what Mamoru does in regards to the superheroics of Sailor Moon. How could anyone describe the above as 'useless'?
If his interventions regularly save Sailor Moon's life then that is a zillion miles away from useless. For him to be useless, his actions need to be superfluous, pointless, contribute nothing. Even if he contributed a little bit he would by definition not be useless. And saving the protagonist's life is much more than 'a little bit'. If the protagonist dies then the story is over. Evil has won, the world is doomed.
And this isn't even considering all the ways Mamoru contributes OUTSIDE of the above scenario.
He has, whilst untransformed, stabbed a Lemures with a knife to save Sailor Moon.
He has willingly acted as a magical life support system for Chibi-Usa when her Pure Heart was stolen, an act that maybe anyone else could have performed but it is still a noble thing to do, in particular when it freed up the more powerful characters to go get her heart back.
He personally met up with the Outer Senshi to learn about them on behalf of the other girls, going alone which might have been dangerous, but the episode also gives the impression that he, as the oldest member of the team, was better positioned to get info from the older Outer Senshi who has a demeaning view of the younger Inner Senshi. In this same episode, he tried to convince the Outers to join forces with the Inners, acting as a diplomat.
He went 1-on-1 with Rubeus to defend an injured Sailor Moon who was herself acting as a human shield for Chibi-Usa
He has personally gone on a one man mission to infiltrate the Black Moon Clan's HQ to rescue Sailor Moon from being sexually assaulted by Prince Demande.
Mere episodes later he and Artemis went on a scouting mission to learn more about the Malefic Black Crystal
He formed a double team with Sailor Moon to tackle a tennis themed Youma, an encounter that involved more than a singular rose throw and a speech. One of the multiple times he got more directly involved in fighting the monster of the day
He literally carried Sailor Moon on his back to save her when they were both trapped in an elevator courtesy of Nephrite
He was prepared to willingly reveal his identity and hand both himself and his Rainbow Crystals over to Zoisite in order to save Sailor Moon and her friends
The love he shared with Usagi directly led to the manifestation of the Silver Crystal, to the salvation of Chibi-Usa when she'd been brainwashed into Black Lady & the creation of a new weapon and transformation brooch for Usagi in season 3
As Prince Endymion, he went against his own subjects and risked his life to infiltrate the Moon Palace and warn his beloved Serenity that his home planet was going to invade her home
He took not one, not two, but three impalements to protect Sailor Moon's life
More often than not he has acted as reliable emotional support for Usagi and Chibi-Usa, encouraging them, helping them with homework or just being there for them. i.e. he is an imperfect, but ultimately good husband and father. Which is particularly impressive considering he hadn't yet married his wife nor conceived his child.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
There are those who might scoff at the latter. Is emotional support really useful? Well, putting aside how the Sailor Moon universe clearly demonstrates how magical power/energy is directly linked to emotions, this is categorically true in the real world as well. There are no end of testimonies from fire fighters, doctors, people who have serious illnesses, or soldiers that the emotional support of thier loved ones have kept them going and kept them alive. So, this is rather useful for our heroine Usagi who's job is that of a Sailor Soldier.
The Outer Senshi
Furthermore, there is an inherent hypocrisy in the 'Mamoru is useless' narrative because such criticisms are never levelled against other characters whose typical role in the narrative are similar to Mamoru's.
The most popular season of the original anime was season 3 (Sailor Moon S) and one of the biggest reasons for that show's popularity were the fan favourite Outer Senshi: Sailors Uranus, Neptune, Pluto and Saturn. Let's exclude Saturn as she wasn't active as a Senshi for most of season 3. Uranus and Neptune's role in the first half of season 3 typically amounted to
Attacking the monster of the day, usually to the same end that Mamoru's rose throws did, i.e. a distraction or last minute save
Swiping the Pure Heart of that episode's victim
Checking it over before concluding it wasn't a Talisman
Leaving, or else at least standing by as Sailor Moon administered her finishing move on the monster of the day
Golly...that seems just as 'useless' as Mamoru now doesn't it? In fact, maybe more so considering they weren't even trying to help Sailor Moon in the first place. In fact, during their second appearance, they unintentionally saved the lives of a powerless Usagi, her friends and an innocent civilian to check a Pure Heart, then uncaringly left them all in danger.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
You know who then saved them immediately after that? Mamoru!
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Later when he too was overwhelmed by the monster he directly contributed to saving the day as his emotional bond with Usagi generated the Spiral Moon Heart Rod, upgrading Sailor Moon and giving her the power to save everyone.
Tumblr media
During the third sub-arc of season 3 (where the recurring villain was Mimet of the Witches 5) Sailor Pluto joined the Outer Senshi's ranks and their role in the typical monster of the day plots became yet more minimal. More than once, the trio literally appeared but did nothing, something that had also happened at least once before Pluto joined the team. Examples include (but are not necessarily limited to) episodes 97 (The Labyrinth of Water – Ami Targeted), 116 (Sunny Skies After a Storm – A Friendship Dedicated to Hotaru) and 118 (Battle Inside the Demonic Space – The Sailor Guardians’ Gamble). In some of these instances the Outers deliberately choose to do nothing.
Barring 2 of the specials mentioned above (one of which was a clip show), the Outer Senshi were wholly absent in season 4/Sailor Moon SuperS. In one of those specials, upon learning that a new threat had arisen Uranus and Neptune...choose to continue their road trip and leave the fighting to Usagi and the others...How...useful???????
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
They, along with Pluto and Saturn get much more involved during the course of the final season/Sailor Stars. Even then, Saturn only appears in the first few episodes and the last few. Pluto only gets involved in the monster of the day schemes once or twice and Uranus and Neptune three or four times, if that. Whilst Mamoru is barely involved at all in this season, he at least has the excuse of being dead for most of it.
So, the fan favourite Outer Senshi got far LESS involved and were LESS useful than Mamoru typically was in the course of the whole show. In fact, even if we exclude the first two seasons where (exempting Pluto) the Outer Senshi hadn't appeared yet, Mamoru overwhelmingly contributed MORE than the Outer Senshi did.**
The Other Senshi
Much the same can be applied to the Sailor Starlights. The Starlights more often than not actually got MORE involved in fighting the monsters of the day during season 5 than the Outer Senshi did in season 3; or at least they were interested in defusing a direct and active threat to innocent lives. But even they literally showed up and did nothing on at least one occasion.
Tumblr media
Whilst the Starlights are nowhere close to the Outer Senshi's popularity, they are also never subjected to the 'they are useless' narrative Mamoru frequently is.
Nor in fact are the Inner Senshi of Sailors venus, Mars, Jupiter and Mercury. Now, whilst it's easy to argue due to their superior screentime, the fact that they often initiate combat with the monster of the day and are generally heavily involved in whatever crisis is happening, that they are obviously more useful than Mamoru is.
And you know what, even including the rare occasions they too show up and do nothing else (or do a last minute save like Mamoru is prone to do) this is perfectly true. It is also perfectly true however that the quartet have rarely ever defeated any monster of the day on their own. The overwhelming majority of the time the Inner Senshi act as a distraction to the Monster of the day or else sufficiently lower its HP so that Sailor Moon can actually beat the monster. That might be more useful than Mamoru's typical contributions, but, call me crazy, it seems like Sailor Moon is doing the lion's share of the work there. So, how 'useful' are the Inner Senshi really if we run by the 'Mamoru is useless' narrative?
If Mamoru is useless so are many if not all of the more popular heroic characters in the series.
But...how useless is Mamoru in the anime compared to the Manga?????????
*Well, one special with three segments, but go with me on this.
**They were mostly absent from season 4 whilst he appeared routinely in that season. Meanwhile, in the season he was mostly absent, they rarely helped out.
Obviously, there are real life writing reasons behind that difference, but my point is why is the fandom not treating the Outer Senshi as 'useless' too?
270 notes · View notes
lokisprettygirl · 1 month
Text
Utopia (Modern! Daemon Targaryen x female reader) (Non Canon AU) (18+)
Read chapter 6 here // Series Masterlist
Chapter 7
Summary: Daemon eases your fears and worries.
Warning: 18+ sex ,period sex (if it bothers you skip the scene) death and destruction that comes from a ship wreckage, smut, sex, menstrual sex, unprotected sex. Some inconsistency with ship sinking, i researched as much as I could
Tumblr media
“Are you alright?” Emma's voice was filled with concern as she asked you if you were okay, noticing the distress that was evident on your face. The two of you had just left Lily's house, and Emma could sense the negative effect it had on you.
“I'm fine..just want to go home” Emma sighed as you said that. She could tell that you were not alright, but she didn't know how to help without you opening up to her.
“Y/n I know you have always liked him but him and Lily have always been this way..they fight, fuck other people and then get back to each other.. don't you remember how he treated you on the ship after he slept with you?” you turned your head to look at her as she said that. Emma's words had struck a chord in your heart, reminding you of the awful morning when Daemon had completely dismissed you post the one night stand .
“Yeah? Always huh? How many times have they survived a ship sinking incident before? How many times before Daemon was left stranded on an island with someone else? This is not the same thing..why it's so hard for you guys to understand” you got visibly agitated as you finished your sentence, your voice raised as you tried to express that you and Daemon weren't just a fling.
“I'm just trying to protect you..” she mumbled softly so you sighed.
“I know but I also know what I'm doing..do you have any idea what I have been through with Daemon on that Island? You can't just get over that stuff and move on with your life as if nothing happened. He …he knows me..I know him..six months ..we were .. everything to each other” your eyes teared up and you hated how weak you felt in the moment. You always felt this way whenever Daemon was in the picture.
“But he's not on that Island anymore and neither are you..he's back here in the actual world where Lily is”
You didn't say anything as she said that. After what Lily had said about him fucking her last night and seeing things from Emma's perspective you felt hurt and worried. You asked him clearly if he had fucked her and he said no, did he lie to you? Why would he lie to you and hurt you like that?
“Do you want me to find a job for you? Dalton was asking about you” she said as she pulled the car in your driveway so you took your seat belt off, you just wanted to go home and cry.
“Not right now, last time you hooked me up with a job ..things didn't work out so well”
You heard the literal gasp she let out as you jabbed at her. That was mean and uncalled for but anger was bubbling inside you at the moment and Daemon wasn't there to take it.
You entered your bedroom, exhausted from the emotional upheaval. As you collapsed onto your bed, you noticed a missed call and a few text messages from Daemon on your phone. Taking a deep breath, you picked up your phone and opened the message.
Tumblr media
You didn't want to ignore him and you certainly didn't want to hurt him by making assumptions about him, he told you something and you wanted to believe him but insecurities from the past ran deep and this wouldn't be the first time a man would cheat your trust like this. Instead of wrestling with your thoughts you dialed his number instead,
“Am I being ignored?” He asked as soon as he picked up so you sighed.
“Why would you say that?”
“What did she say to you..love?” his tone of voice made it clear that he was genuinely concerned.
“Where are you?” you asked him nonchalantly, your voice didn't really hold any emotion at the moment.
“I'm with my lawyer, had to discuss uhhh.. some fortune related complexities..are you back at your place?” He enquired so you barely hummed in response “Can I come see you?”
“You don't have to ask me” he chuckled as you said that,
“I'm trying to be more civilized and less of a caveman”
“Don't you want to go see Lily?” you asked him with sarcasm and envy dripping from your tone.
“Not right now, I want her to move on.. darling.. whatever she said to you that's making you all squeaky and snappy at me .. I will fix it yeah? And then you're going to fix me” you couldn't help but bite on your lip as his words made you feel slightly bashful.
“Okay” you could hear him smiling on the other end of the line as you mumbled a short response again.
Half an hour later as you opened the door and saw Daemon standing there, with his arms behind his back and a mischievous smirk on his face, you felt your heart skip a beat. The peach ribbed shirt he was wearing just added to his charm, it made you want to snuggle against him. Despite your feelings for him, the idea of him breaking your trust and lying to you was breaking your heart in ways you couldn't even begin to imagine.
The only reason why you weren't crying yourself to sleep for the past two days was because of him, the past month when you both were avoiding each other was difficult to say the least. The nightmares about drowning in the ocean had become a frequent occurrence, leaving you feeling frightened and restless. The fact that he was the only thing preventing you from giving in to the emotional distress that had been haunting you was both a comfort and a burden. But he was the only one who truly understood you because he was there suffering with you.
“Flowers for the beautiful lady” he held one of his hands forward to present you with a bouquet of beautiful flowers so you grabbed it and took in their scent “Chocolates” he then brought his other hand forward so you grabbed the box and went into your room, acting like a petulant child, it didn't do anything to deter him, he actually found you adorable like this.
He was expecting a kiss and a hug but this morning when you had told him that you were tagging along with Emma to visit Lily, he was terrified, not because he had anything to hide from you but because he knew as a matter of fact that she'd try to fill your head against him to drive wedge between you both. He was well aware of her vindictive ways when she was scorned like this.
“We need to stop meeting like that at your door” he mumbled as he entered the bedroom door and you were already on the bed with your face down into the pillow.
You felt his lips trail up from your calves to your hamstrings and he spent a good minute on your ass cheeks before he kissed up from the small of your back very slowly. Shivers ran down your spine as he moved up and pulled your hair aside to kiss your nape. You turned around to look at him and your teary eyes rendered his heart, your delicate features always softened him.
“If it wasn't for us being stranded on that Island you'd never date me would you?” You asked him as you caressed his cheeks with your fingers, you always feared that your connection with him was rooted in the shared trauma of the island and would fizzle soon.
“Yeah that might be true but not because there's something wrong with you or that you're not insanely attractive but because I wouldn't really get to know you like this..so intimately in every possible way”
You felt his fingers brush lightly against your chest, resting right above your heart, and you couldn't help but feel the burst of emotions.
His hand then drifted under your skirt as he leaned down to kiss you lovingly, palms wrapped around your hips as he pulled you into him so you sighed and closed your eyes to feel him close.
“You used to visit Paradise with Emma ” your eyes snapped open as he mentioned that.
Paradise was the name of the club The Dragonriders played at frequently and you used to go there on weekends before you even took the job on Utopia. “I'd often watch you dance from afar..you never even looked at me back then you know.. didn't even notice me” he mumbled softly in your ears so you cupped his cheeks again.
“I didn't know you..you were just a stranger”
“Exactly darling.. sometimes you have to learn the person inside out to truly appreciate them. I know i was unfair and cruel to you after that night we had spent together but it was my immaturity speaking..now i know better” you sighed as he said that, your hands sneaked inside his shirt as he leaned into you for a kiss again. He was irresistible at all times but especially when he was on top of you like this.
“You look cute in your pretty little skirt baby, my brave girl ..now are you going to sulk some more or you'd tell me what it is she said to you that is messing with your head?” he asked you, his voice was still gentle but firmer this time. You didn't want to beat around the bush either.
“She told me that you made love to her last night after you dropped her off and then later on she went into detail about how magical it was for both of you”
He looked at you intensely for a moment before he chuckled slightly as if he had it coming..
Somehow that reaction eased your fear, it was Lily's words against the man you had faced the worst of life with. If he was going to tell you that he hadn't fucked her then you'd have to believe him.
You'd have to put your faith in him because he deserved that much from you..
“Do you know why I came so hard inside you last night?” he asked you softly as his thumb brushed over your lips before he kissed you again.
“Whyy?”
“Because it has been a full day since I had done that.. since I had felt you around me so intimately. I might be an uncivilized animal at times but I'd never hurt you like that. Especially not you ..not after everything we have been through together”
You cupped his cheeks and your fingers ran through his scalp as he said that, his words felt sincere and a part of you believed him wholly, something made you believe that Daemon would never hurt you like that no matter what.
“You're not an uncivilized animal…just my big burly Cavemon” a smile graced his features as you cooed at him.
“Believe me yeah?”
“Okay.. sorry”
“Shhh it's not your fault..”
“No I'm sorry she said that about you and i believed her because I'm afraid and insecure”
“We all are at times..i fixed the problem..now you fix me” you giggled as he tickled your stomach with his fingers.
“Stahp ..it's almost my second day now..there will be clumps and stuff coming out of my goodies” he looked at you intently as you said that, his eyes darkened with consumable lust.
“If you intended for that to disgust me..it's not working”
“Your kinks are kinky..have you always had this one?” you questioned as you lifted your head up to kiss his neck.
“Not until you..”
“But you fucked your ex on her cycle”
“Not for the kink”
“It's just strange for me…my ex was disgusted just by me mentioning my period clumps”
“What an imbecile huh?
You giggled as you wrapped your legs around his waist and he made you sit up along with him.
“We are doing this my way today” you mumbled as you took your crop top and skirt off, Daemon got off the bed and he quickly undressed himself with the speed of lighting, when he climbed back on the bed you removed your underwear and threw it on the floor,
“You won't mind if I bleed on you right?”
“Fuck darling …noo” he almost moaned at the picture you had painted for him, you climbed on his lap and sat yourself down on his cock slowly, inch by inch, he wasn't really an average man in length or girth so you needed to go slow for your own sake, his legs splayed out on the bed as you submerged him completely and he placed his hands around your hips as you moved in circles slowly. His head swayed backwards and moans spilled from his throat as you worked your hips back and forth.
“I noticed you..” you mumbled against his mouth as you kissed him so he opened his eyes and looked at you all perplexed. He looked cute like this, all fucked out and pleasured the way he deserved to be pleasured.
“Mmm?”
“In the club..i noticed you..but you always had your eyes on her”
“Darling, do you believe in fate?” his voice came out in whispers as the sensation grew in the pit of his stomach,
“Not really”
“I do”
“Why?”
“I just do..I think it was fate that brought us together. Why do you think we were accommodated right next to each other when all the people we knew were a deck below from us?”
“Duuh management”
“Was it management that left us stranded together on that Island?” his fingers dug into your hips as he helped you hop on top of him.
“No it was my stupidity”
“Mmm really? You want to tell me that those strong waves somehow managed to bring us together on that very same island where we collapsed not even six feet apart from each other because of you? And both of us miraculously lived through it while none of those other people survived?”
“I don't know what to say..you're romanticizing the tragedy” his fingers curled into your hair and he pulled you closer to kiss you before he spoke,
“I have earned the right to do so ..now be a good girl and fucking cum with me”
You kissed him hungrily and the rest of the rebuttals you had didn't really come out as you fell apart in his arms as soon as you felt his warm cum filling you up to the brim. He placed his head on your chest as you both recovered from the euphoria but it lasted a good while.
Your head felt fuzzy as you had never been fucked this good, sex had never been so satisfying before. It was as if your body connected to him on a much deeper level than just physical, sex with him transcended you and filled you with intense emotional and mental release.
“If you pull out right now I'd ruin my bed so take me to the shower alright?” He chuckled briefly before he dragged his shapely arse off the bed and took you to the bathroom. He turned the shower on and as soon as he pulled out, his cum mixed with your blood spilled out of your freshly fucked cunt. His cock was absolutely bloody as well and you heard him gasp as he glanced at it. His fingers immediately caressed your lips as he cleaned the mess between your legs so you fisted his cock and returned the favor.
“I missed one therapy session and I was a major bitch to Emma this morning” you mumbled as you came back to reality from the mind numbing orgasm you had experienced just now..
“What did you do?”
“You know how they keep telling us in therapy to not blame other people for what happened as it was nobody's fault?” He nodded as you said that while he rubbed the body wash between his palm and turned you around to scrub your back.
“I think I did just that and I feel awful”
“Mmmm then apologize sweetheart and talk it out…these things happen amongst friends. I called Cole this morning to wish him for the birthday and we had a chat, he understands me better now”
“It's his birthday today?”
“Yup and we are invited, I'm sure he'd text you about it”
You hummed as he said that, as you placed your head down on his chest he wrapped his arms around you while you two enjoyed the hot shower in the comfort of your bathroom. Sometimes when you closed your eyes you imagined yourself being back at the island with him but you were only thinking about the times that weren't so awful, like bathing with him in the sea and walking around the woods in search for fruits, and most of all sleeping all huddled together on the bed of leaves every night.
You missed that, you really did miss it at times.
“Daemon?’
“What would you like for your birthday?” you asked him as you realized it would come soon as well, you were on the island when you turned 27, he had gone out of his way to collect fresh coconut water and had made a fruit platter for you which was more than enough on that forsaken place.
“I want your trust and faith in me” you turned around as he said that and kissed him softly.
Besides he was planning something to surprise you with instead, he had a meeting with his lawyer for the same reason and his lawyer certainly didn't think it was a great idea to go forward with this but he knew he wanted to do this, for both of you.
“And i want to take you somewhere with me” he said to you
“Mmmm where?” You giggled as your heart skipped a beat. You just hoped he wasn't going to take you to meet his family just yet. It felt too soon for that.
“It's going to be a surprise, hence the trust and faith demand“
“I trust you baby” his lips curved into a sweet smile as you said that.
The plan moving forward was to take a nap with him and it was very cozy until he began shivering in his sleep, telltale sign of a nightmare and you knew what it was about, it was about that night in the woods that he had spent all alone without you, he deeply struggled with the memory of the night and it was very hard on him so you know he was reliving the same trauma in his sleep. Or that's what you thought.
You didn't know that he was having a nightmare but not about being stranded in the woods but about you being bitten by that spider, he always had a nightmare about that night where instead of you being alright the next morning he saw your dead lifeless body and he was left all alone without his brave girl by his side.
When he woke up he pretended as if he wasn't affected by the nightmare in the slightest and asked you to get ready as you were both invited to the Paradise for Cole's birthday. Luckily Lily wasn't there because of her injury but the group had decided to visit her post drinking.
When you reached hand in hand with him, it felt a little awkward, people who recognised you kept staring and you felt like an animal in the zoo. The attention was uncomfortable, as you just wanted to blend in with the other people and enjoy the evening without the scrutiny.
Life had changed in more ways than one, at times you were not even Daemon or y/n, you were just that couple that was stranded on an island for six months. Whenever you were out in public, people would inevitably make reference to your story, and you found yourself being treated like a celebrity. You felt objectified though as if there was nothing more to you anymore than what you had suffered.
After greeting Cole as you spotted Emma you walked towards her.
“How's D?” She asked you so you looked at her confused for a moment.
“Daemon? He's doing okay umm-”
“No the Dick..how's his dick..is it as good as rumored?” she asked you as she crossed her arms so you pulled her into a hug.
“I'm sorry em.. I'm so sorry for being such a bitch when you were just looking out for me”
Your eyes teared up as you spoke to her so she hugged you as tightly as you were hugging her.
“It's okay..I get that..they tell me not to take it personally..you both have been through something none of us can imagine living through” you looked down as she said that.
“That's not an excuse to lash out but I'll be careful i promise..now let's get drunk..it's been a while and you're going to reveal every tea about Aemond” she blushed bright red as you whispered the last part in her ear. You were happy for her, she deserved someone making her happy and gleeful like this.
A band was performing in the club and you noticed how Daemon kept looking at them while they played as if wondering about his own time on the stage, you knew he missed singing and being up there.
Afterwards when the group decided to go see Lily you chose to opt out but Daemon insisted and pleaded until you gave in, perhaps seeing him with you would finally make her back off a little bit and she'd realize that Daemon has moved on from their toxic relationship.
However as you all turned up at her place you saw a man leaving her house, you recognised him even though nobody else did, it was one of the major crew members at Queen Utopia, Danny something, you didn't remember his full name but he was the man Lily was with that night. He handled the maintenance of the cargo area.
As he walked past you he looked you right in the eye, you saw something in those eyes but you couldn't put your finger on it.
They always told you to not put blame on anyone as the tragedy was nobody's fault but what if it was somebody's fault? And what if it was Danny who had something to do with it?
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Taglist
@mcufan72 @123forgottherest @shuichiakainx @stupidthoughtsinwriting @tmlbdv
@ammo23 @anukulee
85 notes · View notes
pftones3482 · 4 months
Text
"Ummm they toned down the abuse from Gabe in Percy Jackson because it's a kids show, stop being mad about it"
Ignoring the fact that it's also a children's book, let's take a look at some children's media in the last couple decades that depict parental abuse towards children that isn't physical, but still makes the abuse feel real:
1. Harry Potter. I'm loathe to even put it on here bc of how much I hate JKR, but HP DOES depict child abuse in probably one of the best ways of any modern media. As far as I can remember (correct me if I'm wrong), the Dursley's never lay a hand on Harry. But it is never even questioned if they're awful people towards Harry - they literally make him sleep in a closet.
2. Matilda. Like do I even need to explain this one? Abuse from not only her whole family (again, NONE of it physical from what I recall), but also from other authority figures. And she's not the only character who deals with parental abuse - Miss Honey is a grown adult shown to be dealing with the negative effects of an abusive parental figure.
3. Phineas and Ferb. Laugh all you want, but Doofenshmirtz's parents were genuinely awful to him. His stories are just tamed down in a way that's palpable to a much younger audience while still also being clear abuse - a young child can chuckle at his stories but STILL understand why maybe some of his stories would turn him evil.
4. Avatar the Last Airbender. Zuko's father physically disables his own son. Not to mention the constant emotional neglect and manipulation on top of it, the writers never held back on how bad his father was. Even if he hadn't scarred Zuko, he would still be a clear depiction of an abusive parent.
5. The Willoughbys. The parents are so awful that the kids literally plot to murder them. The parents abandoned them to freeze to death on top of a mountain. Enough said.
6. Percy fucking Jackson.
Percy Jackson IS a book made for kids that depicts child abuse from a parent - and not only does it depict child abuse, it depicts spousal abuse.
I know Percy doesn't know that Gabe is physically hurting Sally in the beginning of the book. But we as the audience know that Gabe DOES hurt Percy. There is not a single sign in the new show that Percy has anything more than a snarky, annoyed view of Gabe.
Gabe is supposed to be smelly and disgusting, a drunk (which, even if they can't depict that in a Disney show, you can still play around with his grossness), a slob, and a gambler. He's barely even greasy in the show. Literally they could have just had him belch a few times or eat messily and it would have given off a better impression of his character. Instead, he just quips back and forth with Percy and then later is just...whining. He's whiney. He does not ring as a man who abuses his family, emotionally OR physically, he rings as a pathetic step-dad figure who can't support himself (which is ALSO not canon, because in the book he runs an auto store! His abuse towards Sally is not for lack of money, it's just because he's a dick!!!) The fact that I think that Doof's parents in Phineas and Ferb are more overtly abusive than him on screen is actually absurd.
And Sally fell flat. Her character in the book doesn't yell literally ever - not once in the whole series can I recall her legitimately yelling at someone. Her persona is kind and gentle in the books and as for wits, she's clever, and sneaky, and cunning. She fights back with Gabe in ways that we as the audience can see, but Gabe misses because he's so dense.
Take the bean dip scene.
In the show, she basically is like "Yeah yeah I'll make the bean dip, shut up" and Gabe just whines about the sour cream while they yell at each other.
In the book? That's her bargaining chip to take the car for the weekend. That's her ticket out of the house. Bribery. Not just placating a whining husband - she bribes him in the books.
And her yelling back? Just feels so unnatural to Sally Jackson as a whole. I saw someone say she feels like Disney girl-bossed her, and they're right. She doesn't feel like Sally Jackson. She feels like just another cut and paste Disney woman who's snappy and doesn't take shit.
And to be clear - the OG Sally Jackson also didn't take shit. She was just so much more clever about it, in a way that made sure Percy never saw her actively yell. She doesn't have to be snarky and rude to get her way. Percy knows she's fighting back without physically fighting, and that's what makes her so strong. Sometimes you have to fight more with your wits and cleverness than you do with screaming and fists
(Gee...wonder what other character Percy ends up really admiring that also holds that philosophy in life?)
Anyway...all that said, stop blaming the fact that it's a children's show on Gabe's watered down personality. Children's shows/movies and family shows/movies have been depicting serious parental abuse and neglect for decades, in both realistic and more humorous ways that don't take away from the neglect. Kids can handle it, because there are kids going through it.
To say that "It's a kids show, kids shouldn't have to see that," is a disservice to the kids who need to see that, so they know that they can get away too, and they don't have to get physical to do it.
Also, this version of Gabe? Doesn't deserve to die. He's just annoying, not an asshole that scares Percy more than literal monsters do.
147 notes · View notes
pepsichrry · 2 months
Text
Theo Nott Headcannons/Information
Information:
•Theo was mentioned in the Harry Potter books (The Philosopher’s Stone, Order of the Phoenix).
•He is only referred to as ‘Nott’ during the sorting ceremony in book 1.
•He isn’t mentioned until book 5 as one of the only three students in the Care of Magical Creatures class who are able to see Thestrals, meaning that he had witnessed somebody die. He supposedly found it unpleasant as he watched one eat and he wasn’t fond of the creatures.
•His appearances in the books are described as ‘weedy’ and ‘stringy’ meaning that he is likely canonically tall and thinly built.
•It is unclear when he is born, but it is said that his father was an older or elderly man who had been previously involved with the Deatheater Army during the First Wizarding War.
•Theodore was mentioned by Hermione in 1996 as one of the group of Slytherin boys whose fathers had been outed as Deatheaters by the magazine ‘The Quibbler’. His reaction seemed to differ from his friends as his reaction was the only one which was not specifically threatening or negative, suggesting indifference.
•At the end of his Fifth Year, Theodore Nott Sr. was captured in the Department of Mysteries as a member of Deatheater forces who participated in a raid of the Department and was exposed as an escaped Deatheater.
•With his father in Azkaban and his mother seemingly dead, it is unspecified who cared for Theodore during the summer holidays.
•In sixth year, Theodore was not asked to attend the Slug Club due to his fathers involvement with the Dark Lord, this is because of Professor Slughorns inquiry about Theo’s family from Blaine Zabini, who was later invited to the Club.
•Theodore was one of the few students who progressed to N.E.W.T level Potions. They seemed to poke fun of Hermiones Blood-Status and were skeptical of the effects of Amorentia.
•He attended his Seventh year at Hogwarts and was treated well due to his Blood Status.
•At the Battle of Hogwarts, it is unclear whether he joined Voldemorts side or Evacuated, but since he is not shown or mentioned defecting to the Deatheaters before the Battle, we can assume that he didn’t end up fighting with the Deatheaters.
•It is also mentioned that he was later taken into custody for owning illegal Timeturners. We can infer from this that he could possibly have made them with dark magic, or he bought them for a hefty price. (Said in TCC, so possibly not Canon).
•Theo is mentioned to be very intelligent, but more of a Loner, since he didn’t participate in many groups like the one led by Draco Malfoy.
Headcannons:
•Theodore watched his mother die when he was young, leaving him in the sole care of his father, who was a cold and bitter man.
•Theo didn’t have many friends when he was younger except for Draco Malfoy, but he opened up slightly more at Hogwarts, though he still liked his alone time.
•He had a set path for him created by his father. He was supposed to work in the ministry and provide for a family, but Theo wanted to be a Potioneer like his uncle and much of his other family on his mother’s side.
•Theo’s mother left all of her belongings to him, and made sure that his father wouldn’t be able to take possession of any of it. In his inheritance, he gained a large portion of money and an estate in rural Italy.
•His mother was from Florence, Italy and was married to his father through an arranged marriage, where she suffered abuse from Theodore Nott Sr. She died slowly due to a failed suicide attempt.
•Theodore had trouble connecting with people because of his parent’s relationship and the things that he’d witnessed in his childhood. He feared becoming his father more than anything, so he did all that he could to prevent it from happening.
•He’d never had a real relationship and never would despite how many girls he’d slept with. He didn’t want a commitment.
•Despite how quiet he was, Theo was a very funny person and to his friends, he was often the life of the party
•Theo was prone to addiction and often used unhealthy coping mechanisms like smoking, drinking and drug use, though he only took drugs at parties.
•Much like Draco, Theo took the Dark Mark as a punishment for his father’s mistakes, not out of willingness. He received it a week after his fifteenth birthday and struggled to adjust.
•He was 6’2” feet tall
•He tanned very nicely in the summer, leaving him with smooth, olive skin just like his mother’s.
•During the Battle of Hogwarts, Theo ran away with Blaise Zabini, purely because he wanted to avoid fighting people that he’d previously called friends.
•As his life went on, Theo learned from his mistakes and prejudices and slowly but surely became a better person. He was clean by the time he was 20.
•As a request from the Dark Lord, Theo created a Timeturner for him. But since he’d learned how to do it, he created more and gifted one to the Malfoy Family and kept one for himself. He didn’t use it to change the past, but he’d travel back to his old house to watch his past, specifically, to watch his mother, trying to piece together parts of her life and his. It was the only way of truly knowing and remembering her because he was so young when she died.
•Theo died before he turned 30, ending the Nott family line. He’d died alone after taking his own life to avoid being sent to Azkaban for his possession of illegal Timeturners.
•He lived a life of longing for love without receiving it. Secretly, he wished for a loving relationship and a family, but he didn’t want to repeat the cycle of abuse that he was trapped in. He felt that his family line didn’t deserve to be continued, he felt that he was atoning for their sins by ending it.
85 notes · View notes
the-solar-system52 · 1 month
Text
Negative Weapon Symbolism
I'm back on my bullshit again. Modmad gave Negative a sword, so I am now legally required to analyse what this means for the LORE. (Despite the fact I really don't know a lot about weapon types)
Tumblr media
So, Negative's iconic scythe. Despite him only actually using it once in the comic, its still a very memorable part of his character, and has been shown using it in merch and fanart alike. First impressions are everything, and modmad continuing to associate Negative with this scythe long after he was shown using it means that this weapon is important to his character. Or at least, how the fandom (and by extention, Hero) saw Negative before the recent chapters.
Tumblr media
But what does it mean?
Scythes are commonly used as a symbol of death, both in mythology and modern media. 'Grim reaper' esque characters are almost always seen wielding them, and are just generallly a weapon best suited for an intimidating villian.
Scythes are also less coordinated weapons. Their real purpose is to chop down large portions of crops, and the long wide blade compliments this. If a character is fighting with a scythe, then they are usually attacking their enemies with effectiveness, but with no real direction. Their enemies are just crops that need to be struck down, and this is exactly what we see Negative doing to the fears in this fight scene.
Not to mention that in-canon, the blade of his scythe was snapped of the a personification of fear. And used to kill off even more Fears. So yes, it's clear this weapon is supposed to encompass just how intimidating and deadly Negative is in his first appearance.
Tumblr media
But that SWORD. Negative has been associated with scythes since the introduction of his character! So why would Modmad draw him with a sword instead? It was a complete shock, and I'm sure it was intentional.
And I think I have an answer! I talk about it more in another post, but Hero's (and the audience's) perception of Negative has altered greatly from when we first saw him.
Negative is still powerful and skilled, but he is no longer as menacing and scary as he once was. Hero and RGB talked about him earlier in the chapter and learned new things about him. And on top of that, Hero intentionally made him appear this time because she knew he'd find a way to save them from this dangerous situation. He's still a mysterious character, but he is more of a calm but powerful savior in this chapter then a cold and calculated killing machine.
What sort of fighter fits that character archetype perfectly? A KNIGHT! And what do knights have? SWORDS!
Ok so they may be a little bit of a stretch, but I hope you understand what I'm getting at. Swords are powerful and can still hurt someone, but they are still seen as more 'noble' weapons than scythes. I'd be more inclined to trust someone with a sword then any other weapon, since they are commonly associated with protecters. And that's exactly what Negative is doing in this scene, protecting Hero. So Mod gave him a weapon that better demonstrates that.
Swords are also more coordinated, and even graceful at times. People do fencing as a hobby because it requires more precise and deliberate jabs at your enemy to land a hit. When a character fights with a sword, they are typically only fighting with one person, and it gives the impression of them being less murderous, because all their attacks are thoroughly planned out. The swords long and thin blade also compliments this, because it is not a weapon designed for a mindless killing spree. I'd be much less afriad of someone with a sword accidentally hitting me than I would someone with a scythe.
Tumblr media
I know he's only had his sword for one page, but from what we've seen, he is using this weapon to find a way out of the house, instead of immediately attacking the doubts or Anxiety. He could definitely defend himself if he wanted to, but right now he is on the defensive. It may tie back into what I said about Happy Tears VS Sad Tears. Negative is in a better state of mind this chapter, so a noble and diligent weapon suits him better.
Tumblr media
Also do I even need to point out the symbolise of the sword being made out of MIRROR SHARDS? The same mirror that RGB was uncomfortable looking into after being told about Negative? The same mirror that was yet another Charlie Chaplin reference? The same mirror that reflected part of RGB's human appearance? Negative literally being a MIRROR IMAGE of RGB????? (Goddamn I love this series so much)
Edit: Nevermind, disregard this next part. Negative doesn't use a lancer, he uses a saber.
So I am definitely reaching in this part, but just hear me out for a moment.
Tumblr media
This is a lance. A lance is a type of sword. I'm not sure if Negative's sword is supposed to be a certain type, but it could be possible it is a lance.
A person who uses a lance is called a lancer. But that word also holds another meaning in story-writing terms.
Tumblr media
Going by this description, I think it is possible that Negative's weapon is referencing the fact that he is RGB's lancer character. I think it's a pretty accurate description of their dynamic, or whatever their dynamic could become once they get more character development.
Its a little silly, but knowing how much Modmad loves puns and visual gags, I wouldn't put it past them.
I'm no swords expert, so if Negative's weapon isn't actually a lance then please tell me. But if it is, then it'd like to think it was an intentional reference on ModMad's end.
53 notes · View notes
macatt4c · 7 months
Text
Decided to share a short and sweet post-canon fic of Astarion and my Tav, a nobleborn high-elf bard named Sienna!
TW!!! Pregnancy, Body Image Issues, Shitty Nobility Rules, Angst with Happy Ending!
Fic under the cut <3
Tumblr media
“Hells.”
Astarion’s head rose from the novel in his lap to gaze at his wife, who was standing sideways before the tall mirror at the other end of their private chamber. His beloved Sienna had pulled her pale nightdress high enough to reveal the full expanse of her swollen protruding stomach.
“Something the matter, darling?” He asked, flipping the novel close and depositing it onto the side table as he stood from the velvet armchair.
Sienna did not move from her stance, her hand gliding slowly over her belly as she spoke. “Had I always been so… protruding?”
Astarion couldn’t help the chuckle rumbling from his throat. “You are pregnant, my love. Your body is going to change for our little one to grow.” He came to stand at her side. “You knew of this, did you not?”
Sienna sighed, her fingers tracing a stretch mark just below her ribcage. “I know the whole point with pregnancy is that you get bigger because there is a whole person growing inside you. But…” She sighed before finally rolling her dress back to its original knee length. “I wasn’t expecting this.”
Sienna’s words made Astarion frown. He was no stranger to the disdain of one���s own body. Hells, he himself just settled his own personal battle with self image, but that was only thanks to his beloved’s support. So here she was, experiencing something he thought was impossible for them to achieve, and she could only see what she perceived as negative changes to her form. A lasting effect of her noble upbringing, he had no doubt.
“Pregnancy for noblewomen wasn’t seen as a blessing or a gift.” Sienna began to explain, now turning to stare straight into the mirror. “It was our duty, something we are expected to do. Our worth is measured by how many children we can pop out before it kills us.” She let out a chuckle, but Astarion could tell it was forced. “My mother is a prime example of it.”
Ah, yes. The envious world of the nobility. Astarion has had his share of experiences gliding amongst the upper echelons of Baldurian high society. He had seen countless pretty young ladies be married off and then disappear from time to time to bear their husbands’ children. It was a side of this artificially-glittering world he did not pay much mind to, but any person with a brain comprehended the utter bullshit noble ladies had to deal with on a daily basis. But now here he was, married to a noble lady, a noble lady with the same fears and anxieties he once scoffed and rolled his eyes at. It was almost enough to make his barely-beating heart ache.
Cold hands came to hold Sienna’s shoulders as Astarion stood tall behind her. He knew she could not see him, but her just feeling him was enough. His eyes stared forward, intensely at the downcasted eyes of her reflection.
“You of all people should know how foolish such thoughts are, darling.” He spoke. “You have proven time and time again that you are more than just some daughter of a count. You are the hero of Baldur’s Gate and have done more than enough to earn a peaceful life.” He huffed before gently turning her around to face him. “You are worth more to me than just your womb. You are my love, my wife, and soon the mother of my child. You have given more to me than I believe I deserve. You deserve all the love I and our little one will give you. Do you understand, darling?”
There was no missing the tears filling the elf’s gray eyes as she pushed forward to hug him, burying her face in his shoulder. It was somewhat difficult due to the size of her belly, but Astarion didn’t care. He was more than happy to give his beloved wife the love and affection she needed. His words were not empty and honeyed like the ones he used when they first met, no these were words of sincerity and truth. Every syllable was filled with a mere fraction of the love he felt for her. Even after the few years they spent together, it never failed to scare him just how much he loved this woman.
After a few more moments of their silent embrace, Sienna stepped back slightly to gaze at Astarion’s face. “You are so good to me.”
Naturally, Astarion smirked. “Glad of you to take notice. I work far too hard to have such an oblivious wife.”
The snarky response elicited a giggle from Sienna before it was cut off by a jolt from her stomach. Concern filled Astarion’s eyes before Sienna’s smile returned.
“I’m alright.” She assured him. “I believe the baby just kicked me.”
This reply did nothing to relieve the vampire’s concern. “I’m sorry- the baby kicked you?”
Sienna nodded. “It’s called the ‘quickening’ in the motherhood journal I’m reading. The baby has developed legs and is learning to use them. It’s not painful, just… strange, I suppose.” 
Just then, she took Astarion’s hand and pressed it into the underside of her belly. After a few moments, Astarion felt it: a thump against his palm. His eyes widened at the sensation, bright red irises shining in wonder, all while his wife smiled back at him.
“How… How is this possible?” Astarion’s voice didn’t rise above a whisper.
“It is a part of life, dear husband.” She said softly, her free hand coming up to cup his cheek. “A life we created.”
The couple stood there for a few more moments of silence before a yawn would finally rip its way through Sienna. A glance towards the window was enough for her to see it was already late and now would be a great time for both her and the child within her to rest. Astarion wasted no time leading her to the bed and pulling the covers back for her to crawl under. But instead of making his routined exit to hunt for his dinner, the vampire instead slipped into bed beside his wife, his head resting sideways on her belly. 
“Are you not hungry tonight?” Sienna asked with a frown.
Astarion shook his head. “I am, but that can wait. I merely wish to spend some quality time with my child.”
Sienna chuckled and rolled her eyes. “As you wish. But don’t stay too long. I’d hate for you to starve.”
The vampire smiled and brought a hand to rest gently atop her belly. “I promise, my dear. Just a bit longer.”
90 notes · View notes
pillowspace · 7 months
Note
I was thinking, not quite able to write tonight but lots of thoughts, about Sun/Moon/Eclipse once they know about and remember the loops. They're robots, right? That means unless the data's been wiped/corrupted, they'd have perfect recall.
If we follow the idea that at least a majority of resets happen due to y/n's death, and that the virus causes Moon to go from mischievous "evil" jester to one of the more dangerous pawns of glitchtrap/vanny... how many times did Moon kill y/n? Through force or allowing them to die? How many times does Sun see his failure in controlling his other half resulting in the death of this human who sees them as more than code or a babysitter? And fuck, Eclipse is basically baby in canon. I can't imagine Sun or Moon being up for bringing forth Eclipse once they've had time to parse through the sudden infodump in their memory.
Y/N has to deal with the trauma of remembering and living with the fear of a reset over their heads for the rest of their life, but at least human memory is fallible. We tend to remember the bad over the good, but even that can scar and fade over time. But Sun, Moon, and Eclipse aren't like that. They have perfect recall, literally photographic memories. And would it be a betrayal to y/n if they chose to delete those memories, preserving only the information of the loops but not exactly what happened in them?
This is something I'm going to explore more I think. I've just never actually written in Sun or Moon's POV before...
You asked the perfect question because I've already thought about this exact thing extensively, and just haven't brought it up.
Y/N tends to have a negative reaction if Sun and Moon don't "remember" something, which is usually just a misunderstanding of them not realizing what Y/N was referring to. Neither Sun nor Moon can bear the vivid memories they have of what that was like. They desperately want to delete them. They can keep the information of WHAT they've deleted, but not the images or details. It's a trauma of their own.
...but they don't. Because they can't leave Y/N alone with that. It wouldn't feel right to.
Y/N eventually notices some distress from Moon one night and presses him for what's wrong until he confesses to the effect the memories have had on them, but that they've been staying strong and holding onto those memories for Y/N's sake. Y/N's completely horrified by this lack of communication, and urges him to delete the contents of the memories. In fact, Y/N assures him that they would feel better with the memories gone.
Y/N, Moon, and Sun reach an agreement that, in order to not accidentally trigger Y/N with a missing memory, Sun and Moon were to tell Y/N before deleting something involving them, but that they were always allowed to do so. Y/N puts great emphasis on this.
That's what I've imagined, anyway
81 notes · View notes
sludgewolf · 9 days
Text
We need to talk about the lack of "filler" in series that're been released recently
I just watched a video about ATLA and it's filler or lack there of and, they're right, ATLA doesn't have filler episodes as we define "filler episodes" now. Our understanding of filler is closer to what's used for anime that is, non canon episodes that are made so the anime doesn't catch up with the manga. Applying this to western animation (I say animation bc I graduated in it thus a better understanding and I don't really watch many live action series so I don't have much of a say) we ended up with the impression that it means "episodes that don't move the plot forward"
Which, doesn't make sense with Western animation since most of it isn't a adaptation of something else, or with comic adaptations for ex, they're mostly adaptations of various arcs coming together as a single story. Smt very different from the manga to anime adaptation process
Comparing ATLA who positively doesn't have "filler" and X-men 97 who negatively doesn't have "filler" is a good example of what I'm trying to say.
Not all of ATLA episodes move the "learn the elements and defeat the firelord" plot forward and that's good thank fuck not all episodes are rushing ahead to throwing this 12yo we barely know into a battle with a full grown adult who's perpetrating a war against the rest of the world. Instead we actually get to know the characters, we see them traveling from the South to the North Pole instead of spawning where the plot demands, we see Aang adapt to the world post iceberg nap and learn to be the avatar, we see the effect the 100 year war had in this world. And most of all, the more "filler" episodes contributed to the pacing of the series, when binging the series now I still feel like the Gaang traveled across the whole world and didn't just teleport to the plot.
Opposed to X-men 97, don't get me wrong I'm absolutely loving it but the story is always being racing forward at a breakneck speed. They did try to pace it better inter cutting the main plot with Scott, Jean, Madelyne, Wolverine's whole deal and the "LifeDeath " plot, but if there wasn't the weekly wait for the next episode we would not have any time to breathe and digest what happened in the episodes.
I'm still confused on how Madelyne went from trying to have a normal life outside the x-men to being in Genosha's council. Still on Madelyne, I didn't care that they had to part ways with Nathan, ik he's their baby and all that, but as soon as they named the baby Nathan I knew they were throwing that baby to the future to complete the time loop of him being in the original series. And that's because they never got the chance to try to make us care, the writing team couldn't waste time with that since they only had 8 episodes to tell all these stories, the speed that the plot is being taken makes me believe that when writing this season Disney still hadn't signed on the second season and when they did it was too late to rework the script.
This whole thing is reminding me of Hazbin Hotel's pacing problems, analyzing it as if I didn't watch the pilot, we just met the characters and suddenly had to care that they were going to die in six months, we don't really know Charlie other than 1. she's Lucifer's daughter, 2. daddy issues that aren't rly addressed besides jokes, 3. she's with Vaggie (other character we didn't get to know) and 4. she's the owner of the hotel and wants to rehabilitate the sinners. The worst part of it is, we teleported from the start of the season to 6 months later out of nowhere and suddenly we're at the finale with the big boss battle. Of course HuskDust is a more popular ship than Charlie and Vaggie, we never got the chance to see them being together other than in episodes when the characters are being dragged by the plot while Angel and Husk had an episode where we met them and got the time to see them interact without being pushed by the extermination plot
This is exactly why "filler episodes" are important, we should actually know who these characters are before the big fight at the end so we can actually care about what happens to them. X-men 97 may not suffer that much from it but it's because we already knew most of the characters, but we never got to meet this version of Madelyne, see her going out alone to a world that hates her existence, see her morn having been forced to send her baby off to the future and maybe not being able to see him ever again and finally see never see how did she even end up in Genosha.
Or Storm, sure we got a two parter, but how did she get to fuck knows where to meet Forge in that bar, what did she go through during the time she was traveling alone, it's not as if people wouldn't recognize her as a x-men even if she'd left the team, maybe see more of how the relationship between her and Forge developed, cuz I didn't get why she still wants to be with him even after he basically created the tec that was turned into the weapons used to kill mutants, that's smt one can't just forgive, and yes I'd like to see her as she struggles with not having her powers, smt other than she feeling lonely without the wind (this would work even as just a montage with sad music as she travels to the fuckall haunted desert)
On a rly quick note on Invincible I do think they did a good job with their pacing and character development with the time they had, I'd like to have seen a bit more of Rex's development from complete douche to Lizard Leader homemade lobotomy to where we are now, but on the Grayson family whole thing they did an amazing job at showing how they're dealing with the aftermath of season 1, there was just a little jump from Debbie downing a bottle of wine every day to full bug mom mode but I do think she'd step up to it no doubt.
Maybe just some scenes of her still working through s1 trauma and questioning wtf is wrong w Nolan bc from her perspective he just killed hundreds of ppl on Earth, almost killed Mark, fucked off to space and suddenly there's a purple half bug baby living in her house calling her mom. But I don't think that's strictly necessary since there's always fanfiction to bridge this gap and it's just a minor thing that bothered me
TLDR: Filler in western cartoons isn't really filler, these are just episodes to help develop the world or characters without having to rush with the plot and also episodes that help with the pacing of the story, thus showing the passage of time or great distances being crossed without having the characters spawn at the next plot point. And we do need it specially for shows that are intended for binging, such as most shows now. What determines good filler from bad filler here is good writing
29 notes · View notes
natalieh0490 · 7 months
Text
Dc X Dp Headcanon - Kryptonite
What if kryptonite in these kinds of crossovers wasn’t ghost candy?
Kryptonite was formed from the death energy of a planets worth of in an instant. It’s formation is unique due to the number of deaths involved in its creation, the stressors the ectoplasm was exposed to after the planet blew up, and just how much agony and sorrow it contains within even the tiniest piece.
In every piece of Kryptonite from the largest to the smallest there are countless echos wailing in wordless sorrow, screaming in a cacophony of anger, or in some combination of the two. The reason why the only members of the living that are effected by kryptonite is Kryptonians is due to the echoes extreme jealousy that they got to escape, that they got to live while none of them got that luxury. So they inflict every ounce of their suffering, every single thing they felt when they died, on those who dared to escape and this is the canonical result to kryptonite we see in kryptonians. The echoes miss the other members of the living because they aren’t liminal enough for them to touch. Living kryptonians are similar enough that they don’t have this protection.
Ghosts are also negatively effected by kryptonite, but not anywhere near the same level as kryptonians. Whenever a ghost gets too close to a chunk of kryptonite, all they can hear are the screams. A weaker ghost will be forced to make a new path due to the strength behind the screaming because it is just too painful, while stronger ghosts can push through it if absolutely necessary but it won’t be pleasant. The ghosts also aren’t entirely sure whether kryptonite is made of just echoes like what can happen with condensed ectoplasm but gone weird, or if the extreme disaster of the death of kryptonite captured the souls of its dead and melted them down into these crystals of pain. No one is willing to find out either.
Liminal when exposed to kryptonite will not experience pain like ghosts and kryptonians, but they do get something. They do hear the screams that kryptonians don’t hear while ghosts do, but it is muted. The amount of liminality a person has determines how loud the kryptonite is from a barely there whisper to a conversational level. Liminals also can sense that there is something deeply wrong with kryptonite whenever they are around it. How we, the average liminal who would be exposed to kryptonite would ignore these symptoms as unnecessary paranoia instead of them being able to see beyond the norm.
There is no such thing as true synthetic kryptonite. All of the human researchers thinking it is just another crystal and trying to replicate it are missing a n important part of the process. Earth has plenty of ectoplasm form them to shape into a crystal, but the researchers don’t have the necessary amount of deaths in the proper way to make it. So every type of kryptonite they do make had the fun combination of whatever overpowering thought they had while trying to make it combined with the intent for it to only work on kryptonians. Without this second but their synthetic “kryptonite” would work just as well on humans, but since all the people making it want to just hurt/affect kryptonians, that is the only group it works on. This is where all other kryptonite colors comes from. True kryptonite can’t change color and green kryptonite cannot be reproduced.
105 notes · View notes
hockeyisforthegays · 2 months
Text
it occurred to me maybe i should post this somewhere instead of leaving it buried in the comments of annoying heroine so hey here's a non canon scene i wrote! back in the day somebody commented on chapter three to the effect of "i need our gojo to just fall from the sky and give yuuji a hug" and it made me realize i needed that too.
“Yuuji, Yuuji, Yuuji,” Gojo-sensei says, lying in the grass in exactly the spot he landed. “We’ve found ourselves in quite the strange predicament, haven’t we?”
Yes, he thinks, loudly, but doesn’t say it. He’s not able to manage much at the moment but a stuttering, “Sensei, is it — is it really you?”
“Could anyone truly imitate me?” Gojo-sensei teases. Finally sitting up, he lifts the blindfold on his face and looks Yuuji up and down. Then he says with all the approval that Yuuji doesn’t deserve, “You’ve gotten stronger. Those scars make you look very dashing, by the way! Tell me, how did everyone get along without me? I—“
“Poorly,” Yuuji interrupts. He’s afraid Gojo-sensei will say something like I had faith in you, and he can’t risk hearing that, because that means confronting just how much he let this man down. “Sensei— Everything went to shit. Sensei, I—“
He tells Gojo-sensei everything as the man slowly brings himself to his feet.
After he talks for what feels like an eternity, about everything that happened and everything he’s trying desperately to fix, Gojo-sensei finally gives a simple, “I see.” His blindfold is still pushed up to his forehead, and Yuuji has never seen that look in his eyes before.
But then it’s gone, replaced with a bright grin. “I’m sure Yuuji is doing a good job, then!”
“Huh?” says Yuuji. “But—“
“No buts!” Gojo-sensei declares. “You are my pupil, after all, so you can hardly do anything else. Or do you doubt my teachings so much?”
“No,” Yuuji says loyally. He doesn’t append a ‘but’ this time, even though one sits at the tip of his tongue.
“Besides,” Gojo-sensei says, and he wags a finger as if scolding but his tone has turned much too soft for that. “I know that you’re doing a good job, because you’re Itadori Yuuji, and good is what Itadori Yuuji does.”
Yuuji huffs a half-laugh. “Actually, I’m Igarashi Yuuji here. That name was taken.”
“Hm. I suppose it would be,” Gojo says as he leans backward in thought. “Maybe I should give you a nickname! Wouldn’t that be fun, Yuuji? Would you like a nickname from your magnificent Sensei? Maybe I—“
The man cuts off as Yuuji’s forehead hits his shoulder.
Yuuji feels Gojo-sensei stiffen slightly, before relaxing into it. He knows his teacher has never been a particularly touchy person, except when he’s intentionally being a nuisance, or when he’s taking someone into his Domain and he has to keep them from actual braindeath. Genuine, physical comforts like this — well, they’ve happened, but always few and far between. Yuuji is mostly the one to initiate, and he did that less and less as he realized that infinity wasn’t the only thing holding Gojo-sensei apart from all that reached toward him.
One hand settles on the back of Yuuji’s head, and another on the middle of his upper back.
“Okay,” Gojo-sensei says. A thumb strokes the crest of Yuuji’s shoulder blades — just once, but distinct and real, enough to make Yuuji buckle and raise his own arms to clutch Gojo-sensei in return. “You must be tired, hm? Well, leave it to me. I’ve been sitting on my ass for — negative twelve years, it sounds like — so it’s about time I started pulling my weight again.” Gojo-sensei’s head shifts until Yuuji feels a cheek against his temple. It soon pulls back, but when the man speaks again, there’s a gentleness and thoughtfulness in it that Yuuji always forgets he’s capable of. “You should enjoy your youth, Yuuji. You’ve earned a break. Let me shoulder this one for a while. Okay?”
Yuuji squeezes him and says, “Okay.”
27 notes · View notes
saccharinemeat · 4 months
Note
I'm sorry but HOW do you find sodapack to be worse than lairy??
Oh anon, you've opened a Pandora's box.
Tumblr media
Let's go through it in parts,shall we?
First, Why people consider lairy to be 'bad'?
From what I've seen, it's often mostly based around the fact that Airy himself had Liam trapped on the Plane, and it can be considered that Airy has an inherent abusive dynamic with Liam because of this. This is the major one,since Airy doesn't show any animosity, negative or positive towards Liam immediately. He didn't pick Liam out of malice,or abuse,or anything. It just was coincidence,and he wanted them to play the game,but didn't punish him for not playing. Even stuff like the drowning is shown to be unintentional or at least, Airy himself doesn't seem to consider it a punishment. When it was time for Liam to be returned home after the 5 month period, Airy did so without major hesitation, it's not like he wanted to keep Liam more than wny of the other contestants.
Second, why is sodapack seen as wholesome?
No, seriously. Liam and Bryce are mostly friendly and amicable within the game, especially while Amelia was still involved,and after they are placed on the same team along with Texty and Stone but without Amelia, Bryce becomes quite less responsive and sort of gives up on trying to communicate with Liam, he is mentally checked out. At this point, it's more of a traumatic bond than it is a deeper friendship. The later development,which i will comment on, is mostly driven through Liam pushing Bryce,and Bryce only ever says hes glad they went through it way past the point of no return. There's implications that this is how Bryce just deals with things,he tries to see them as 'for the best' to compartmentalize them. Same as never mentioning Stella, same as deciding that his life post-plane was better. Bryce is not particularly attached to Liam on his own volition.
Third, fandom blindness
Okay,this part is where I criticize the fandom. So here it goes: At this point, the fanon versions of Liam and Bryce are forcefully fit into what you (general you) want them to be,rather than actually acknowledging them as they are. ONE's characters are all morally grey,however the interactions within themselves are more or less harmful depending on intention or disregard of care at an interpersonal level.
Let's look at 'fanon' liam,for example
fanon!Liam is:
kind
awkward
romantically interested in Bryce
trying to save the others
traumatized
non violent
caring for the fellow objects still in the Plane
Canon!Liam however is...
Obsessive
Manipulative
Doesn't care about Bryce's trauma
Selfish, wants to solve this mystery because he feels his life got ruined
Uses Bryce's guilt to make him go along with things
Traumatized
He's considerably violent
My point here is that the fandom has a particularly skewed vision of both Liam and Bryce and their friendship
Fourth, Intentional Harm
In the case of sodapack, let's see how these awful behaviors are spread or balanced within canon. Liam's bad or harmful actions toward the other in green, Bryce's are in red
Liam seeks the unknown address,and hitchhikes his way over there, fully on impulse.
Once he sees Bryce's terrified reaction, he insists on having him open the door. He starts by explaining why hes here but starts getting mad, accusing Bryce of ignoring or not caring for the other contestants
Liam yells about how bad things were for him in the 7 month period,drawing a comparison of how 'easy' it must have been for Bryce to forget it,guilting him.
Liam walks away....and comes right back,instead deciding to sleep against Bryce's door,effectively trapping Bryce and making it so he can't leave his apartment or home at all.
Bryce lets him in and states his boundaries about listening Liam out and giving him Bradley's address.
Liam IMMEDIATELY manipulates him into driving them to Bradley's house. Bryce pays for the laptop,too.
Bryce states his boundaries AGAIN and Liam insists until Bryce breaks and agrees to seek Oscar. At no point Liam has even TRIED to learn Bryce's name,he gets told his name on the drive there, Bryce is clearly uncomfortable with his game name.
Bryce helps get some information out of Oscar and PAYS HIM for his time,which Liam didn't even consider. Also he does this without reviving Oscar's possibly traumatic memories,which Liam was willing to do and hadn't been considerate of the other's mental health
Bryce,AGAIN states his boundaries,and tells Liam that he is NOT driving him to the smokestack. Liam says he understands.
And immediately steals AND CRASHES the car. has a fight with Bryce,holds the car keys hostage,and calls Bryce 'soda bottle' during the fight. Bryce calls Liam out on doing this out of selfishness,and hits him.
And as an extra:
Liam couldn't have not noticed that Bryce said the waiting room looked like his childhood neighborhood/Bryce trying to reach Stella. He just didn't care enough.
Liam got himself and Bryce killed several times during this ordeal.
Bryce let Liam stay in his home out of guilt,not kindness.
Through all of these interactions, there's not an ounce of balance, it's mostly Liam doing shit to fuck up Bryce's attempt to return to normalcy,and Bryce doing mostly emotiona self-harming
Now, let's look at Lairy,and how Liam and Airy interact in terms of intentional harm
Liam in green, Airy in blue
Airy picks Liam as a contestant for ONE,at random
Liam freaks out and breaks a leg during the challenge
Airy forgets about Liam's cast and accidentally drowns him during another challenge
Airy disappears for the 7 month period,then sends Liam back to san Francisco
So far,none of this is intentional harm. Let's jump forward to their out-of-game interactions
Liam pushes Airy out his chair and yells at him,trying to hit him, upset.
Airy remains polite and a little confused and explains why he can't do that yet
Liam talks to texty,and refuses to consider killing Airy
Liam Negotiates with Airy
Liam falls and loses his belongings, Airy attempted to hold him from falling
After Liam does attempt to kill Airy,a tree breaks his leg, and Airy makes him a wooden cast,and a bed of reeds.
As it's visible, there's almost no intentional harm from Airy to Liam,and even the murder attempts from Liam to Airy are mild at best.
Fifth, Intentional Kindness
I'll keep this shorter,but, Bryce,once he meets Liam again back on Earth, doesn't show kindness to him unprompted at all. It's always guided through Liam's manipulation and behavior. He let's Liam in because Liam had him physically trapped. He goes along because Liam insists and guilts him. He helps get information out of Oscar and keeps it vague for OSCAR'S SAKE NOT LIAM'S,because he doesn't want to do to others what liam is currently doing to him.
He gets on the smokestack to ask for his keys back. Not a single act of kindness is unprompted. Bryce is a better person than Liam,and he falls for Liam's controlling behavior and struggles to say no.
Now, Airy is... tough,just as morally grey, Airy truly believes he's doing his best,and he has no animosity for actually hurting others,not even Liam. Not even when Liam is trying to Kill him. Airy, unprompted, makes Liam a reed bed,attempts to save liam from the fall, makes Liam a cast after his accident,and is generally open about his backstory to Liam. Airy has been alone 10 years,only with the plane and it's contestants for fun,trying to do something relatively harmless,and he is willing to send everyone home in exchange for the cassete player and because Liam asked and negotiated. He's happy to have Liam around. And Liam mourns Airy's death,too. He looks horrified when Airy speaks of how he was trying his best,and how his life was beforehand. There's even a hint of Liam basically becoming the next one to fill Airy's role at the end. He seems to understand this deep loneliness,and hears Airy out. Liam can resonate with someone he called a monster especially when in retrospective, Liam himself is more of a bad person than Airy is. Airy just,lost part of his mind in the process,but he stays kind. He could've killed Liam. with the computer,leave HIM in the waiting room,forever.
So... yeah
in the big picture, Airy is just a guy whos trying his best after then years of loneliness,and tried to do something that's morally abhorrent but without intention of harming anyone as long as it could be undone. He's not harmful or a threat to Liam,or at least,not more than Liam is a threat to him. It's sad,and doomed,and balanced
And Bryce is a poor traumatized man who got forced into doing stuff he never wanted to do,ans to relieve trauma he never wanted to relieve,just to be thrown back into the plane,for no reason,just to be trapped in a looping hell. He fears or at least really dislikes the way Liam manipulates him,and stays in denial about it. And Bryce is not a threat to Liam,in any way, other than Liam making Bryce responsible for his life as long as this own.
I think that's all i got in me,at least right now
44 notes · View notes
tiagems · 10 months
Text
Okay but no one is talking about the scene where Miguel sends Gwen back to her home dimension and I wanna bring it up
I wanna talk about how Gwen's story is blatantly a trans allegory, a story about coming out and being rejected by the people you thought loved you. She comes out unmasks herself to her dad and he continues to attempt to arrest her, going as far as to aim his gun at his own child.
This is what Gwen leaves behind, a father who would sooner shoot her than try to understand in a world that seems to view Spider-Woman in a mostly negative sight. She's alone there, with no allies, no family, no safe place. Miguel knows this. He was there. It's why he let her come to Nueva York in the first place.
And then after the chase and Miles escapes, and Gwen pushes his buttons because she's finally starting to see the damage that believing Miguel is doing and has done to her friend(and frankly, she's not just doing that, she also dares to question him, which we see Miguel just cannot handle in any capacity), Miguel turns on her. He belittles her, blames her for Miles getting away(both pinning blame on an easy target and discounting Miles' abilities, two spiders one swatter). And then he sends her back.
Miguel sends back a girl, a teenager, to a world where she has no one. Nothing. A world where her own father tried to shoot her. A world where she's in danger. Practically tying a pretty interdimensional bow on her and shipping her back to, for all he knows, a very dangerous and abusive situation. She could be arrested and locked up for gods know how long. She could get killed by her own father.
That was the moment that I really started disliking Miguel. He punished someone whose only crime was wanting to see and protect her friend. He sent her back to her father, who he himself had to stop before Gwen got arrested or worse. Granted, it ended up being a good thing because they worked things out and George quit the force, effectively saving himself(and poking holes in Miguel's "canon" because now there's no captain for Gwen to lose), but Miguel didn't know that.
That scene... it just bothers me a whole lot.
Side note, I think it's interesting that Miguel repeatedly has to tell everyone that he's a good guy, and the last time he says it is to a dead silent room of spider-people who just watched him send a teenage girl back to a bad situation because she dared to speak against him.
74 notes · View notes
teecupangel · 2 months
Note
Hi this Jasmine Miles from AO3! I was wondering how you might interpret this following setting:
Its 2020 and Desmond Miles has awoken held captive by a really minor front of Templars, here he meets Leonardo Da vinci and they not only become friends but because of already seeing him in Ezio's memories, they become lovers. In time Desmond learns Leo was an assassin and they meet up with Altaïr and Ezio who are also here. They eventually escape and they form a new group of loyalists with Desmond as mentor, gaining confidence as he goes.
You say minor front of Templars and my brain immediately goes for the Templar team that kidnapped Noa Kim in the Black Flag webtoon but that happened around 2023 XD
2020 is the year Valhalla’s plot starts so we can set this up to be a case of “While Layla and team were checking the mysterious message that led to Eivor’s remains, Desmond wakes up in an unknown Abstergo facility”.
The plot would be less like the webtoon’s Templars but more like the movie’s Templars.
Hell, we can even put Sofia Rikkin as the leader of the Templars that have ‘taken’ Desmond.
This sounds like Leonardo Da Vinci is an Assassin in this one which he wasn’t in canon so this could be a case of the Leonardo Da Vinci Desmond is introduced to is said to be a descendant of Leonardo Da Vinci who came from an Assassin family.
He’s a fellow captive who is being forced to watch the past Leonardo Da Vinci’s memories.
To be more exact…
How Leonardo Da Vinci was forcibly made to use the Apple by Cesare Borgia.
Desmond was in the same boat. They’re not looking for certain POEs or anything.
They want to see the memories of Altaïr using the Apple.
It didn’t take long before Desmond realized that they were looking for those memories because they have an Apple in their possession (kept in a different location because Sofia Rikkin is not an idiot, Desmond Miles is the most dangerous Assassin to ever wield an Apple easily after Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad) and they’re using data they gathered from the Animus sessions to try and create a ‘device’ that would control the Apple while they control the device because…
The Apple has a corrupting influence on everyone that wields it. Sooner or later, the user starts changing mentally and emotionally.
The only exception they could find to this rule were…
Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad and…
Desmond Miles.
Leonardo was being used as a ‘control’ subject, to give a more accurate reading to compare to Desmond.
Because reliving the times Leonardo Da Vinci used the Apple aggravate Leonardo’s Bleeding Effect.
But Desmond hasn’t had any negative effect at all.
That’s when Sofia Rikkins orders from two other test subjects to be brought in and to be given the same setup.
To see if Desmond Miles is the exception or…
If it’s his bloodline.
Now, this is where the plot separates into two routes you can take:
Route 1: This is really a case of historical AC characters being reborn in modern day
This is the less sci-fi and untwist-y plot. Ezio and Altaïr are reborn into the modern day. If you want to hammer in the ‘history repeats itself’, they are both from Assassin families that got hit by the Great Purge and are related to Desmond in some way. Ezio actually calls Bill ‘Uncle Bill’ and the Great Purge killed his father and brothers and Ezio only learned about his Assassin heritage after their deaths. He had been on the run with his mother and sister and he got captured because he stood his ground to buy them some time. He doesn’t know if they’re safe or they’ve been captured. Altaïr, on the other hand, was raised to be an Assassin from the get go in a facility very similar to the Farm. He’s related to Desmond’s mother (his late father is Desmond’s mother’s distant thrice removed cousin or something) and perhaps is even the grandson of the previous mentor (or so it’s hinted because Daniel Cross describes him as looking like his grandfather). If you really want to hammer some kind of past that will create conflict between him and Desmond, they’re both from the Farm and Altaïr is actually the only one who survived the failed rescue attempt back in AC1 so Desmond feels guilty and Altaïr is too awkward to clear any misunderstanding Desmond might have.
Because, technically, Desmond has more experienced among them (as Altaïr’s experience is more akin to an elite foot soldier), Desmond takes on a leadership role and that’s the start of the ‘let’s plan how to escape this place’ arc.
Route 2: This is a cloning plot that gives a ‘reborn AC characters’ red herring
Leonardo would note early on that “they say I’m Leonardo Da Vinci’s descendant and an Assassin. I don’t feel like either of them” which Desmond (and the narration) would mistake as Leonardo saying he feels like a failure.
No.
Leonardo has no memories of his life before waking up in the Abstergo facility.
That’s because he is one of the clones made from Leonardo Da Vinci’s remains using the technology left behind by the Phoenix Project.
Desmond has all his memories and believes he’s Desmond Miles but he actually isn’t and he finds this out when Altaïr and Ezio are placed in the same facility.
Altaïr only has memories up to that fateful night he spent with Maria.
Ezio only has memories of a night of passion with Sofia.
If they were reborn, why would they only have memories up to the ‘time’ of conception of Desmond Miles’ ‘next’ ancestor?
Sofia Rikkins didn’t bother to lie to Desmond when he confronts her and he learns the bitter truth.
Leonardo, Altaïr and Ezio are all clones.
As well as Desmond.
Altaïr, Ezio and Desmond were cloned after Sample 17 because Desmond Miles’ actual corpse went missing for some reason.
Cue existential crisis here, a callback to the whole ‘what makes us who we are but our memories?’ and hurt/comfort all over.
Because Altaïr and Ezio are pretty much ‘newborn’, Desmond takes on a leadership role and that’s the start of the ‘let’s plan how to escape this place’ arc.
Unorganized Notes:
I picked the movie’s type of Abstergo facility because (1 if this is reborn route) this gives you the choice of doing other possible reborn characters to include to the new group of loyalists Desmond’s gonna lead or (2 if this is cloning route) to keep the audience from fully guessing that this is actually a cloning facility by making them remember the movie’s setup
Altaïr calls Desmond ‘Al Mualim’ once and Desmond felt so disturbed everyone laughs. ‘Al Mualim’ now becomes their pet name for Desmond whenever they want to tease him or when they think he’s planning to do something stupid
Leonardo and Desmond’s relationship is slowly blooming when Ezio enters the fray and, well, with Ezio there, there’s now this awkward love triangle thing going on with Desmond believing that Leonardo would fall in love with Ezio again, Leonardo being torn by his feelings for Desmond and the Bleeding Effect’s feelings for Ezio and Ezio not actually realizing he’s part of a love triangle because he just sees Leonardo as his BFF.
Altaïr in the background, suffering through these three idiots’ drama and wishing he could just kill every last security personnel around… just to get away from all of these.
Sofia Rikkins is colder and more professional in this one. Cal killing her father after she and he got sorta close really fucked her up.
Up to you if you want Cal and his team to show up. I placed Sofia as the ‘main Templar’ because she’s one of the few Templars high enough in Abstergo to be able to do commandeer an entire facility, she has knowledge of the Animus, and is part of the Templar inner circle in some capacity.
29 notes · View notes
duquesah · 5 months
Text
I've started re-watching the Venom movies recently
It got me thinking about Kayn and Rhaast's relationship in canon, and how for some odd reason Kayn is the only darkin host that wasn't corrupted immediately upon holding the weapon for the first time, and is still fighting against the corruption. Is it true that Kayn is just THAT powerful and Rhaast is the current weakest darkin? Or perhaps there's more to them than we realize?
What I think might be the case is a combination of factors mentioned previously and something else, which I'll talk about in this post so pls stay with me 🙏
Okok so, in Venom (2018) we see how Venom and Eddie meet, how at first they're really just parasite and host, but then after seeing how much they're alike Venom gives everything up. Venom was a nobody amongst the others, just like Eddie, who has lost everything previously. They achieved symbiosis because they are the same, pretty much, and they are so goddamn special that not even Riot (ha) could take them down (with some help of course, love my girl Anne).
THAT got me thinking about Hwei's voice line, the one in which he says "If you just allowed yourselves to BLEND". It's a very interesting line, we can think about some possibilities but first we discuss exactly why Kayn hasn't been corrupted yet (I know I'm rambling a bit, sorry lol)
So, it could be that he really is that powerful, he has been training since childhood (he had a pretty rough one, too). At some point Zed took him in and Kayn became a powerful weapon/tool (parallels!! Kayn being used as a weapon and Rhaast being one, literally) and with his tragic backstory and some other voice lines (this time from Swain, I believe) we know that Kayn, after all he's been through, mistakes hatred for affection, since all he knows is negative, bad things.
So Kayn is traumatized, who isn't? Well, I know for sure the darkin have a very sad past too so let's talk about them (and Rhaast, of course) next
The darkin, once ascended, fought against The Void and each other for some time. The things they've seen and been through cost them their minds, with the years they became less of who they once were, some corrupted beyond redemption and the only way to stop this war was with imprisonment, so that's what happened. Many died, with the remaining ones being sealed away in weapons. Inside their prison they cannot breathe (that's why they sound very out of breath, I was happier before knowing about that) or scream, or do anything really, it's another void, much like the first they fought.
So imagine, after years of being trapped inside a tiny space, some guy finds you and, unlike the others, there's a barrier blocking your way inside their mind. This one is different, that's for sure, but Rhaast is a darkin, he will break this host one day...
But this day seems further and further away, the barrier still strong. Could it be that Rhaast is weaker than the others, or perhaps their tactic of corrupting minds away just doesn't work on Kayn? Well, like I previously talked about, both Kayn and Rhaast have a tragic backstory. my guess is that Rhaast and the other darkin use negative emotions/memories in order to break the host's mind, the pain unbearable to them. But Kayn? Negative emotions/memories is ALL he has, all he ever had, so this method couldn't possibly be the most effective to use, right?
Kayn is stronger than most, sure, but he wasn't immediately corrupted because he is barely affected by Rhaaat's tactics, which consist of breaking the mind with bad memories and emotions, which unfortunately for him is all Kayn knows. It DOES affect him a bit, for all we know, but we can't exactly expect him to be 100% immune, he's still human 🤷‍♀️
We don't know how things are going for them currently, if anyone's winning yet. I actually don't think that's ever happening, because 1. They would break the fucking champion; 2. Is it truly a win if they're just gonna miss each other's company after? (Rhaast presumably doesn't care but that can change, I mean just look at Varus). They would be more powerful, sure, but they only have each other, and with time I think they can be stronger together, they can find a way to get what they both want AND stay together.
ANYWAY what do y'all think? I know I started talking about Venom and Eddie and ended up somewhere else entirely but I just needed to ramble about them, get some ideas in order. Also correct me if I said anything wrong lore-wise, been awhile since I've read about them
50 notes · View notes
the-eggplantblog · 6 months
Text
Tumblr media
Hello everyone, I simply wanted to see Rayman's evolution, growth and apparently his mental deterioration over time...
things before starting....
>I know something about mental health and psychology, but I'm not an expert....don't take my words too seriously.
>some topics related to the decline of mental health will be discussed, I repeat something about the topic again, but I am not an expert on this, much less a professional, do not take this very seriously.
>I will talk about some headcanons (like Rayman's growth, to give an example), and this is all a headcanon/theory about Rayman's character, so take it as entertainment.
>if you want you can correct me (I may have been wrong on one point about the canon or something similar...I haven't had the great opportunity to play all the Rayman games and know their stories in depth) or contribute to this headcanon/theory, but always with kindness.
>THERE WILL NOT BE TALK ABOUT ORIGINS OR LEGENDS, I consider them as part of another dimension, and they are basically the Rayman from Rayman 1, grown up and without traumas, so we are interested in them for this blog.
> my English is not the best... sorry if you don't understand something....
>THIS IS JUST ENTERTAINMENT AND I DO IT FOR MY OWN FUN
>LONG POST
continue reading below the cut....
Tumblr media
rayman 1 the happy era
You have to start from the beginning, Rayman from Rayman 1, he is a kid who could easily be about 8-10, this is evident from his very childish and small design, as reflected in his Sprites and animations and as he demonstrates all the time. .
Rayman is lively, maintaining an optimistic smile even if the situation he is experiencing is somewhat dangerous, you can see how someone is very optimistic and cheerful, who seems not to take things very seriously, due to the fact that he makes fun of his own enemies ,or does not seem to be afraid of them until the situation gets serious, like a child would do.
To a certain extent he maintains a somewhat innocent and carefree posture, since he is seen not taking Mr Dark's situation so seriously, or not fully understanding the seriousness of the situation, until Betilla is captured, but another important characteristic of Rayman is his good will and heart of gold, since he will have no problem helping the other thingamajigs or creatures he meets along the way, always finding time to help everyone, something worth admiring.
In fact, it also highlights his great sense of empathy, this when after defeating the mosquito he empathizes with it, understanding that he did what he did, out of fear of Mr. Dark and the influence of nightmares.
In general, Rayman has a very fun and happy personality, with a lot of positivity, some innocence and, above all, not taking things too seriously, but his great sense of empathy and sense of doing good without really expecting anything in return stands out. Rayman does not have much development, but it could be assumed that after Betilla was captured by Mr Dark, Rayman would begin to take the matter of saving the world more seriously, although not reaching the level of Rayman from 2 or Spark of Hope.
This Rayman is totally healthy and after his adventure, it didn't have a really negative effect on him, but a positive one since he probably learned to take things a little more seriously, which can be reflected in Rayman 2, and maybe The most that could disturb him was the kidnapping of Betilla or Dark Rayman, better known as Raymesis, due to the fact that he had every intention of killing him, but this really gave him more of a life lesson than a trauma, since he overcame a fear and was able to take things more seriously, and he also solved these problems in a very simple and quick way, without having to suffer real consequences.
Tumblr media
Rayman 2 beginning of the problems....
Rayman 2 is the root of all the traumas and mental decline that Rayman would later suffer... here we can see an older Rayman being about 13-14, age is very important here... since it is childhood adolescence where traumas and emotional wounds can be worse than when they happen to a young adult or an adult, since the wounds or traumas obtained in childhood can leave a very large scar and very difficult to treat, sometimes it even seems that overcomes the situation but out of nowhere it falls drastically....
many will ask what is all this about??? Well, the beginning of the game is already very strong, telling us everything that happened and the horrible things that happened, but even more horrible is the context of the game, that basically the villain won and that hopes are very little.... Heavy for Rayman is the fact that he tried to save his home from the pirates but lost.... since the pirates achieved their goal, destroying the great protoon and basically leaving Rayman without powers or strength, which doomed the world... ..
This is already very strong, leaving Rayman with a great feeling of guilt and remorse, since basically because he was not very strong or capable, he had to see his world be destroyed and enslaved without him being able to do anything, something that was torture psychological for him, considering his sense of kindness and empathy, plus being imprisoned, being treated very poorly, just imagine that razorbear in the game manual tells Rayman that he will make him his most docile slave...we don't know what things He suffered but, considering those words, Razorbear's personality and how they had the other prisoners and even how Rayman himself looked at the beginning of the game, weak without strength or courage, even almost without hope, almost succumbing to Razorbear's will, they do not give good signs...
If you can imagine really horrible things, from psychological torture, like Rayman had to listen to the suffering of others, even see them, without being able to do anything, razorbear reminding him that everything that is happening is thanks to him, putting ideas in his head , also mistreatment from beatings or lack of food or sleep, in addition to the fact that imprisonment is already a very heavy thing in itself, imagine that being a child, it definitely left many emotional wounds.
and all this is just the tip of the iceberg since we haven't talked about the caves of nightmares and Yano and how he totally traumatized Rayman by wanting to eat him alive and his contradictory personality, or the fact that on this occasion the risk Dying is more latent for Rayman, or constantly seeing the pirates' strangers in his beautiful home, etc.
It is really worrying about all the psychological and physical damage that Rayman suffered in this installment...it is really very terrifying and alarming to think about all that...just consider that one of these bad experiences already leaves serious damage. , which would require months or years of therapy to overcome normally.
Speaking of Rayman's personality in this adventure, Rayman proves to be more serious and somewhat lost in his thoughts, which is not surprising considering what he is experiencing, although he still has innocence, demonstrated as when Ly asks him about Polokus and He very honestly and innocently answers "NO".
He also follows his big heart of gold and sense of pure empathy, as he continues to help those who need it and even in this serious situation he tries to give some positivity, but not by lying or trying to cover the sun with a finger, but by giving hope that everything will improve, since although he has suffered a lot he is still not willing to give up until he breathes his last, which encourages others.
You can also see a braver and somewhat mature side of the character, since he is often fighting against his own fears, he knows first-hand how capable Razorbear can be and the world has become a dark place where almost everything can kill you if You are not careful, so fear is constant in Rayman as he himself expresses it to globox, but he still faces his fears for his friends, something very noble on his part, he often speaks from his own experience supporting everyone who needs it, giving emotional support as you see he does with globox or ugleta or his babies, it is also seen that he no longer gets distracted or makes fun of his opponents, he walks with his feet on the ground.
He also has a great will, since when he finally defeats Janus, he rejects the temptation of gold and leaves all the suffering for the past, leaving his world to its fate, another thing worth admiring about the character, although we also see sadder sides. or the character's despair, like at the beginning of the game, as I mentioned, he is totally sad and almost without hope, but it is globox who returns them to him when he arrives so that Rayman can finally hug an old friend.
In fact you can see all his joy and happiness, when he finally sees him demonstrating the great affection he has for his friends and how important they are to Rayman, you can also see how he celebrates when overcoming certain obstacles which shows that he still has something of childish joy in his being.
Basically Rayman shares many characteristics with his younger self, with the difference that he is in some ways more mature than the younger version of him.
Although here Rayman suffers a lot of emotional damage, he also learns things, such as bravery and seriousness and total concentration, even though here he suffers much more emotional damage from the entire saga....damage that will leave him with really serious marks, which could cause depression. or a big change in your way of being, or other problems such as some self-hatred or a lot of insecurity and cases of anxiety in addition to the most obvious post-traumatic stress, really serious if not treated properly....
okay, a publishing error forces me to separate this into parts, plus I think this is already a little long and I better let you digest everything I just said about Rayman in its second installment, you've probably never thought about it very deeply in those things XD
48 notes · View notes