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overobsessedfanboy23 · 2 years

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My Biggest Problem With VRAINS

Spoilers: It’s this guy:

And I know that’s not a particularly popular take but I’m sorry, Revolver pisses me off. I don’t know if I’d quite call him the worst character in all of Yugioh (he certainly has his moments) but he is the most frustrating. Because there was a good character buried somewhere in there that just… never came to fruition for me.

(This ended up being very long, as I expected. Honestly steer clear of this one if racism/bigotry/homophobia/transphobia or anything of that vein are triggering topics for you. The Ignis are a race and Revolver hates them all for existing, so I think my use of the word “racist” is justified and necessary for my explanations but I understand it’s a triggering topic.)

At first, Revolver was perfectly fine.

(As a character that is. That first avatar design was ugly as shit.)

He’s an effective first villain of the show, the leader of the Knights of Hanoi who were straight up terrorizing Link VRAINS, which only Playmaker had the strength/courage to fight against. He’s aided by Ai, a rare AI with free will (or an Ignis) that we learn later was created by Douchebag Kogami- oh, I mean Ryoken’s father to be the successor to humanity. Blah blah blah you guys know the history. This is where my problems with Revolver start. His father is clearly clearly in the wrong. He kidnapped and tortured six children for six months to create the six Ignis…

And then he fears that humanity will resent the Ignis and go to war with them. AND THEN GET THIS.

HE RESENTS THE IGNIS AND GOES TO WAR WITH THEM.

He’s evil and bad, no one in the show tries to say otherwise. Except Revolver.

He doesn’t justify torturing the kids thankfully. He was the one who put a stop to that and that landed his father in jail which… admittedly yes that would weigh on an eight year old and possibly screw them up for life. It doesn’t surprise me that Revolver ended up so messed up. It doesn’t excuse it but it does make sense and could’ve been really interesting if they’d bothered to explore that.

No, what pisses me off to no end with this character is that not only does he believe his father’s shitty “all the Ignis should die” rhetoric but how he never bends on that belief throughout the rest of the show, not once. It’s fine in season one, because he’s the villain. His actions against Link VRAINS and humanity are very clearly put in the wrong in that season, and by extension, so is his visceral hatred of the Ignis. It’s in season two when this becomes a problem. Because he didn't come back as a villain, he came back as an anti hero, or morally grey, whichever. So… he’s at least partially in the right now so him retaining this visceral hatred of the Ignis throughout every appearance he has in the show is presented as… a debatable topic. And this is the thing that makes me hate him. Because to put it simply, Revolver is a racist. He hates the entire Ignis race because of what they are and what he thinks they could do. It’s the very definition of bigotry:

Imagine some of Revolver’s quotes about how all Ignis are terrible and will lead to the end of humanity if they aren’t stopped only with the word “Ignis” were replaced by “gays” or something to that extent and you now have the slightest idea of the white hot rage that boils within me when I see this pathetic excuse for a man.

With all that being said, Revolver’s stubborn refusal to change his beliefs on the Ignis would honestly work.

IF HE WERE DEPICTED IN THE WRONG FOR IT.

The other characters (mainly Yusaku and Takeru) argue with him about it but the very narrative of the show itself only ever reinforces Revolver’s horrible backwards racist beliefs. There are plenty of moments throughout season two where his beliefs about the Ignis are proven wrong, moments that I thought were setting up him coming to realise he was wrong to generalise the Ignis as a species.

The moments:

-Ai, Flame, and Aqua vowing to fight for humanity at Revolver’s side despite Revolver saying to their faces that he would kill them all after

-Flame and Aqua straight up dying protecting humanity (which he definitely saw, they all did)

-HIM LEARNING THAT THOSE FUTURES HIS FATHER SAW WHERE THE IGNIS KILLED THEM ALL WERE ONLY CAUSED BY LIGHTNING. SOMETHING HE NOT ONLY FULLY UNDERSTANDS BUT WAS THE ONE TO EXPLAIN.

BUT WE JUST CAN’T HAVE NICE THINGS CAN WE?! Because the very next time we see him after he comes back from being fucking dead, (BEFORE AI’S ATTACKS ON HUMANITY NEED I ADD) he says this insulting shit:

(This is right after the Bohman duel by the way. Poor Takeru basically just lost Flame and is having to deal with this shit)

And this is the scene that broke my fucking patience. He’s been given reason after reason to stop believing this crap but instead, he doubles down on it and refuses to change. Ever. And then what is this scene followed by?!

AN IGNIS ATTACKING HUMANITY AND PROVING HIS BELIEFS RIGHT. This show basically made a character racist, gave him plenty of reasons to stop being racist, had him refuse to stop being racist, and then proved that he was right to be racist all along. WHY THE ACTUAL FUCK IS THIS GUY A FAN FAVOURITE?!

Also, he repeatedly refers to the Ignis as “its”:

Even when the other characters start to use he/him pronouns (or she/her for Aqua) and it feels like he’s calling them objects or god forbid doing that thing trasphobes do to transgender people and OH MY GOD I WANT TO PUNCH HIM IN THE FACE.

So… as you can tell, my annoyance of this character is… very personal and emotionally charged. But there’s more. Oh boy there’s more. Because Revolver being a fucking piece of shit doesn’t just fuck with his character, it fucks with the very themes of this show. It doesn't completely ruin them but hear me out: Yusaku, our beloved main character, believes that there can be peace between AI and humans, that they can coexist. This show ends… with every AI with complete free will dead, which was Ryoken’s goal. Ryoken isn’t even punished in the end for all that he did (guarding Link VRAINS isn’t a punishment). He got exactly what he wanted and his bigoted views were never called into question or presented in the wrong after season one which is AWFUL.

I mentioned a while ago that if they permanently killed Ai, this is the message they would be sending:

And… yeah, they still kinda did. Not completely (Blood Shepherd, Queen, and Go Onizuka were never justified, that still stands) and I still absolutely love Ai’s villain arc and Yusaku and Ai’s final duel and all the emotions between them. Ai only ever fell to villainy because he was terrified he would eventually become the monster horrible fucks like Ryoken believed he would. Well, that and wanting to prevent Yusaku’s death. The show doesn’t say that all AI with free will are evil and want to take over humanity but it doesn’t say Ryoken is wrong to believe that either which is where my main problem arises. And this could’ve been fixed. Like I said, Ryoken seemed to be coming around a bit during his death. Why not just cut that scene in the season 3 premiere where he goes back on what little growth he showed? It wouldn’t completely fix everything but it would at least help.

So… Ryoken makes some of the themes of VRAINS a complete mess. Not all of them. For some reason, I really like some of his more… philosophical quotes. I don’t know why, I just think they’re cool:

That’s kind of a VRAINS thing in general but Revolver in particular has quite a few of these quotes. He’s even a character archetype I like. Trust me when I say I wanted to like this character, I was actually excited for his return in season 2 at first and gave him plenty of chances to be a developed character. And… yeah he did develop but… not in a way that mattered if I’m being honest. I have no idea why Yusaku cuts him as much slack as he does. I have never once understood their “bond,” Ryoken will not bend on his hatred of Yusaku’s partner and told Yusaku to his face he regretted saving his life and giving him hope. So by the time season 3 came along I just… fucking snapped.

But Ryoken had potential. I mentioned a while ago that I’m writing a post-VRAINS story and Ryoken’s in it… well… it’s not done yet, so I’ll just say now that hope I’m able to do this character justice.

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inkskinned · 11 months

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one of the things about being an educator is that you hear what parents want their kids to be able to do a lot. they want their kid to be an astronaut or a ballerina or a politician. they want them to get off that damn phone. be better about socializing. stop spending so much time indoors. learn to control their own temper. to just "fucking listen", which means to be obedient.

one of the things i learned in my pedagogy classes is that it's almost always easier to roleplay how you want someone to act. it's almost always easier to explain why a rule exists, rather than simply setting the rule and demanding adherence.

i want my kids to be kind. i want them to ask me what book they should read next, and i want to read that book with them so we can discuss it. i want my kid to be able to tell me hey that hurt my feelings without worrying i'll punish them. i want my kid to be proud of small things and come running up to me to tell me about them. i want them to say "nah, i get why this rule exists, but i get to hate it" and know that i don't need them to be grateful-for-the-roof-overhead while washing the dishes. i want them to teach me things. i want them to say - this isn't safe. i'm calling my mom and getting out of this. i want them to hear me apologize when i do fuck up; and i want them to want to come home.

the other day a parent was telling me she didn't understand why her kid "just got so angry." this woman had flown off the handle at me.

my dad - traditional catholic that he is - resents my sentiment of "gentle parenting". he says they'll grow up spoiled, horrible, pretentious. granola, he spits.

i am going to be kind to them. i am going to set the example, i think. and whatever they choose become in the meantime - i'm going to love them for it.

#writeblr #i was doing a lot with high school students. over and over again #other teachers kept asking me what i was doing differently - why the kids listened to me. i am not particularly foreboding #and i have a pretty firm personal policy of never reacting in anger #godhelpme.#i was always kind of taken aback #because in general the kids were pretty easy. i explained i needed to keep everything “PG-13” because this was my workplace #and it was kind of their workplace #too. besides #i love swearing #and since i couldn't swear #neither could they - so if they were going to say “fuck” or become violent #they needed to choose a really specific time #because we only get “the one”.. sure enough - nobody wanted to waste the one very specific “fuck” utterance. kids listened.#i think just because - that rule makes sense. the kids understand that i don't want to be unfair to them #that censorship is stupid #but that i'm under these rules too so like let's ride it out together #also i look young and tbh between me and u nobody wants to make the nice english teacher cry #the way these kids defended me to their friends was really genuinely so heartwarming bc the Grouchy Frat Boy #would be like MISS RAQUEL DOESN'T DESERVE THAT KIND OF AN ATTITUDE BRO DON'T TALK BACK TO HER

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yashley · 1 year

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"She's so charmin', y'know! She's just so--"

#critical role #imogearne #imogen x fearne #ygifs #IMOGEN GETTIN LOST FOR A SECOND IN FEARNE'S GAYZE AND SHE STARTS STAMMERING Iiiiiiii #fearne making imogen blush but imogen JUMPS on the FIRST distraction from that is SOOO good 2 me it's like ooook #she literally literally immediately is like ANYWAY and it's SO good y'all just had a moment and you literally are like UH SO WHATD YOU SAY #I just want to chew on it I just want to study it I just want to take out a mortgage with it and really have holiday card memories with it #you have a 6ft faun you keep reminding everyone is hot leaning towards you teasing you to choose between her and you what - don't lose it?ok #being able to fluster even stressed out imogen like that power trip alone I hope she starts to chase that feeling #the FOREVER GONDOLA RIDES is what I'll title the fic of fearne constantly flirting with imogen just to try to fluster her #and imogen's just like I don't think I should be alone with fearne and everyone's like all right makes sense #and she’s beetred cos she wanted them to ASK WHY so she could try to have a dialogue about Thinking? Fearne is Flirting #but she's like that with everyone!!!!! and they all are like yeah that's true and imogen just is like . of course ! ! ! and they squint #like you knew this why do you seem disappointed all of a sudden and imogen vax-es out of the room #it's NOT that she LIKES her LIKE THAT it's NOTHIN I'm watching it cos it's like this is happening while also not happening pretty gay

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possamble · 13 days

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What are your headcanons about Marcille's mom if you have any? It's interesting that what drew Donato to her was cause she lived the history he studied, or that was said somewhere at least. She must've had an interesting life.

so this was going to be just a normal answer but then I realized I have a Lot of Things To Say. so here goes, a compilation of what we know for a fact from the canon, what I've extrapolated from the visual cues and details, and my theories based on all of that.

Things we know for a fact about Marcille's mother because they were explicitly stated in the manga and supplemental materials:

She was a court mage for a Tall-man kingdom at the southern part of the Northern Continent

Donato, a court historian, fell in love with her because she had lived through the history he was studying, and he courted her for 17 years (age 15 to 32) before getting married

She was a cheerful person who rarely showed extreme emotion and took things as they came

She always cooked a huge meal for Marcille on her birthdays

She remarried a gnome after Donato's death and a short distance away from Marcille's childhood home

Pipi, Marcille's pet bird, was actually older than Marcille and originally belonged to her mother (bird died at 62)

She was extremely heartbroken when Donato died and ultimately ended up instilling a deep fear of mortality in Marcille with her words

the only time she showed extreme emotion in front of her family was when Donato could no longer eat his favourite dish near the end of his life.

She scolded Marcille for being cruel to ants (implying she can have a stern side when needed)

Things that are explicitly shown but mostly through visual cues

She has a very distinctive style of dress always involving a ribbon choker (mirroring Marcille's habit of always wearing a matching choker with any of her outfits that don't cover her neck)

She was almost stereotypically good at housekeeping and traditionally "wifely" things (very frequently depicted wearing an apron or doing some domestic chore when not at work, seems to have been an avid cook).

She knits? (also, note the affectionate smile as she's looking at Donato and Marcille reading a book together in the full panel)

She was as excited for Marcille's milestones as Donato was.

She didn't tell Marcille much about elven food

(there are a couple things that this panel in particular implies:

She lived a good deal of her life (if not being born and raised) in a mainly elven country in the West, implied by her knowing enough of an elven region's cuisine to prefer Tall-man food over it

seems to have a pretty carefree and casual demeanour overall, if this is how she replied to Marcille asking her about it (sounds like she never gave her culinary preferences that much thought to begin with)

slightly related to number 2, it seems like she and Marcille had a fairly casual parent-child dynamic (especially in comparison to the Toudens' memory of their father)

(local elf tastes Italian food once and never goes back))

However, she seems a lot more... serious in most of the other times we see her? Almost like the very stereotypical archetype of a graceful elf.

Subsequent conclusions about her personality:

Usually pretty carefree and cheerful at home, has been a loving and attentive parent throughout Marcille's childhood (while not being so doting that she didn't discipline Marcille).

Slightly more conjectural theories on her personality:

Had a much more graceful and professional personality at work, which would explain the more serious portraits we see of her.

Given that both she and Donato had positions at the royal court, it seems a little odd that she'd go out of her way to do all the housework herself, so maybe she just enjoyed doing it?

Now taping all the evidence together and toeing the line between analysis and fanfiction:

It's clear that she loved Donato very much and was utterly devastated by losing him. But there's one thing that really stuck out to me in what little we see of her:

Doesn't she seem... angry? The way she's gritting her teeth, clutching the tablecloth, and how this is the first and only time we see her eyes opened that wide. In the following panel, you see her being quiet and dejected after her initial outburst. She's still crying very intensely, but her brows are furrowed, and she's not really responding to Donato's affection in her body language.

We're not told the details of how she felt about losing Donato other than that it upset her. But this, to me, implies that she was angry and resented that he was aging, that the end of his life was approaching. An "it's not fair" type of preemptive grief. And if this was the first and last time she cried like this in front of her family, she was either very good at coping in private... or very bad at letting herself feel unpleasant emotions until they become unavoidable and end up overwhelming her.

It's not too remarkable a detail on the surface. It's even reminiscent of what the audience has seen of Marcille. But... when it comes to the big picture, you'd think an elf who voluntarily chose to marry a tall-man and have a half-elf child would have been better prepared for this.

It kind of recontextualizes her cheerfulness to me.

"I'm sure everything's gonna be okay!" (or some variation thereof, depending on what translation you have).

And this is stated to contrast her extreme grief when finally confronting Donato's failing body and eventual death. But I'm wondering if... maybe this optimism was why she was so upset. What if she went into all of it thinking "everything's gonna be okay"? What if she was a little young by elven standards, and just followed her heart thinking that her own resilience would get her through anything?

Of course, only to get completely overwhelmed when she actually loses Donato. She turns into a completely different person. And that's heartbreaking on its own-- but what the audience sees is the effect it had on Marcille. Can you imagine being her, watching your invincible and upbeat mother suddenly lose all the light in her eyes in one go?

I've already made a huge post about how I think Marcille models her "work persona" off her mother, but another thing that stuck with me as I was looking for more details in the manga was this:

copy pasting from the other post i made about it lmao it's like... the second she resigns herself to lifelong pain and terror, there's another portrait of her mother facing her like this. with their heads bowed, in mirrored body language of resignation and despair and sorrow. Except it's posed like Marcille is still looking at her mother but her mother is looking away.

It took me a second to realize, but I think that it's a visual metaphor for the fact that Marcille's mother was the only long-lived role model she had-- and she failed to model healthy grief for her daughter. I don't say this as an accusation or to disparage her as a character, but just as a matter of fact. In her, Marcille was seeing herself older and losing a short-lived spouse or loved one of her own, and all she saw was hopelessness.

But her mother didn't mean to instill hopelessness and terror in her. She wasn't really thinking of how it would truly affect Marcille at all (at least, that's how I'm interpreting her looking down and away from Marcille in the metaphor), she was just sad. And she, in her own way, was trying to protect her daughter and help her prepare for future losses.

What she meant was "loss is inevitable, and you have to learn how to be in pain but live on anyway." What Marcille heard was "loss is inevitable, and you will be scared and hurt for the rest of your life."

Again. Marcille's mother doesn't feature explicitly in the story the way her father does -- but in so many ways, her shadow, her silhouette, her reflection is always hanging over Marcille.

All that to say... headcanon-wise (everything from here on is 100% without evidence lmao), I'd like to think that she matured and realized that she failed Marcille. I imagine her being regretful about it, wanting a chance to fix it but never finding a way to insert herself back into Marcille's life when Marcille is so so so busy becoming the most accomplished mage possible. I imagine her being herself again, now, so many years after her loss and after remarrying -- but with her cheerfulness tempered with a lot more wisdom and the pain of having gone through loss like that. I think the second Marcille actually tells her what happened in the dungeon, she'd want to go running to her daughter again -- if Marcille tells her the full truth instead of just being embarrassed she let things get that far. (oh, the tragedy of her wanting to be more like her mother and an accomplished adult who doesn't need to be babied... being embarrassed to actually tell her mother how much she fucked up...)

There's also the tension of her having remarried -- I know that there's at least a little bit of resentment that Marcille harbours about that, because she's childish like that at heart even if she makes an effort not to externalize it. I think that her mother would be aware of that, potentially adding to her sense of guilt and apprehension at trying to reappear/intrude on Marcille's life. I honestly don't think Marcille has met her stepfather -- or even considers him a stepfather rather than "mama's new husband" and kind of a total stranger. I think she and her mother actively don't talk about it in their correspondence, like an elephant in the room.

but, ultimately, I think her mother is on her side no matter what. Ancient magic? Dark necromancy? Sure, she'll feel guilty and like she was partially responsible for setting Marcille down such a painful path, but she wouldn't care. that's her daughter!! she would've moved back west and been petitioning for her at the court, buying a house right next to the Canaries barracks and visiting her every day that she wasn't on a mission. And if her husband had opinions on Marcille becoming a "dark arts user," he either gets over it or it's divorce with him. Yes, she might have had her optimism completely humbled by losing Donato like that -- but she's still headstrong and self-assured and she doesn't care what people think of her. It's her way or the highway and she's always going to be in Marcille's corner.

(She also needs a name lol. I went with Juno, just to be cute about "Marcille"s closest real life equivalent being Marcella, which is the female version of Marcellus, which in turn is a diminutive of Marcus, which was derived from Mars. Absolutely in love with Marcille potentially being named after Ares/Mars the fucking god of war btw)

#asks #she could easily be interpreted as distant or neglectful after Donato's death too #with how little involvement she has in Marcille's life/the fact that Marcille doesn't even mention her when talking about her life prospect #and that's fair! I will argue to hell and back that she was a loving parent when Donato was alive #but there's nothing that suggests she remained a loving parent afterwards #I just think that like... parental relationships are so complicated in dungeon meshi #you cannot deny that the toudens' mother loved them dearly but that she failed them both miserably as a parent #and i think it'd be more compelling if Marcille's mother was a little like that too #not a totally and easily dismissable deadbeat #but someone who truly loves her daughter but was only human herself and couldn't be what Marcille needed at a crucial moment #and regrets it deeply #and that the distance between them is mutually self-imposed by complicated feelings of guilt and fear #and a little resentment from Marcille's side that she hasn't really properly processed #I don't know if I'll ever get around to writing it but i had this idea where Marcille does finally spill the beans to her mom and she just #immediately arrives in Melini #and its awkward for a bit but they do finally have a heart to heart and air it all out #and marcille starts freaking out that her marriage is rocky rn bc her new husband wants her to distance herself from marcille #on account of the crimes and all #marcille's like no you can't blow up your marriage for me and her mother just shuts that shit down #'you didn't choose to be born. i was the one who made that choice for you'#'i brought you into this world and i'll be damned if i don't take responsibility for that the entire way'#'you are entitled to *nothing less* than my unconditional love.'#and obviously that's not a sentiment that's exactly healthy as a universal statement about parenthood #but i think its what her mother would believe and what marcille needs to hear #and dungeon meshi does such a fantastic job at just... letting imperfect things just *be* without having to justify it immediately #it expects the audience to do their own critical thinking #and know that its not trying to make sweeping universal statements in every instance #marcilleposting #marcille donato

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thatswhatsushesaid · 6 months

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currently thinking about just how much su minshan was willing to sacrifice--of himself, and of other people who relied on and trusted in him--to protect jin guangyao

goes 2 my knees, clutches my hair

#suyao #it's The Devotion™️ ok???#he abandons his whole sect at the second siege of the burial mounds for jin guangyao #he will pull a sword on both hanguang-jun and zewu-jun over the HINT of a slight against jin guangyao #he puts himself in mortal peril and ultimately dies brutally to protect jin guangyao #uggggGGGGHHHH #i'm fine!! i'm fine #(i'm not i'm really not)#edited to add: like!!! regardless of how you choose to interpret the nature of the relationship between them #i don't think it is a stretch to look at sms's devotion to jgy and interpret it as something beyond friendship #or beyond the loyalty of a vassal to his liege lord #and i think what most fucks me up about their dynamic (in a good way)#is that sms never expects the same depth of devotion from jgy #given how deeply seated minshan's resentment towards the gusu lan is and how easy it is to trigger #a truly nuclear grudge response in him (looking @ u jin zixun)#i remain endlessly fascinated by the years he must spend knowing that jgy would always choose lxc over him if he had to #and yet he does NOT become bitter or resentful of jgy over this #he does not make his devotion to jgy a problem for jgy to manage #like if you lean into the one-sided shipping angle he's like a guy who has fully embraced his place in the friend zone #is he fine with it?? who knows! but he isn't going to make his feelings on the matter jgy's problem #anyway i love him send post #emotional support henchman

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chicinlicin · 6 months

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what astrolabe is Rune using with the frog outfit?

it's vaguely canopus lux shaped! last stage of the anima relic

also regular canopus with the brown/orange effect

i love my orbs =w=

#ask #anon #reply #ffxiv #rune #help i have too many orbs and not enough glamour plates to make glams for them all #don't make me choose between my babiessss #anyway i thoroughly recommend orbs #they're very nice

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lavenoon · 1 year

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Can I ask for a preference for the DCA boys? Sun/Moon/ Eclipse. And if there is a specific AU version you fancy?

Oh, sure!

For the preferences I'm uh. Between Sun/Moon I refuse to choose? I see them as a set, Do Not Separate, and it feels unfair to choose between them. I'm very enthusiastic about healthy sleep, and own unholy amounts of glitter glue and other craft supplies, so it really just works out for a match. I love Eclipse too! Though I see him as separate*, not as intrinsically linked into the set, and given that Sun and Moon are the "originals" they win out over Eclipse**!

*Depends on the interpretation, of course, but if left to my own devices

**This, too, depends on the interpretation, as I've been known to simp for the Police Chief and perhaps a teeny tiny bit the Bounty Hunter in @naffeclipse's Syzygy in Dedication/ Sleuth Jesters

In regards to AU preferences that's already one point then, though uh. I've kind of made half a brand out of being entirely insane over also Naff's Cryptid Sightings Sun/Moon/Eclipse - all three just one being in this one, and big dangerous cryptid soft for one human is simply too much of a weakness.

Them being caretakers is always a plus, because I love the trope of caretaker confronted with being taken care of, does not compute (literally, in their case) and also just. Animatronic existence and the conflict it creates (not necessarily fighting, but the surrounding circumstances in the world, misunderstandings, getting to know each other and growing closer while exploring and appreciating differences as well as similarities, and how these intertwine) is my favorite, though as long as it's human and non human interaction I'm going to be fascinated tbh. As a queer neurodiverse person accepting and cherishing differences, and taking the time to truly understand the other is simply my bread and butter

I suppose I should also say I like my own AU boys too? I mean, obviously, I created them! Though honestly, there are so many versions and interpretations of the boys and I'll eat them all up, I'm really bad at choosing, so I suppose the bottom line of all this is...

#answer let luce #eiffelfeller #my issue is I am slow to read and also easily get overwhelmed #so I am eternally distraught over the fact that I will never get to see/ read everything that would bring me joy #I am more hesitant to approach human/ humanized aus #and. dirty secret. vampire aus somehow do not get me. something about animatronic vamps just makes brain go ? and thats it #WHICH DOES NOT MEAN I THINK EITHER CATEGORY IS BAD AUS #these are very subjective; obviously; they're my preferences!#I'm not dunking on anyone or any specific au #just what I noticed towards what I gravitate #I don't even want that in the main post because I don't want anyone to feel personally addressed #can you see how I'm an anxious mess?#<- refuses to choose between two fictional characters because that would be unfair to one of them #moon is my icon simply because im the sleep wizard #but just because my brand isn't crafts doesnt mean i cant also relate to sun #im rambling. lets post this because i need to get lunch gfhdjs

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dimiclaudeblaigan · 1 year

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Something that SEEERIOUSLY isn’t talked about enough among Rodrigue fans is how Rodrigue (almost? or generally) always refers to Dimitri as “Your/His Highness” except in the moment that Dimitri’s life was at risk right in front of Rodrigue and Rodrigue shielded him with his own body.

Rodrigue is always respectful and aware of their stations, but none of that matters when Dimitri is almost killed. Rodrigue reacts emotionally without station in mind, forgetting to refer to him in an “appropriate” manner and reacting instead in a more intimate manner (i.e. using a person’s name instead of their title).

Most people wouldn’t dare to refer to their prince by their first name, but Rodrigue forgets all that the moment Dimtiri is in danger. He follows up that familial intimacy by calling Dimitri “my boy”. In a way it’s like Rodrigue's formalities are just forced expectations that are ingrained into him, because his actual instinct is to refer to Dimitri in a familial way. If he doesn’t have time to think about what he’s saying, it will be Dimitri’s name that he uses because that’s how he truly thinks of Dimitri.

He doesn’t solely view Dimitri as his prince. He views Dimitri as family, and in a setting where royalty exists, it’s so important to the relationship in question when that societal expectation is broken, simply because it tells you exactly what that character thinks of their royalty.

When royalty’s life is in danger, it would even make sense for people to hesitate because if they do anything, they might also be in danger and generally humans instinctually prioritize their own life (even if they do really want to step in to help). That typically is not the case with humans regarding loved ones, where that instinct instead changes to an instinct where they automatically step in to protect people dear to them - especially parents to their children. Parents - not just in humans but in most forms of life (cats, dogs, etc) - are extremely protective of their children and react without a second - even a first - thought, because it’s not a thought at all when they see their children in danger. It’s a base reaction.

Rodrigue wasn’t witnessing his prince being attacked. He was witnessing his son being attacked, and he reacted as a father would - not as a knight, a vassal or anyone under Dimitri’s station and how they would be expected to react to protect him. Dimitri didn’t have to be his blood son for him to react the same way a blood parent would. Dimitri wasn’t born to him but he was Rodrigue’s son all the same and he couldn’t accept his boy being harmed.

I love that his reaction is exactly the same as what Lambert would have done. I love that in that one moment when he didn’t have time to think about his word choice, such important stations meant absolutely nothing to him. I love that what was important to him was Dimitri the person, and not Dimitri the prince. I love that at the very end, he died knowing his boy was safe and alive. I love that, when he starts reusing “Your Highness”, it’s only after the immediate danger has passed and he has time to actually process his word choice again, because it really drives home how quickly and thoughtlessly he reacted to seeing Dimitri in danger when he dropped formalities to use his first name.

He also didn’t tell him to live for the people or live because he was a prince. He wanted Dimitri to remember to live for himself and likely died with the hope that those being his last words would be taken much more heavily and sincerely, and give Dimitri a lot to think about in regard to caring for himself as a person and not just seeing himself as a prince/future king, because Rodrigue also saw him as a person.

Not only did Rodrigue protect his son (which mind you must have been extremely important to him after already losing a son. Can you imagine how devastated he would be to lose another child? This time he saved a son from death, which he was unable to do previously and he wasn’t present to be able to even try), but he gave Dimitri the thing Dimitri desired the most from those he loved: he treated Dimitri like a regular person who needed to live his own life for himself, and in the single most critical moment to Rodrigue, forgot to use titles and formalities and openly expressed his true feelings just by using Dimitri’s name alone.

Dimitri never liked all those stuffy behaviors and titles. He just wanted to be a person. Rodrigue, his family, gave him that at Rodrigue’s very end, explicitly informing Dimitri that was how this man always thought of him just from that one moment of Rodrigue’s feelings slipping through. He was always keeping up appearances, but Dimitri was always just Dimitri to him.

Also, Rodrigue says “please tell me it wasn’t in vain”. Remember, Rodrigue’s son died in vain. Glenn didn’t actually get to protect Dimitri. Earlier, Rodrigue stated that Dimitri’s injuries left him on the verge of death. Glenn didn’t die protecting him. Glenn died in a tragedy. Nothing Glenn did that day that led to his death actually helped Dimitri survive. Dimitri survived because Gilbert found him in time.

Rodrigue knows that and doesn’t want another person dear to Dimitri to die a death that didn’t need to happen. He also doesn’t want it to be in vain because if it was, he would have died being unable to protect his son. Rodrigue “died for what he believed in”, but he died because he thoughtlessly, without hesitation, died to save his son. He believed in Dimitri, but he also believed Dimitri to be his child as much as Glenn and Felix ever were.

Even though Glenn did die in vain, he attempted to die keeping his best friend alive. He believed in his best friend, just like Lambert believed in his son to be able to saved if he ever went astray.

Before Rodrigue dies, he last thoughts are of Lambert, but also his promise to Lambert, which was about Dimtiri.

Rodrigue was always thinking of his family throughout the whole game (literally, he brings up Felix to Byleth regularly and brings up Glenn throughout the story as well), and that extended to Lambert and Dimtiri. At the very last, he literally died like he lived, and that was for his family.

#DCB Comments #Rodrigue #Rodrigue Achille Fraldarius #I just love that Rodrigue wasn't living solely as the right hand of a king #It wasn't about who was in power that he acted like he did for them #If you notice too he never really talks about Rufus as if he simply doesn't care for him either way #Rufus is still part of the royal family but he doesn't get the same treatment from Rodrigue as Lambert and Dimitri #It's not about ''they're my king and prince''. It's not about being in a slightly lesser station than them that he saved Dimitri #For him it was always about family first and his position after even if HE himself didn't realize that #If Rufus was about to die would Rodrigue die for him? Probably not. He may be a royal but if Rodrigue died for him #he couldn't be alive to watch over the people he actually cares about. Say Rufus was about to die but Lambert and Dimitri weren't even there #Here he wouldn't even have a choice to make of ''do I die for Rufus or live for them''. I think he simply just... wouldn't do it #He might /fight/ to keep him alive but I don't think he would shield Rufus with his own body. That line of thinking makes me think #that again it's not about status. It's about who he considers family and who is important to him just like any other person would react #It's bc he loves those two that he behaves the way he does and does what he does for them. I think if he didn't love the people in power #he wouldn't treat them like he does simply bc they're in power. I think he only treats him like he does bc of affection #Like I really think if Rodrigue had to choose between Faerghus or Dimitri and/or Lambert that he'd pick those two over #Faerghus itself bc tbh Rodrigue is really just like anyone else. He has priorities preferences and biases #I ofc think he'd be torn abt it but I think he'd ultimately choose people he sees as family over anything else #i love you rodrigue achille fraldarius

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butchriptide · 3 months

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Urges to script out a small comic piece as a partial rewrite/reimagining sort for arc 2's epilogue, versus the fact that I will likely never actually finish it...

#I think the peacemaker resolution is actually incredibly interesting #like I know people say it ruined the morals of arc 2 and such but I think it's more fun to meet the narrative where it is like.#really asking the question what does this mean if there is never a chance for the dragon to be turned back?#is this just a type of murder? would people have reacted differently if they had killed darkstalker in a more straightforward manner?#the books like to treat a lot of the magic as a study of a character's relation to identity; e.i tourmaline choosing to become ruby again #because she IS ruby now. we don't get a POV for her so we don't know if she mourns losing her life as tourmaline #but she makes the choice because her life as ruby is much richer. ruby is a mother and tourmaline isn't ruby is queen and tourmaline isn't #I believe tui stated outright that to reverse the peacemaker enchantment would simply result in darkstalker dying altogether #so if there's no way for him to come back...#it's interesting !! it's even more interesting the idea of the after effects on the characters themselves #also I get to live in the reality in which they intend to tell Winter. because god I hate the epilogue for how it shafts him.#they'd tell him !!! they trust him !!! i know this I know them better than Tui did writing that epilogue !!!! believe me please god !!!!#anyway I specifically want to script out a conversation between Kinkajou and Qibli #I think they'd have interesting things to talk about on the matter

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astriiformes · 2 years

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Honestly pretty emotional about where things are at with my family right now.... at one point in time I really didn't know if things would look healthy between my parents and I again, but my dad especially has grown a lot as a person (and, importantly, is still willing to have me and even Scribe, who he absolutely sees as family at this point, sit him down and tell him to do better), and even my mom seems to be coming around more on certain things than I ever expected.

Things are rough for me right now, but it means a lot that I can reach out to my parents and say I need their help, and that we've collectively put in work to make that a sustainable, healthy option for me instead of a painful last resort. And it also means I can focus on the things they're doing right -- like how my dad has been phenomenal about my transition from the start, and both my parents have accepted Scribe as a part of the family (and both really genuinely like her!) without asking me to explain myself having a queerplatonic partner. And as far as I know my dad seems to get on great with my sister's girlfriend and it sounds like even my mom (which is huge, recent news!) is starting to accept her as a part of the family, too, which marks a pretty significant change.

Both my parents came from really difficult family backgrounds with a lot of problems and at time I've excused their behavior too much, and there's still a lot they need to work on, but I'm proud of them for at least dampening that cycle, and for my sisters and I to get even better at it and turn it into something we can work on as a family. That's pretty cool.

#like was there still some major awkwardness at a few points when scribe and i visited over the summer -- YOU BET #we are a mess and never going to be perfect #but it means the world to me that my dad's response to me moving to another state and going totally no-contact for a while #was to say he was proud of me for doing what i needed to #and it WAS what needed to happen and it WORKED #i would not have believed that at one point in time #but now i get to introduce him to my friends here (who he apparently cried at; thanking them for being so good for me)#and ask him to send me recipes he made when we were visiting that scribe really likes and wants to make sometime #and even watch my mom realize how cool my qpp is when they got to talking about cake decorating #and it's like. wow. my family is messy but i have one #and i don't have to choose between one that's good for me and one that isn't #and i did that #and they did some of it too but #i made choices that helped it to happen and i feel really good about that

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barbieaiden · 8 months

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(resistant) dark urge and astarion romance might be one of my favorite player character companion romances i've ever played tbh

#i think. i think maybe #in a lot of romances in game your character doesn't have any like #canon motivations or their own questline that's like somewhat separate from the main story #which makes romances end up feeling a bit one sided because you know the character but they don't know your character in a way where #they can respond directly to you and your actions and stuff #but because you choose to respond to your dark urge one way or the other the companions can respond accordingly #and it feels a bit more like a real connection between two people #and idk there's something about dark urge and astarion and like parallels and stuff #generally i feel like the companions' relationship with my dark urge character just hold more weight #because i'm not just being supportive to them they're also supportive to me

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katyspersonal · 1 month

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3 for Aldrich, Aldia, Willem & Laurence

9 for Maria

11 for Micolash & Aldrich

24 for Laurence

(Asks from this ( x ) meme)

3) What first drew you to this character?

As for Aldrich, I vaguely recall finding out that he checks the traits I like the most? He was one of the characters I've learned about through fandom and not on my own, and I think this ancient meme about summarises it:

Also:

@val-of-the-north SHUDDUP you're basically so horny for Laurence/Logarius/Snatchers that you can't even picture them in your mind in any way but being naked!!!!!!! *casts the stone back at u*

With Laurence, like with Mico, it was the very first glance at the character in Youtube compilation with boss themes and concept art image. I did not know the lore yet, but the design and the music made me imagine Laurence as sort of aged, sagely librarian. I could not imagine back then that his boss fight would be him being a "helpless abhorrent little mewmew" as kids call it! Heck, I thought he'd have dialogue despite the monster form x) In a way, my first impression was not wrong, with the cut content of him actually talking even in a beast form, and implication of him being a son of Cainhurst cut content librarian NPC! I have intuition for cut content before having information, hahaha!

I have nothing to say about Willem. It might be a memory gap thing, but I swear at some point I feel I was turned off and then booted back up with liking this character already installed in my system x) As for Aldia.... ugh for fuck's sake... yeah, it was this legend:

youtube

I was absolutely floored by this stupid vid even without knowing any context, but I also instantly liked this character. I didn't even know his name yet, but the voice acting and long yapping about philosophy already pulled me in XD (Also unironically, this video is precisely how I give relationship advice fhfhdds)

9) Does this character remind you of anyone you know? Does that affect how you see them?

Yeah, I know this person. I know them very well. I know them more than anyone else. Someone who was misguided (by their destructive influence mentor figure, by their own foolishness and past history, or combination of both, who can tell anymore?) into committing awful things, then despaired over their sins and attempted redemption but also failed in some way? This person is me. At some point I've found myself in front of horrible truth about my past life and personality, and knew I was guilty and sullied forever. That it was over for me as a human being, but that didn't matter, and I could only keep people safe by locking myself away and trying to serve something better.

......annnnd it took a few years of more informed people to (metaphorically) shake me and slap my face into lucidity, explaining to me that I've fallen for the "BPD demonization" that was going far beyond than my individual failure as a friend, and we are always accused of abuse and causing irreversible harm when the worst we do is being emotionally overbearing. I kept losing trust to those friends, telling them that they were enablers who tried to gaslight me into thinking I was not 'that much of a monster', until it was other people with BPD who 'shook me and slapped my face into lucidity'. xd Nonetheless, even though now I know the truth about how society treats BPDs, I remember the feeling of being so monstrous and harmful that I was not even allowed to "touch" people with my dirty hands, how my reality used to be. So, I could write Maria going through this effortlessly, especially considering what she did was more plain and tangible!

In fact... thank you for asking me about this, because I kept wondering why I had such frequent dreams about being Maria, and why the Maria in my dreams acts like abused child that took back control against Gehrman despite my portrayal of the guy being so different. And now the puzzle is solved! That part of me still lives inside, it seems.

11) How did you “fall in love” with this character?

Already answered this for Micolash here: ( x )! As for Aldrich, it was through properly analysing the bigger picture and context of his actions. I've figured that his madness was, in fact, being informed on what was far too ahead of everyone else around him! He, like the rest of the cast, is trapped in the rotting, doomed world in which the only choices are 1) "die with dignity" or 2) commit something unthinkable from moral standpoint for a chance to escape. And will morality of the rotting world will matter in the new world anyways? Won't it all be left behind and be forgiven?

The guy also tried to take everyone else he could with him, like sort of a fucked up Noah's Arc! I can tell that they reused the concept with Rykard, at least, I am glad they know what works xD I'd say that the sadism he experienced upon eating people was either result of insanity (he understood a thing no one should understand), or still didn't exclude the bigger purpose (egotistically revelling in how holy he is helping everyone and doing what no one else dared, which would be like my Laurence). In any case, I have the strongest respect to the courage it takes to transcend the bonds of morality and compassion in order to to greater good. Being burdened with the knowledge of how the world really works, and choosing to push through instead of still being bound... This is why I also like Fauxsefka; learning how this world works, she chose to turn people into Kin so they can't ever become beasts. I am weak for this trope, you don't understand.

24) Do you ever dream about this character? If so, describe a dream you once had about them.

Laurence appears in my dreams only in two contexts: 1) Micolaurence or 2) dreams about finding secret files in Bloodborne that reveal his canonical appearance before beasthood! I can tell the latter comes from my everlasting unsatisfaction with my design for him, because I love it but it doesn't feel "fitting" and I can't identify why!

The former, I think, fandom rubbing onto me x) In two of these dreams, I was Laurence. In other two, I was Micolash. In one of Laurence dreams it was mutual, in the second one I was in love unrequited. In one of Micolash dreams, it was mutual, and in another it was not.. Basically, my dreams allows me to experience this ship from every possible angle. o_o Waiting for more I guess fhhdfsfd

______________

Thank you for asking! And.. without exaggeration, you've just done quite a psychological work on me by just asking the right thing. I need to think about that, hahaha

#bloodborne #dark souls 3 #aldrich devourer of gods #laurence the first vicar #soulsborne #ask replies #personal #memories #dreams #honestly I remember Maria in my dreams hiding in the closet like an abused bullied child.. that big strong woman reduced to this #and I finally know why it was this way #I'd rather not sully Gehrman with something as dirty as my stepdad of course he deserves so much more and he is his own man #I just don't like the approach of turning characters with their own stories and personality into vessels for my trauma #it feels like frenzied flame: you got infected by it and you have unending need to spread it. to scorch the world in your pain.#I don't think this approach would help my healing but instead make me feel worse by nourishing the trauma #I am keeping it sealed away from the world forever now </3 #see this is why it hurts me so much when gehrman haters accuse me of being insensitive to people that want to project their negative-#-experiences with men and misogyny onto him even if that means twisting the actual story and character. I do have a reason to do it myself #I just choose not to because I personally dislike the idea of making fandomry about myself more and about source material less #I don't want to bring the pain and horrors inside me into something that doesn't have them. some things can stay clean!#the passive aggression between canon worshippers and fanon enforcers is something that cannot be avoided in the fandoms #and I disapprove of the lie about 100% peace and mutual respect between the 'camps'. we will never FULLY like each other #each thinks their approach is more productive for the community. and that's fine!

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