#because he grew up so much

[ruporas]

lonely

[ID: A limited palette of green and pink, Vashwood comic. The first page serves as a prologue. The first panel shows Vash speaking to someone off screen while Wolfwood is lingering behind him. A black arrow is drawn pointing at him. In the second panel, Vash is buying donuts in the distance while Wolfwood is once again in view, lingering. and the black arrow is drawn pointing at him. In the third panel, Vash is leaving a cubicle and turning towards his right with a slightly peeved expression. He sees Wolfwood, leaning against the cubicle, waiting for him, and with the black arrow drawn, pointing at him, implicating the consistent hovering of Wolfwood’s presence during Vash’s everyday. At the bottom of the page, they’re drawn out of panel with Vash turning to Wolfwood and saying with an irritated expression, “You’re really following me everywhere, huh?” Wolfwood responds, “What, you got a problem?” Vash responds without hesitation, “Yeah, kinda...”

The second page starts with a new day. In the first panel, Vash is seen alone, weighing apples in his hands at a mart, with crowds passing behind him. In the second panel, he turns to his right and starts to say, “Hey, Wolfwood...” In the third panel, he’s startled from seeing a stranger, whom he’d accidentally called out to when he was expecting to see Wolfwood. He says, “Oh, you’re not him. Sorry!” In the fourth panel, the stranger walks off and Vash muses, “Right, he said he had something to do today...”

The third page begins with a close up of Vash's miffed expression, the continuation of Vash's thoughts, "Now that he's not here, this is just like how I used to be, but... It feels lonely somehow. Oh well, I'll see him again tonight, like always." In the second panel, it shows Vash walking through the marketplace crowd, alone. In the third panel, the door panel is a close up of the door opening with a peek of Vash's head. He says, "Wolfwood!" In the fourth panel, Vash is holding a bag of food with a bright smile and says, "Are you hungry? I got you something to eat today!"

The fourth page begins with a shot of the room, two beds being highlighted, one of them being made properly with the blanket draped over the bed and the other with the blanket folded and pillow sitting on top of it. There's no sign of Wolfwood. The second panel shows Vash with a disappointed look as he thinks, "He's still not here?" The third panel shows Vash putting the bag of food on the table. Stapled to the paper bag is the receipt with a written note "For Wolfwood." Vash's thoughts continue "He does like to stay out so, I guess there's no reason to worry..." The fourth panel shows Vash sitting his bed somberly with his thoughts continued, "It's not any of my business anyway..."

The fifth page starts with a close up his blank expression as he looks downwards, thinking, "Even if he left completely... That'd be understandable and better for him. I'll just travel alone again... like before... Huh?" The next panel shows Vash's composure break, tears welling up in his eyes suddenly, as he didn't expect to cry. He starts to sob, putting his hands to his face to quiet himself and wipe at his tears, as he says, "Ugh... Dammit... I miss h..." The last panel shows Vash leaning over into his hands, still crying, and in the back, the door swings wide open with a bam as Wolfwood walks through with the punisher swung behind him. He shouts, "SPIKEY! You in here?!"

The sixth page starts with Wolfwood confused, looking at Vash and Vash looks back, just as confused, with tears in his eyes and snot out of his nose. Wolfwood starts saying, "Ah? You..." No longer in panels, at the bottom of the page, Wolfwood takes the Punisher off of himself and starts to walk towards Vash, continuing with slight concern, "What's wrong with you? Did something happen?" Vash, hurriedly begins to wipe at his tears, denying immediately, "No! No, I'm fine! Nothing happened!"

The seventh page, Vash points towards the table, with a hand still wiping at his tears and he smiles as he says, "I uh got you food. On the table." Wolfwood looks towards to the table and responds, "Oh. I was getting hungry, thanks." He turns his head back to Vash immediately after with an uncertain expression, knowing the other wasn't responding to his concern, and says, "But, I know you're an idiot with this stuff, so I'm reminding you again. Don't brush it off if it's an issue, alright?"

The eight page, Vash's tears have dried and he looks to Wolfwood with a soft smile and responds, "Yeah. It's okay though..." A panel at the center shows a side view of Vash approaching Wolfwood. At the bottom of the page, with no panel, is a close up shot of Vash's hand, holding onto the edge of Wolfwood's jacket sleeve, as he says, "Because you're here now. Wolfwood."

The final page is a back shot of both of them standing next to each other, Wolfwood's head tilted slightly to the left, not fully believing Vash as he says, "That doesn't answer anything, Spikey." Vash responds, "There's no need to talk about it! You should enjoy your food. Let's have a drink too?" Wolfwood responds, "Tsk, tsk. Fine, yeah. I could use one." END ID]

#vashwood #vash the stampede #nicholas d wolfwood #trigun #trigun maximum #but onto this comic... i think and talk a LOT about vash's loneliness bc trigun is just. kind of central on that for a good while! esp in #the original manga he was alone for a good portion of it and he tends to keep others away like how he ran away from meryl and milly when #they tried to tag along. and he was kind of bothered when he realized ww was following him around Too. at the core even though he loves #humans and he loves deeply the people he does know -- he isnt really much of a people person and i think thats been the case since he was #young considering his initial doubts towards humans... with the exception of kids bc kids dont give him moral conflicts. so suddenly #here comes wolfwood!!! his guide. someone TRULY affixed to him until he has to get to knives. someone who isnt budging and someone whos #really good at following him around and even seems like he goes like 5 steps ahead to make sure vash doesnt run on him #in one way its - i don't want you to follow me bc i don't want to burden you and i don't want you to kill the people i want to save. #in another way its - i like this companionship. i like waking up to you and i like ending the way with you. i like talking to someone who #knows my world. i like being in your space and sometimes i enjoy talking about our day #theyre just living together. like. roadtrip buddies or theyre also under the same roof because they're going everywhere together. #trimax they mainly spend their mornings together and if they had personal business attend the other person would usually know and itd only #be during the midday. anyway bc of this kind of companionship i figure that vash eventually grew accustom to it and he really. cant go back #to the kind of loneliness from before. it's harder to imagine and it'd be harder to withstand. esp after 2 years with lina and her grandma. #ruporas art

[floating--goblin]

you know what hill i'll die on? terzo is not the sluttiest emeritus

I mean sure, he's the most dramatic and the most outspoken about sex, and he gave us Mummy Dust which is its own discussion-- but I sincerely don't see him, in his private life, being so promiscuous. Like out of all of them, I'm the most certain Terzo would be either monogamous or have a few regular partners at most, but I don't think he'd be big on casual flings. Frankly I don't even see him having sex that much at this point, he seems more attached to it as a concept than an actual activity he regularly engages in.

You know who's the inverse of that, though? The one Tobias himself calls a pervert? Secondo. There's your whore. I know he looks big and mean and authoritary but let's be honest, half of Infestissumam is about ritual sex and he's out in Vegas on the regular with more women than he can reliably satisfy. He says it himself that he became Papa because "he likes a sexy beat". THERE'S THE EMERITUS WHORE, AND I'M CERTAIN OF IT

#the band ghost #i'm not trying to be like. puritanical by saying this #far from it #it's just like #i feel terzo is often stereotyped as hypersexual #and i feel like that's because he's for lack of a better word the most queer-coded papa #i just don't think he should be THE slutty emeritus yknow? because when i think about him i think of other things #he's the greatest showman among all of them and the way he grew disillusioned with the world is tragic #he's the only one (so far) to have gotten a grammy #he's the first to treat his ghouls like proper friends #the only time we see sister imperator actually afraid is when he shows up #like there's SO MUCH and obviously i'm not saying or even thinking that a character's sexuality is less important than other features #all the papas encourage a celebration of sexuality #i'm just saying i feel like people stop at that. and don't look at terzo any deeper #and that's tragic because he's a HELL of a character #and when you look at the bigger picture i'm sorry but i just can't think he fucks as much as secondo. sorry #give mr worldwide the recognition he deserves ok #and also give terzo proper characterization!!

[caligvlasaqvarivm]

I used to despise Eridan and think he was the absolute worst character (barring Cronus ig) but you have shown me the light and completely turned my opinion around and now I think he is such an endearing little freak <3 I read your whole blog already but if you've got any more thoughts on eri or anyone else then I hope you post them bc I'd love to hear more abt it!

i have sooo many controversial opinions about the dancestors you have noooooo idea

#always glad to have another person go 'oh eridan's not that bad huh' #like he IS a freak and there is SO MUCH thats wrong with him #but he's supposed to be an antagonist AND sympathetic AND funny AND pathetic AND tragic #like all these things can be true hes just a complex character #same w a lot of them #vriska equius and gamzee all kind of fall into this boat #yes there is a lot thats wrong with them but they are also 13 #let he who was not a shithead at 13 cast the first stone #anyway ive been hesitant about talking about the dancestors because if my eridan opinions are controversial... #but the tl;dr is that almost all of them suck horribly #like collectively they are the worst characters in homestuck and thats on purpose #bc their role in the story is villainous like theyre the reason lord english even exists #if the alternian trolls as a rule are meant to be sympathetic even if they have a lot of problems #then the beforus trolls are like a worst case scenario of 'what if they never address their problems and grow up that way' #theyre the counterpoint to the comics themes of being a kid and growing up #learning to care about each other and become responsible #the beforus trolls are children who never grew up #going through the exact same problems and drama as when they were children #because they never took responsibility for their own actions or their treatment of each other #And That's Terrible

[lazycranberrydoodles]

wei wuxian really put his whole pussy into the donghua yiling patriarch reveal huh

#the huge flock of crows and the green fire and the dark aura and the resentment spikes(??) #[megamind voice] PRESENTATION!!!!!! #not art #mdzs #currently looking for backgrounds for the mdzs aa au. involves rewatching parts of the animation and WOAH #sorry he killed and maimed and cannibalized and tortured all those people :/ he looked sexy doing it #the gender stored in the yiling laozu cannot be understated. GOD i wish i could cosplay him #i wish. they couldve put in the wwx/jc reunion in s1e15 :( #jiang cheng my (indecipherable noises) #hes so relieved and happy!!!!!! the reunion scene URGHRGRHRG. genuinely torturing wen chao IS a bonding moment #adn it speaks to the whole horrors of war thing.. when you have nothing left to bond over (because yunmeng burned) you bond over violence #and the fact that it is in THIS scene that its very emphasized how close they are/how much they trust each other/how they grew up together #. ouhhghhhh. #wwx is quipping at him about being a sect leader and jc is complaining about how long he was gone. they are so incredibly severely #traumabonded guys. ugh. also honorable mention to the cql after-lotus-pier-burning scene for being fucking heartbreaking. love you mwah #mdzs spoilers #at this point in time lan “cannot talk about his emotions” wangji and jiang “bitches and complains as affection” cheng and wei “arrogance #and self destructiveness" wuxian are not communicating very well. shocker #to delete l8er

[oddly-casual]

Trolls Band Together Spoilers

(Clay and Bruce trying their best)

One thing I’ve been dying to talk about are the little ways Bruce and a lay take care of their other siblings and why.

It’s all in the little stuff! Like I am of the belief that Bruce and Clay are so close is because they could only really find solidarity in each other. Growing up no one liked how JD pushed them to be perfect, but Bruce and Clay were the only ones who felt pushed in a box, they were the only ones who got angry.

Floyd was always the peace maker and Branch was a baby so the only ones who understood their anger was each other.

Clay and Bruce always have each others backs, but I wanna talk about how they take care of baby Branch.

Like when Branch is listening to the broad cast with Velvet and Veeneer, Bruce notices Branch’s worry and turns off the radio. (Bruce also carried around Tiny bc he is a true dad.)

During the ‘It takes two’ song, Branch pulls out his blue prints and John Dory immediately pushes Branch out of the way to take control and you can see Clay and Bruce wince like they know it’s a bad idea before Clay pulls John away for the transition shot.

Not to mention Clay and Bruce seem so unironically excited to see Baby Branch that they side like JD, and I know that was probably because they’re still on weird terms with JD, but I don’t think their happiness to see BB was only for pettiness sake.

Maybe there’s some stuff I missed because I only saw the movie once and I looked down at some points to take notes so may haps I missed some back ground stuff but if there is please tell me!

#trolls spoilers #trolls band together #dreamworks trolls #I like calling Branch Baby Branch I’m sorry #trolls bruce #trolls clay #trolls Branch #trolls john dory #I Wanna go more into depth abt how JD became a parent child and how that affected his relationship with his brothers #BECAUSE ITS SO INTERESTING PLEASE #Like the concept of how these siblings grew apart but do deeply care for each other means so much #Floyd was probably the one who was there for Branch the most! #Bruce and Clay felt a bond bc they both were in happy! #JD felt alone because of his position and even tried to go back to see Branch and Rosiepuff only to think that they died!!! #Thats sick and twisted!!!! #They all still treat branch like a baby bc they never saw him grow up!!! #except for Floyd who’s the emotional intelligence of the brothers #and bruce only had smaller children so he doesn’t know how to take his baby brother growing up

[haunted-xander]

BBS is a tragedy in many ways, but one of the things that gets me is that the catalyst, the one big thing that caused this mess to begin with, is so avoidable.

Like, the story starts primarily because Terra starts to fear himself (because of the darkness he has unwittingly 'used') and this causes a spiral of doubt and obsession. A spiral which he could've escaped from or maybe not even started if he just 1) had been taught the balance between light and dark properly (that darkness is more than just unquestionable evil, that light is more than unquestionable good, that they can and should co-exist in balance), and 2) had consistent socialization from more than the same 3 people.

Like. BBS is a cautionary tale about what happens when people aren't exposed to a wide enough variety of people and, therefore, end up naive and overly trusting because they never learned that people have ulterior motives. Terra is consistently manipulated and used by people literally everywhere he goes, because he can't see that they might not have the best intentions! He can't see the red flags because he doesn't know there are red flags to look for!

Xehanort knows this. It's why he targeted Terra to begin with: because he would be susceptable to his words. The main reason he couldn't use Aqua is because she was too confident in her own values, she didn't have the seed of doubt that Terra had. It's the only thing that prevents her from being used the same way he is, even though she is just as naive and trusting as he is.

Ven probably has it the worst socialization wise. Unlike Terra and Aqua who, presumably, has/had a family and life outside of the Land of Departure prior to beginning training there, Ven doesn't remember anything before then (not that he had much he'd be happy to remember anyway). And since he's the youngest and most 'fragile' one (due to being in recovery for most of his time here), he gets somewhat coddled and shielded by everyone else. Not to mention the way Eraqus completely forbid him from leaving and never intented for him to ever see worlds outside the Land of Departure. Sure, Terra and Aqua aren't typically supposed to leave either, but at least they'd be allowed in certain situations. Ven wouldn't.

Ven isn't allowed to interact with anyone outside of home. He's not allowed anything that involves the outer worlds. (He and Naminé are a bit alike in that sense. Though at least the people he's stuck with are nice to Ven and do genuinely care for him, unlike Naminé...)

BBS happens largely because Eraqus failed as both a teacher and a parental figure to all of them, but Terra most of all.

#started bbs again and had feelings. not sorry #so much of the story in general (but ESPECIALLY terras part) happens the way it does bc eraqus was a flawed man with flawed values #he taught his pupils a rigidly black and white worldview that doesnt work when put to practice #and he isolated them from the outside world meaning they lack so so much necessary knowledge and exposure #its why they were so much more susceptable to manipulation and misdirection than someone like sore #who is also largely trusting #but he has had proper socialization and exposure to different people as he grew up #that he can tell good and ill intent apart #but its also like. #at the point where the story starts its already too late #because the damage is done #they cant undo the flawed teachings and under-exposure in an instant #eraqus failed to see the consequences for his teachings- that by demonizing darkness he makes it a source of fear #and as he himself said: fear leads to obsession and obsession feeds the darkness #and obsession he unwittingly stoked by creating said fear #also just to be clear this is not meant as eraqus hate he is a complicated man who made mistakes #but nevertheless meant well and could never have forseen just how badly his teachings wouldve made things #OUGH its a complicated situation and none of them are really at fault! #(except xehanort) #(he is very much directly at fault) #terra #aqua #ventus #eraqus #kingdom hearts #kingdom hearts birth by sleep #kh #kh bbs #xander rambles

[marrfixated]

Hi. Priya being adopted by Alejandro and Noah. Bye.

#no reasoning or context here #welll maybe a little 😇 #I just think Alejandro and Noah balance each other out in how much work they put into things #Noah is the youngest of many sibling so probably knows something about feeling neglected and that need for independence #Alejandro grew up with a drive for perfection and insecurity when compared to his older brother #I think they’d make her feel loved and never too pressured #also I think they would love for her to go to med school #like yes girl escape the terrible reality tv life #Noah did a lot of reality tv so her could also help talk with her about that #also why did they drop the whole Priya going to med school thing? that was really important to her character #also Alejandro is super athletic and Noah is not so I think it’s good juxtaposition #and Alejandro being really good with people #but Priya not #and he would have a redemption sort of arc #Also Priyemma! because I talked about the parallels before #conflict with strategy and feeling with your teammate #original post #Alenoah #td priya #td Noah #td Alejandro #total drama #total drama 2023 #total drama island #total drama reboot #Noah td #Alejandro td #Priya td #Alenoah and Priya AU #rambling in the tags again teehee

[meredithbeckham]

when you grew up like we did, it… it impacts how you see the world. everything is filtered through a very specific lens. and ward got that.

i think it’s important to realize you can miss something, but not want it back, paulo coelho.

#daisyjohnsonedit #daisy johnson #aosedit #daisy x ward #anti skyeward #to be clear this isn't meant to romanticize them it's just exploring a facet of their dynamic i find interesting (and utterly terrifying #and sickening) #how much of daisy's connection to ward to begin with was in their shared abusive backgrounds #how he specifically could understand how she grew up and the impact it had on her and her worldview #it physically hurts me to think about how vulnerable she was with him and how much she trusted him with as her s.o #how much she would have felt for him in regard to his own abuse and wanted to help him and what a role that in of itself would have played #in their relationship and in her feelings #something i think aos does really well is allude to daisy's history - how clear it is that she is a survivor of abuse and how consistently #present that is in how she perceives and navigates the world #it's subtle but so very there #her face in that scene where ward goes off because of the staff. CHILLS #and it hurts me so very much to think of how connected she felt to ward in that regard while he himself was preying on and manipulating her #tucking away every vulnerable detail she shared for later use #how he convinces her to trust him and that he won't turn his back on her just to be yet another person who has abused her #how when he starts talking about how he isn't a good man it must be so easy to think he's just like her - thinking she's bad and worthless #and wrong and unlovable because that's what abuse does that's what it does to you #and daisy is so keenly aware of that so much more self-aware than she's given credit for #abuse / #daisy who is actually able to articulate what ward was to her and who maybe misses what she thought he was sometimes because how could #it not be nice to for a moment have someone who understood #but who is also so keenly aware of who he is and what he has done

[000marie198]

I don't think Mangey would be tallest. He's been scavenging for food for, most likely, his whole life. That'd stunt his growth lol Sails would be the tallest for sure

I have a better idea

Sonic remains tallest (please as an eldest sibling who's experienced the height curse let me have this)

#there's logical reason too (sort of) #Nine has stunted growth #so does Mangey. giving it to Tails as well because he had it pretty tough before Sonic found him and then again #Sonic was a child himself so technically he wouldn't have been always able to provide all the nutrition Tails needed #and Sails grew up on the see. not much fresh crop or balanced diet there either #sonic the hedgehog #sonic #sth #sonic prime #miles tails prower #nine the fox #tails nine #miles nine prower #prime bros #mangey tails #sonic prime mangey #mangey the fox #sails the fox #sails tails #sonic prime sails #sonic prime sonic #sonic prime tails #prime tails #prime sonic #ask answered #anon ask

[turrondeluxe]

TMNT au were Mikey and Leo were raised by Shredder to be foot soldiers with Karai being manipulated by the Shredder, believing they have no one but themselves as family, and meeting Donnie and Raph, who are pals with Casey and April already helping them take down the foot solider to face off against Shredder. They cross paths with each other, which shapes how the story continues. Mikey starts to question Shredder, believing that the other side is who he should be with because he starts finding the way the foot handles things to be suspicious, so he goes on his own solo fights throughout this iteration, fighting Raph and Donnie every now and then, with Leo popping in to see assist and see if everything is okay. He also starts questioning his loyalty, but never brings it up since he believes in his father, Shredder, and sister Karai are innocent, so he and Mikey get into a fight, and Mikey chooses Raph and Donnie, which upsets Leo, who throughout the rest fights with Karai to try and get Mikey back on the shredder side. Thoughts?

fic on my hands now please pretty please

#OOOOOUGH THE ANGST OFMIKEY LEAVING LEO BEHIND. OOOOOUGH. CRUMBLES TO THE FLOOR #LEO WOULD BE SO SAD. THATS HIS LITTEL BROTHER:((((((((((( #i love the fact of mikey and karai growing up together karai would also be so protective of mikey :(((( #OOOUGH MIKEY LEO AND KARAI FIGHTS... THEY WOULD FIGHT SO COOL TOGETHER AAAAUGH #i love this premise so much but i just keep imagining on how utterly sad mikey would be when apart from karai and leo #while raph and donnie are still his brothers; karai and leo grew up taking care of him because saki def didnt #(seeing as how he treats karai and all) #fucks me up #he would be so extremely sad without his siblings. ough #ask

[basicallyjaywalker]

Wanna ramble about a moment/character in ninjago you think people need to talk about more?

I don't know who you are anon, but I'm glad you asked!

I am desperate for people to character-analyze Wu. I'm desperate for a lot of character analysis including Nya but since I got a lot of my Nya feelings out with some lovely folks the other night (edit: the other night was a month ago dw about it. this took a minute) I'm going with Wu this time

Master Wu to me is such an interesting case of a character who it is so easy to ignore the bits of the show that hint at his wider issues and traumas. He is a man defined heavily by his family and by his past. A lot of criticism he gets, I think, is due in part to that.

I've mentioned before that I've been rewatching S1 with a friend of mine and intermittently pausing to infodump on them about interesting character things I notice from that season. A lot of that has been Wu-focused because despite having seen RotS dozens of times throughout my life (watching it on CN, watching it on Netflix when only it and Legacy were around, rewatching it with friends) I have only just started noticing the seeds of character written in.

I might also just be reading too much into things, but hear me out

In S1 (and by extension, the pilots), Wu is characterized as your typical old wise teacher. In the first few minutes of EP1: Rise of the Snakes, he is chewing out the Ninja for playing video games instead of training. The line he uses? "Never put off until tomorrow what can be done today."

It's a line that gets repeated throughout the series. In fact, it gets repeated that very episode when the ninja go (pun not intended) to fight the Hypnobrai and a literal pre-teen. At first, it seems to just be a piece of wisdom. Some old proverb Wu's picked up over the years, possibly one he even coined himself. However, in EP7: Tick Tock, Wu tells the story of who, possibly, first told him this.

(Source: Tick Tock/Transcript | Ninjago Wiki | Fandom, highlight added.)

It was Garmadon. Now, I'm not gonna dwell too long on Garmadon, if you spend five minutes talking to me you'll learn he was the first character whose story I obsessed over and I want this essay to be about Wu, but I think he plays a role in Wu's overall story, as does Wu's family as a whole.

Prior to this, Wu and Garmadon's relationship has been more of a sibling rivalry taken to a good vs. evil extreme. We didn't know why Garmadon was evil and we didn't know about Wu and his relationship as kids. However, this scene establishes the backstory. They were, as Wu puts it, "the best of friends." That is, until Garmadon gets bit by the Devourer going to get the katana Wu lost.

Now, I know the Devourer bite was destined to happen because of the Overlord or some shit, but Wu doesn't. As far as he's concerned, Garmadon getting bit was a direct consequence of both his mistake and his cowardice. He lost the katana. He was too scared to get it. Garmadon went over instead. Garmadon got bit.

The scene goes on to show the FSM tending to Garmadon in the aftermath. Wu is watching from behind the door, likely told to stay back, but concerned. And in his POV, we get this intense moment, where Garmadon turns, looks directly at him (his eyes turning bright red for the first time), and says "It's all Wu's fault!"

(This clip should begin at the start of Wu eavesdropping. If it doesn't, skip to 0:58. I highly recommend also paying attention to Wu's body language during this scene.)

The camerawork does a great job of showing how this probably felt for Wu. It zooms in, Garmadon's voice echoes, and the background blurs. We see in the flashback that this is a moment Wu has etched into his memory. Not to mention, he was likely a very young child when this happened. LEGO characters' ages are weird, but Wu in this scene has the Big Eyes, which always seem to be used for characters under 12. We don't know exactly how much older Garmadon is to my knowledge, but he doesn't have the Big Eyes, so he's probably closer to 12 and a few years older than Wu for sure.

Imagine that. Being in elementary school and your older siblings gets hurt. They're acting strange. They're lashing out at your father. Then, they blame it all on you. They're hurt because of you. Wouldn't you internalize that?

I could go on about Wu's relationship with Garmadon, but again, I think I've spent enough time on it and I don't want to only focus on that. It's an important part, but there are others.

Let's talk about Wu's relationship with his dad.

Now, I have not yet read the Spinjitzu Brothers series. I cannot speak to any development of Wu and the FSM's relationship in there. I have, however, read The Book of Spinjitzu and blogged some of my thoughts on it here, including some of what it says about Wu.

For those who haven't read it, first, there is a Google Drive folder floating around with all of the canon spinoff books/graphic novels in it. Here's the link if you wanna read them!

The FSM is an... intriguing figure. I mean, in the series he's basically god? He made the entire world. That's already a very high bar to live up to. Then, in Book of Spinjitzu, there's a few specific parts that, when I read them, signaled that Wu internalized a specific message when he was young.

(Source: The Book of Spinjitzu, Page 3).

Wu does not want to disappoint his father. It is up to him (and Garmadon until he turns evil) to "uphold the legacy of Spinjitzu" and, by extension, his family. He says he was "very young" when this was explained to him. Considering he seems to already be training at an elementary age, "very young" means VERY young.

(Source: The Book of Spinjitzu, Page 16).

Here, we again see Wu being very aware that he has some large burden to carry. Something else interesting here is that the thought of the Green Ninja Prophecy is already weighing on him too. His considering if he might be the Green Ninja is of extra interest because of how the Green Ninja Prophecy and the--I wouldn't call it obsession, possibly fixation?--with who it is factors into his later actions, but we'll get to that later.

(Source: The Book of Spinjitzu, Page 19).

This one in particular gets me because it comes after Wu mentions Garmadon becoming more evil. It is a statement of power. Wu knows that the legacy of Spinjitzu now rests in his hands alone. He cannot let himself fall the way Garmadon did. He cannot disappoint his father. Whether or not the FSM intended it, Wu always knew the fate of the world rested, at least in part, upon his shoulder. He knew this from the time he was a young boy and it remains in his mind to this day.

Now, these quotes are indirect, but they all point to one clear idea: As a child, Wu internalized the idea that he alone is responsible for keeping Ninjago safe. He will play a pivotal role in its history.

There's not evidence in this book that the FSM's was a bad father, per se. However, just because one doesn't set out to harm their children, doesn't mean they won't. I often say Wu has an "Atlas complex," which I have no idea if it is an actual concept but use it to refer to this idea. Wu feels as though he is responsible for holding up the world, much like Atlas. He must keep the balance, he must solve the Green Ninja prophecy, he must make his father proud.

(Source: The Book of Spinjitzu, page 61).

I'm going to get further into what this means for Wu as a teacher to the current Ninja Team, but for now let's look at Wu's first foray into teaching.

Morro. Wu's Biggest Mistake.

That might seem like an overstatement, but it's not.

(Source: Ghost Story/Transcript | Ninjago Wiki | Fandom)

Okay he says regret, not mistake, but I was paraphrasing.

Let's turn back to his quote about his destiny. Wu writes, "Is my life's mission to be the Green Ninja? Or maybe it will be to find the Green Ninja and protect him (or her)??"

From a very young age, Wu was not only aware of the Green Ninja but prophecy but also thinking about his place in it. We see this again when he takes Morro in and trains him.

(Source: Ghost Story/Transcript | Ninjago Wiki | Fandom, highlight added)

A big thing Wu is criticized for here is making Morro believe he is meant to be more. That he is the Chosen One. And Morro, being a young homeless orphan just now given some semblance of power and protection, latches onto that. And I can see it, but when you take into account the above that he was trained from (likely) a younger age than Morro and given a similar level of responsibility, it becomes more understandable. Wu is just doing what he was taught. He doesn't believe that he is harming Morro until it is too late.

This is the entire story, but I'm specifically going to be discussing 1:36 onwards here. I also wanted to add that rewatching this scene made me lay down on the floor! What the fuck! But I digress.

There's a lot going on in this scene. For one, Wu washing his hands of Morro in some ways, but not others. He turns his back on Morro when he tells him that destiny has decided, but looks at him again when Morro storms out. He goes to save Morro from the Grundal, but decides that he cannot "teach those who would not listen." Most importantly, when Morro leaves to go find the Tomb of the FSM, Wu leaves the door open. He waits for Morro to return, but never goes after him. And Morro never comes back.

Wu gives Morro's fate a dismissive response at the end of his ghost story ("I am saddened he was banished to the Cursed Realm") but it's clear he still cares deeply about him in the finale of the season.

Wu's VA in this is phenomenal btw. That "Please Morro!" and "MORRO!" make my heart ache.

Morro believed Wu stopped caring, but he didn't. Even after all he's done, even after trying to destroy all of Ninjago--destroying what Wu had spent his life trying to protect--Wu tries to save him. He begs for Morro to come with him. Morro refuses, Wu watches him perish.

Someone else Wu is close to is gone. Wu again considers himself responsible. Everything is his fault.

And finally, we reach Wu today. A cautious, secretive man. He loves his students, this much is clear. Even as early as the pilots, he drops his wise teacher persona to joke around with them.

As with Morro, he trains them like his father did him. He even uses the same methods his father used when he trains them.

(Source: The Book of Spinjitzu, page 32)

While he is hard on the Ninja, wanting them to succeed and training them to help defend the Realm, he lets his guard down more than it seems he did with Morro. He also learned a valuable message from his experience with Morro when he hides the Green Ninja Prophecy from the Ninja, getting angry when they start to push themselves in the same way Morro did upon learning about it. It's clear he doesn't want a repeat.

Now, I can't speak for later seasons (I will eventually) but this fear of repeats, his students going down a dark path because they're tempted by power or greatness, losing someone else, likely drives Wu not telling them other important information. That is just a passing thought though.

Final notes:

I'm currently in the process of rewatching S7: Hands of Time. I actually got this ask right after finishing EP68: Scavengers, which opens with Wu having a nightmare. In it, he and Misako are walking outside of Yang's temple. While walking, Misako delivers this line in response to Wu reminiscing about the time they've spent together:

(Source: Scavengers/Transcript | Ninjago Wiki | Fandom)

This line, to me, is Wu's subconscious trying to tell him something he needs to hear. It's hinting at what might be his greatest flaw. Wu is haunted by his past, by his mistakes. He finds it difficult to tell others because of both his guilt and his desire to not put that worry upon them. In this very season, he makes the mistake of trying to face his past on his own, and he nearly dies for it.

In the same episode, you see Wu trying to make sure Lloyd doesn't make the same mistakes.

(Source: Prev)

Wu stresses the important of the team. It's as if he sees Lloyd blaming himself for what happened to Wu, sees him doing the same thing Wu has, and is trying to prevent him from doing the same thing. This is further emphasized when, after Wu falls asleep (well, fakes falling asleep), Lloyd says "Wu's mistake was going in alone. So was mine."

Master Wu is, like many characters in this show, someone who is more complex than meets the eye. He is not just a wise, old teacher. He is a man who, throughout his life, has made mistakes and carries the weight of each of them on his shoulders. He is a man who tasks himself with making up for those every day. He is a man who wants better for his students, his family.

Until the day he dies, he will guide and protect his students. And possibly? Even after death too.

#ninjago #lego ninjago #master wu #long post #anon tag #this made my day i looooooooooooooove character analysis #i know a lot of what i post about it may not encompass the full series but i just think that makes it more fun tbh #i'm working with what i have and later i may come back to this and add even more things #i'm also very passionate about wu analysis as a former wu hater because i think the fact that his character stuff is so buried #leads to a lot of the hate #Why didn't he tell the ninja things? well he told morro things and look how that turned out #he grew up believing the weight of the world was on his shoulders #in one way or another #i won't lie and say the man does not make mistakes #but like i mention in s7 when he does he is fucking haunted by them #he is not breaking the generational trauma but he is damn well making an attempt for someone who probably doesn't realize he has it #p.s i tried to add image desc to each ss to make it more accessible but if i messed it up please let me know! #i spent way too much time on this #somebody do a word count i'm curious but too tired to copy this all into docs #falls over #part 2 of this is just the dark island trilogy but i think i'm gonna wait to do that #this took so long and the words are now refusing to words #thank you for reading #i need to take a nap after writing this I feel physically spent #please enjoy another rook branded ramble disguised as a comprehensive essay #other essayists bring you professionalism and academic vibes #i scream into the void and put way too many links o7 #happy birthday ninjago!!!! i finished this in honor of you hopefully it is worthy

[deadliestpieceontheboard]

cw: burns/injuries discussion

Ok so remember how the hot iron incident happened before Neil was 10? And Neil being small even as an adult, we can infer that that burn covered a good portion of his child-sized shoulder. Yeah.... that's dead skin. Neil said it peeled off on the iron, so it was bad enough for it to heal solely as scar tissue.

Do you know what happens with kids with big chunks of scar tissue unless they have surgery/medical monitoring? That part doesn't grow right. That skin doesn't stretch, and depending on how it's located it can be a problem in a major articulation like that.

All this to say that I firmly believe Neil's right shoulder is significantly lower than the other and he can't really pull that arm as much towards his back because it pulls on the scar.

#for context: my dad got into an accident as a kid #it was the 50s in a rural area so yeah not exactly treated #he grew 35cm in a year when they finally managed to have surgery for that #because the skin was keeping it back #so this is 100% a thing that happens #anyways i just like to think how much neils life physically fucked him up too #that boy had it rough #cw injury #cw burns #idk if there was something else that needed tagging here #aftg #all for the game #neil josten

[sealrock]

decembhyur, day 6: memory

you're gonna go far, kid.

#decembhyur2023 #decembhyur #this was kinda tricky to do and it may look wonky because oml chiron is a giant. achille is 6ft and he's still short next to him #but anyway: this is from chiron's pov up until the last one. he's remembering achille and how he grew up. does that count for memory #no i'm not crying my eyes are sweating #so my lore on these two changed a bit; chiron raised achille since infancy now. tauvane abandoned him much earlier #first pic is when he was a wee sickly baby after being rescued by chiron #2nd and 3rd pics are of him being a rambunctious (got caught playing in mud) and sweet lil boy #4th pic is when achille got attacked by tauvane. he's hurting physically and emotionally over her rejection and started acting out #5th pic is him after dyeing his hair in an attempt to distance himself from her. chiron is saddened but he can't do anything #6th and 7th pics are of them in the present :') #achille never knew his actual father but he considers chiron his dad without hesitation #and chiron never thought he would be a father but he loves his son to death #that's his babyyyy ough #q. #mygposes. #ffxivsnaps #gposers #ffxiv gpose #ffxiv oc #hyur

[softesttangerines]

Obsessed with the thought that tho mihawk is comfortable in his lone wolf life style, he does find it a bit too lonesome sometimes when the mood is somber, the silence is too much and he just remembers shanks' laugh and maybe no matter how much shanks' crew are too loud (understatement) he does find them entertaining, and maybe he enjoys ben's company in a comfortable silence, he may even consider him something close to a friend.

It just gets too much sometimes and he loathes the loneliness. When he's in one of those moods, he's mostly drinking and picking petty guaranteed wins. Going around like "you disturbed my nap" to whomever he's slicing into two and it got quite worst after he got used to zoro and perona and now they're no longer there and he was never much for kids but those are HIS kids and he misses kicking zoro's ass and baking with perona and them helping him in the garden as an unspoken, forced bonding family time.

He may like being alone but he hates being lonely, especially after he met people he actually enjoyed sacrificing his alone time for (not that he'll ever admit it)

+

Now he's hanging out with cross guild (while waiting for zoro to get stronger and come after him so he either take his retirement or just dies in peace, both are good, really) and no day passes without at least one murder attempt from his side, but really, try to take the clown away from him and it would be you he stabs.

#mishanks #in this headcanon it's mostly longing for past mishanks with zero hope of them ever getting together because shanks has big plans #mysterious plans that dont involve mihawk in his future and mihawk not necessarily being interested in the one piece or anything #he really just wants to have a great fight with zoro and that's his only life goal to die by the sword #but he does long for a time where he could have had something more that just a life where he lives by the sword and dies by it #and at one point life he just starts doing random shit cz he's bored and zoro's taking too long so he just joins cross guild #crocodile is very antagonising on a good day and buggy is just straight out annoying because no matter how much the clown shittalks shanks #he's more like him than he thinks after all they grew up together #and mihawk really doesn't need anyone to remind him of the redhead but buggy is still entertaining and he kinda grew soft for his antics #and if the clown is a yonko now and wants the one piece mihawk might as well follow him since he has nothing to do at the moment #and buggy's like “take that shanks!” and shanks' genuinely miffed that Mihawk joined buggy and not him and he's kinda annoyed cz wtf man??? #anyways this is me rambling too much because i don't wanna do my work :) #alsooooo i really like to think that mihaek and ben are on good terms? like they are silence no shit typa buddies #one piece #opla #mihawk #shanks #buggy the clown

[bonefall]

Are you keeping Hallowflight's and Ivypool's odd friendship they had going on in the DF as apprentices? I know the Erin's forgot about it after the great battle, but honestly thought it was kinda sweet how they became friends in literal cat hell and how Hallow tried to comfort Ivy after she perma-killed Ant. I just thought it was neat and something unique.

I see Hallowflight, after the BOTTE, as really wanting to distance himself from the friends he made there.

With his new Honor Title and this almost immediately legendary story, he went from an outcast loser to suddenly being a hero. His bully Mossyfoot died, and his other bully Troutstream changed her tune. Cats wanted to know him, calling him brave and commending his turnaround.

But that's not the case in the other Clans. ShadowClan outright exiled Redwillow, with the other two being killed in the fight. WindClan is furious at their trainees, and ThunderClan has the guy that almost snapped his son's neck.

Hallowflight's life got better because of his time there, but everyone else is worse off, and associating with them hurts his own shiny new reputation.

And like... that isn't something he's proud of. He knows better than anyone that ALL of them got pulled into the DF because they were angry, lonely, looking for meaning. Almost everyone who was a hard ideologue (Thornclaw, Whiskernose, Ratscar) DIED fighting for those ideas.

And yet, still, he is willing to stay quiet about Dodderheart, Shredbloom, and everyone else, only exchanging an awkward nod at Gatherings, not offering himself as a counterexample in their defense.

If they want to think he's a coward... so be it.

But of all the DF trainees, he's definitely closest to Ivypool, and I think he's willing to throw an endorsement of Harespring once he's out of his Dishonor Title and acting as deputy. He simply won't endanger his own reputation; Hallowflight has a family to consider.

(And then he loses two of his kids to the Impostor anyway, on both sides of the conflict, and Harelight's view of him is forever damaged... so, see how well neutrality worked out in the end.)

#Hallow is interesting because he strikes me as so... adult now #As much as I adore the other BB!DF Trainees most of them are still driven by petty drama at times #Or even MOST of the time #But Hallow really isn't #He is amused at Leaftail's pettiness towards him. When he even notices it #And I think Ivy. The uncontested QUEEN of petty... kinda looks immature to him now #Though he's proud of her and happy to see her come so far #It's like Hallow really grew up and is now able to see the specific kind of angst that used to drive him #The terrified kid who was bolting across the Lake trembling with fear is a different person from the powerful senior warrior he is now #Dgmw though he never stops being a friendly and sweet dude #It's more that he chooses his associations more carefully now

[enbysiriusblack]

personally i think sirius should live with james, lily and hari.

#remus too. but i think it'd take a lot of persuasion with hari living there. like he'd think he shouldn't because he'd be dangering a baby #or some shit like that. #but in the end that man does whatever sirius wants. and sirius wants to live with his family and his boyfriend #(peter would too but he hates living with loads of people/full houses cause of how he grew up) #<- same with marlene and dorcas but rather that they don't want to be around sirius and james 24/7 and don't like kids #also just realised this is very much a no-war situation so mary is still around. so i think she'd rather live with emmeline #like she'd def be visiting all the time. but she's so living in brighton with emmeline #is that everyone?? did i say everyone?? idk hopefully i did. #marauders era #marauders #sirius black #james potter #lily evans #hari potter #jily