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ghostadjacentfae · 2 years

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Okay so I’ve got a bit of a kinda sorta really specific af idea that I am 90% I’ll never get to despite loving to bits so imma throw it to the wild and maybe some of you will like parts of it too. Okay? Okay.

Basic version: DP x DC prompt where Danny’s gotten deaged as part of another bid for the power of Ghost King. The title that Danny now is heir to. Jazz takes the now like 4-to-8 year old Danny, who barely remembers anything besides Jazz Good and Vlad Bad, and flees to Gotham to find help from somebody that Vlad won’t expect them to seek out help from. To leave Danny with while she goes into the Ghost Zone herself to look for help/a solution.

Longer one where I’ve gone a little very insane:

DP x DC prompt where Vlad’s deaged Danny as part of another bid for the power of Ghost King. The title that Danny now has/is heir to. Either reveal gone wrong when trying to explain because how do they hide this or no reveal at all, just Jazz grabbing her even-littler-than-usual brother and booking it because there’s no time to explain if they’re to keep Danny way from Vlad. Couldn't go into the zone bc for as many allies as Danny has there, there's also so many enemies that could intercept them before they could reach those allies to inform that help is needed (and who knows, maybe the parent's Fenton removed access to their portal from their kiddos for some reason). Danny is still halfa obvs but he doesn’t remember any details about anything. Jazz is Home. Creepy vampire man Bad. Furries in black with masks Do Good (and Jazzy tells him to trust them so he will). Clowns Very Bad.

In Gotham, Jazz doesn't try the keeping low thing. Well she does; not using anything besides cash and fake names, ancients what she wouldn’t do for a shower but places want credit cards goddamnit, to not bring attention on them from Vlad. Maybe she’s got a burner to get updates from Sam and Tucker on, about the status of Amity or if they’ve gotten anywhere on their end of the search for a solution, but they all know Vlad is watching them so they don’t know where she and Danny are or what she’s doing. Which is that she goes out at night looking for the bats and birds on purpose to get help for her brother, making waves in the rumour mill but staying hidden during the day. It takes a while; longer than they have time for really and she gets more stupidly desperate. Danny’s with her for every stupid stunt, usually hidden for safety but never so far that she can’t get to him if in seconds if it turns out they’ve gotten tracked down. She won’t run the risk of leaving him in their safe house of the day without her to come back and find him gone.

She decided on Bats rather than Supers or others bc an overshadowed superhero??? Bad. The bats and birds are either Entities not unlike she and Danny are (liminal!jazz agenda my beloved (honestly most of amity park but that’s not quite relevant here)) and thus immune, or they're very trained regular people. Those can still pack a punch but it's not something she can't fight against if they can’t actually be trusted. Not something she hasn't already fought against in the months she’s been in Team Phantom. Not something she hasn’t already fought against while making her escape with Danny.

Leaving Danny with them is going to take every ounce of trust she can muster.

She finds Red Robin or Nightwing first I think and gives the most bare bones of an explanation. Doesn't mention deaged, simply at-risk heir to The Throne Of Infinity and there's a bid for the crown right now by a man that’ll be another tyrant, and "by the ancients, you need to protect him. I'm the best he's got right now but I can't keep him safe and find our allies". That they aren’t metas but there’s too much to explain. "Maybe Danny will explain if he can but just. It'd be so much simpler if we had super powers. Wouldn't have to worry about enemies overshadowing anyone to get them to shoot us if we were all just metas."

She’s got a bag of Tech, just whatever she and Danny could grab and Go. And a third of it lost when Jazz dropped half of hers in order to pick up Danny to run faster. Think nearly finished schematics, a blaster or two, one Specter Deflector, what may or may not just be a toaster, and crammed into his bug-bag. Or school backpack. A corner of the bag is green with dried ectoplasm from a broken vial that got shattered in the mad dash.

(I’m a little attached to it being Tim she leaves Danny with. Maybe he tries to pawn him off on one of his brothers, but Danny's already like, imprinted on him. Very "YOU promised Jazz to keep me safe. Jazz left me with YOU >:C" y’know? Or cuz she stressed so very much that he cannot be left without someone guarding him, and bats don't exactly want identity reveal he can't really be left in the cave under the watch of Agent A since Alfred needs to do other things, he gets handed around a little bit between them as heroes only and it's just Timmy's bad luck that he really likes this clever snarky little bean 's the one stuck with Danny on the occasion that plot happens. I just like Tim & Danny time.)

I'm thinking plot tool of Jazz with one of Wulf's claws? As a thing that lets her get into the Zone without portal access or the speeder after finding a Bat to leave Danny with. But no control of where she'll show up, hence not using it when their parents portal wouldn’t work. It Works Like That™ because I Say So™, tho if you have a less mystery McGuffin reliant idea this is by no means obligatory. Just an excuse on a silver platter.

Also tiny Danny, barely awake, trying to grab Jazz and saying not to go cuz it's dangerous/he needs her, only for his hand to go intangible through her. Did I mention yet that he doesn’t have control of his powers?

And of course, Vlad tracks Danny down.

And he’s big bad.

#Danny Phantom #dp x dc #dp x dc prompt #ghost king danny #batman dc #well. ghost prince. but that's semantics #dpxdc

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grahamfolgersdeliciousnotebooks · 6 months

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Does the world need more pre-Unknowing Jmart content? The answer is probably no, but have some anyway! You can read it on AO3, or check it out below:

Martin’s hands were shaking. He noticed that as he filled the kettle, heard the way the slight tremor made the water splash and slosh against the smooth metal.

He wished they weren’t. He wished for once he could maintain some sort of composure without his body betraying him with a tremor, or a stammer, or a blush. He wished it wasn’t so very obvious that he was terrified, but that was probably a lost cause. Jon was sitting just on the other side of the wall listening to the tape Martin had recorded, describing, at Jon’s insistence, all the things he thought and felt on the eve of the Unknowing, and there were quite a few things, really, that were probably far too obvious.

I need them to be safe. I need him to be okay.

Just don’t die, Jon. Or– or Tim, or Basira, or… Daisy, I guess.

He hadn’t meant to make the others sound like such an afterthought (or, not Tim and Basira, rather. Daisy he could take or leave; he’d never quite forgiven her for the whole attempted-murder thing) but, well, Jon had been on his mind recently. Jon, who was listening to that mortifying tape at this very moment. Jon, who had stayed in the Archives far too late on a night when he really ought to be getting some sleep. Jon, who Martin hadn’t said goodbye to, yet, because he didn’t know how. Jon, who Martin was making a cup of tea for, even though he hadn’t asked and probably didn’t want it, because he was desperate for an excuse to sit with him in the Archives for just a little while longer.

Jon, who might die tomorrow.

Martin’s hands were shaking again. He hardly noticed.

He took the tea bag out, tossed it into the bin, stirred in the sugar, added the milk. It was muscle memory by now. He didn’t have to think about it, which was usually a good thing, but today it just meant his thoughts were free to spiral.

There was nothing he could do. He knew that. The plans had all been made, the only thing left to do was wait for tomorrow, play his part, and hope for the best. That was all any of them could do. Fretting wasn’t going to help. But his mind kept turning, against his will, to the same fact: tomorrow, the last two friends he had in the world (or, if one were being very generous and assumed a level of amity from Melanie and Basira that he wasn’t sure he’d earned, three of the last four friends he had in the world) were going to drive to Great Yarmouth, and he didn’t know if they were ever coming back. In some ways, the end of the world was easier to think about.

He picked up the mug, but his hands were still shaking, and it slipped from his trembling fingers and shattered on the floor.

Martin felt something in him break as he stared down at the shards of ceramic – like tectonic plates shifting apart, leaving something yawning and empty and aching across the fault line of his chest. He’d thought he could do this one thing – this one tiny, pointless gesture – but he couldn’t even get that right.

He dropped to his knees without thinking and began picking the shards off the ground. There was a broom in the supply closet that he could have used if he'd stopped to consider his options, but that empty, cavernous space in his chest was quickly getting filled by panic, and his only thought was to clean up his mess as quickly as possible. He needed to fix this, needed to make things right, needed to at least hide the evidence of his failure.

“Martin? Are you alright?” Jon appeared in the doorway to the breakroom, eyes wide, looking as though he expected to be met with a supernatural horror and was prepared to fight it. His posture relaxed just slightly when he saw Martin, alone and unharmed, in the center of the room, though the alarm didn’t quite leave his face.

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Martin said, and he hated the wobble in his voice, the high, tremulous note that made it sound like he was going to cry. “I, uh, I-I-I was going to bring you some tea, but well…”

“Here, let me help,” Jon started, taking a step toward Martin, and Martin scrambled to pick up the pieces.

“No, no, I’ve got it, I–” He caught his thumb on one of the sharp edges, and sucked in an involuntary breath. A bead of blood bloomed, small but startlingly red, across the cut.

Jon was on the floor beside him in an instant. “Let me see.”

“It’s fine,” he said, “it’s not that bad.” And it really wasn’t. It was a shallow thing that looked worse than it was, but Jon had taken Martin’s hand in both of his own and was looking over the cut with wide, dark, overserious eyes.

“I’ll get the first aid kit.”

“You really don’t need–” Martin started, but Jon was already on his feet.

“It’ll only take a second.” When he saw that Martin had opened his mouth to protest further, he added, “Humour me.”

Then he was off, leaving Martin alone on the floor of the breakroom.

Martin sighed. He stood up, walked over to the bin, and carefully tipped the shards of mug he had picked up into it.

Jon returned a moment later holding a broom and dustpan, with the office’s first aid kit tucked under one arm. He carefully toed around the remaining splatter of spilled tea and broken ceramic on the floor to lean the broom against the counter and set the first aid kit down before leading Martin to the sink and turning on the tap.

Jon guided his hand under the cool water, which is something Martin definitely could have done himself, but he didn’t argue this time. He was too distracted by once again having his injured hand cupped by both of Jon’s, Jon’s thin, calloused fingertips pressing gently but firmly into his palm. When the cut had been cleaned, Jon shut off the water and began rummaging through the first aid kit for a plaster of the right size.

Martin could only watch helplessly as Jon peeled the plastic off and discarded it. When he gestured for Martin to hold out his hand, Martin offered it up. He should have been embarrassed. It was embarrassing, the fuss Jon was making over a tiny little cut, but Jon was still handling his injury with such care, and staring at him with such concentration, as though Martin was the most important thing in the world, and he couldn’t find it in himself to mind.

He pressed the gauze to the soft pad of Martin’s thumb and took care not to hinder the motion of his knuckle when he wrapped the sides around it. His fingers lingered for a moment longer, smoothing out the bandage, before he finally dropped Martin’s hand.

“There,” he whispered.

“Thanks.”

Jon cleared his throat. “I thought you might have gone home.” He scratched delicately at the back of his neck, then added in a quiet murmur, “I, um. I’m glad you didn’t.”

“I didn’t want to leave without saying goodbye.”

There was a moment of silence, during which neither of them took the opportunity to say goodbye.

Martin was the one to break the silence. “I should, uh, I should really…” he stammered, grabbing the broom.

“R-Right.”

Martin swept up the remaining pieces of the mug and threw them away. When he turned around, Jon had grabbed a tea towel from beside the sink and was knelt on the floor mopping up the puddle of tea.

“You really don’t have to do that,” Martin said. He was beginning to feel like a broken record, but it was true. He didn’t want to spend these last precious moments before everything changed with Jon cleaning up his mess.

“I don’t mind.”

Martin thought about grabbing another towel and joining him, but he’d already gotten most of it. Jon gave the floor one last swipe, then looked down at the linoleum with a contemplative frown. “That’s probably good enough. I really should have mopped it up instead of just drying it, but, well… If tomorrow, the worst thing we can say is that there’s a sticky patch on the break room floor, I think we’ll consider ourselves lucky.” He huffed a quiet little laugh, but there was no real humour in it.

Martin hesitated. They were toeing dangerously close to the topic they’d been avoiding all night.

“Do you… want to talk about it?”

“Probably best if we don’t,” Jon whispered. “I might lose my courage, and, well… there’s little enough of that to go around.” He flashed Martin a sad, brave, lopsided smile.

It was the smile that did it. Martin knelt down beside Jon, ignoring the way the damp patch on the floor soaked through the knees of his trousers, and pulled him into a tight hug. Jon stiffened for a moment, surprised, before melting into the contact. His shoulders began to shake. Martin wasn’t sure if he was crying or simply shaking, but he squeezed him tighter nonetheless. He stroked a soothing hand down Jon’s spine, and Jon’s breath caught in his throat. Martin wondered for a second if he’d overstepped, but then Jon shifted, burying his face in Martin’s neck and taking long, deep, shuddering breaths.

Martin wanted to say something, but his words died on his lips. What was there to say? “It’s alright?” “Everything’s going to be okay?” It would be a hollow sentiment, and they’d both know it. “I’m worried, too,” would be more honest, but Jon knew that already. He’d listened to the tape.

Eventually, they had to pull apart. It was a slow, awkward affair, but when they’d finally extricated themselves from the tight tangle of limbs, they once again found themselves sat across from each other on the cold break room floor. Jon looked a mess. His glasses were askew, his collar was rumpled, and his hair was falling in his face in tousled waves.

Martin couldn’t help himself. He reached out with both hands and tucked Jon’s hair back behind his ears. For just a fraction of a second, Jon flashed him another lopsided smile. Martin knew he ought to pull away, but he let his hands linger, gently cupping the corners of Jon’s face, for a few moments longer. Jon’s eyes slipped closed, and he sighed. His brow was furrowed, his expression cloudy, but the sigh was one of the most contented sounds Martin had ever heard.

When Martin dropped his hands, Jon opened his eyes and studied Martin’s face. He seemed to struggle with himself, opening and closing his mouth several times as though beginning to say something before thinking better of it. Finally, he whispered, “Why me?”

“What?”

“Why am I the one you… make tea for, and invite out to lunch, and…” he trailed off, before repeating, more insistently, “Why me? When I thought you might have killed Gertrude, I could make sense of it. Y-You were throwing suspicion off yourself, trying to get me to let my guard down so you could kill me,” he said. “But now, I’m fairly sure you aren’t going to murder me, so why?”

“I like making tea.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“I know,” Martin said, because he did. “But… it sort of is, though. I like making you tea, and I like having lunch with you, I just– I like spending time with you! I care about you, Jon. You make it sound like I’m making some big sacrifice by loving you, but–” Martin realized what he said half a second after he said it. “Sorry, that’s not– I didn’t mean– that isn’t what I meant to–” he corrected, frantically, before giving up. He sighed, and dropped his gaze so he wouldn’t have to look Jon in the eye as he muttered, “I mean, I’m sure you’ve figured it out by now. Everyone else has.”

“I… suspected,” Jon admitted softly. “But I wasn’t sure. I thought it might have been wishful thinking on my part.”

Martin risked a glance at Jon. He expected to see embarrassment in his face, or pity, or even scorn. Instead, he saw only the satisfaction of someone who had just come to a decision.

Jon reached out and put a hand on Martin’s jaw, gently pulling him closer, and leaned forward, tilting his face up towards Martin’s. He moved slowly, as though waiting for Martin to pull away, or to lean in. Martin did neither.

“Don’t,” he whispered instead. Their faces were so close that his lips nearly brushed against Jon’s as he spoke. “Don’t do this just because the world might end.”

Jon pulled back slightly, and blinked at him. “Is that what you think?”

Martin didn’t respond. “Yes,” was the answer, but it would have sounded like an accusation. And Martin knew that Jon wasn’t trying to be cruel. He probably thought it was a kindness, to give Martin the one thing they both knew he wanted before everything went wrong, and to find some comfort himself in the process.

“Martin, I… I care about you, too,” Jon whispered. “I’m not very good at showing it – well, no, I’m terrible at showing it – but I do care. I think about you all the time. Even when I was kidnapped. Even when I thought you were trying to kill me. I…” he swallowed, and his fingers moved to tangle in Martin’s hair. “I’ve wanted to do this for such a long time,” he whispered, face still so close to Martin’s, “but only if you want it, too.”

Martin leaned forward, and their lips met.

The kiss was chaste at first, cautious, but it didn’t take long before it grew heated. Jon’s lips were feverish, hungry, and fierce, and Martin could feel an answering hunger awaken in him. He brought his hands to the back of Jon’s head to give himself some leverage as he pressed deeper into the kiss, and Jon tightened his grip on Martin’s hair, tugging lightly on the shaggy locks that curled behind his ear. Jon nipped at his bottom lip, and Martin let out a noise that really should have been embarrassing. He couldn’t quite remember what embarrassment was meant to feel like, though.

For a moment, the Circus didn’t exist. The Unknowing didn’t exist. The damp patch on the knees of Martin’s trousers, and the shattered mug in the bin, and the cut on Martin’s hand didn’t exist. Nothing existed but Jon – Jon’s hand in his hair, Jon’s breath against his cheek, Jon’s lips, migrating from Martin’s mouth down to his jaw and then down further to press, eager and hot, against his throat.

“Jon,” he whispered, the only thing he could think to say, the only word in the universe at that moment.

And Jon whispered back, desperate and dear, “Martin.”

Martin wasn’t sure how long they stayed like that. Long enough that his knees began to grow sore from being pressed against the cold, hard floor.

“I love you,” Jon murmured when they finally pulled apart.

“You don’t have to say that just because I said–”

“I know I don’t,” Jon said. “But it’s true.”

“Oh.” Martin didn’t know what to say to that. He pressed a kiss to Jon’s hairline in lieu of a response, and because he could. When he did find his voice, what he said was, “You have to come back tomorrow. You don’t get to say all this to me and then die.”

Jon huffed a quiet laugh. “Well, if you insist…”

“I mean it.”

Martin looked down at his hands, and found that they were shaking again. Jon followed his gaze, and wrapped Martin’s trembling hands in his own.

“I’ll try. I promise.”

And that was, as much as Martin wished it wasn’t, all either of them could do.

#tma fanfic #tma fic #jonmartin fic #do not archive #jmart fic

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neoyi · 9 months

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Okay, let's wrap up this damn comic live blog/media-analysis-I've-put-WAY-more-time-than-I-ever-intended-or-wanted-to-and-yet-I'm-Boo-Boo-the-freakin'-fool.

So.

Acceptance has been a reoccurring desire with Danny's character. Naturally, it started off insignificant and shallow as is wont of a fourteen-year-old who went about and did stupid, desperate things to be noticed by the popular crowd, further heightened by his "loser" status (for a variety of reasons the show doesn't say, but could be narrowed down to: weird ghost-obsessed parents, hanging around two other social outcast, etc.)

Being half-ghost added another pile of teenage angst to the list, and more so when Walker intentionally made him Amity Park's most hated ghost out of petty spite for ruining his law and order (he's a goddamn cop, what'd ya expect?) Frustrated as he was, Danny decided to resume his heroic duties in spite of people's perception of him. The city still needed someone to keep an eye on the ghostly nuisances plaguing Amity Park and persecuted or not, Danny Phantom was the only (consistently competent) one for the job.

And this mindset did carry throughout the show, all the way up to Season Three's "Forever Phantom" which marked a very lovely turning point when Danny refused to bask in the spotlight that has since been afforded to him. Constantly saving Amity Park eventually earned him the love and respect from most of the citizens; he was their hero, a mascot, a tourist attraction, and beloved public figure. And Danny never took an egotistical power trip over it. By "Forever Phantom", he has, frankly, gotten sick of everyone wanting a piece of that half-ghost pie, and opt to chill out in secrecy in his downtime. After all, his human half has become invaluable as the only time he can truly relax and not worry about some stranger taking photos of him or asking for his autograph.

Look, it's not that Danny can't have moments of dejection, but no matter how much paint coating "Phantom Planet" did - with Danny taking away his powers in order to protect his loved ones, as the plot claims - a lot of the framing also seem to imply he did it because oh nooo the Masters Blasters (a name that an out-of-touch-with-the-youth Vlad would coin to his little group) took away the spotlight and now no one appreciates and luvs him anymore.

It's such a 180 from what's built up and laid out before us. Suddenly Danny can't go without any form of appreciation even though he's long since accepted that he won't always get it and was perfectly fine with it. Saving and protecting his home was what mattered.

I was off in my original guess at the start of the comic for whatever internal conflict Danny had yet to hash out. I thought he was feeling the pressure of being a hero in a world where everyone knew who he was. How was he going to adjust to it? Obviously, the problem was that he lacked purpose and that's totally fine. What ended up happening was, again, the best solution the comic gave to a HUGE problem I had with "Phantom Planet" (surprise surprise): his secret identity goes kaput.

It made sense to expose his ghostly half to his parents by the end. All the way back in "Bitter Reunions", Danny claimed Jack and Maddie would love him no matter what he was, a prediction that proved to be true in "Reality Trip." And loved they did. And in "Phantom Planet" and beyond, they still do. This is their son, after all, and no amount of ectoplasmic coating will ever stop them from accepting him, ghost and all.

It didn't make sense to reveal his identity to the whole damn world because it counters severely with what Danny had accepted prior to all this. He didn't want attention or fame or any of that shit, they're just byproducts to his true actions as a genuinely heroic guy. He'd save the world even if everyone hated him permanently, and he has! And according to this comic, he will continue to do so.

Clockwork fixed the time stream and gave Danny a choice and the one he picks leaves his secret identity safe once again, altering it so he never revealed himself to the world. And with that redo button, the comic drove the final nail in the coffin on any prominent thing "PP" did. And I'm so damn grateful. I don't even care that it was an easy fix ala time shenanigans, it wouldn't be the first time Clockwork did it.

While it sucks Amity Park has declared Danny Phantom (and all ghosts) as public enemy #1 again as consequences to the fucked up timeline Clockwork did his best to fix (as oppose to him being a beloved figure, which I think he's more than earned), it ultimately authenticates Danny's development: he doesn't care if the greater population hates him, what he cares is protecting his home and healing those in need of it.

My only grievance with this mild retcon is that Jack and Maddie is no longer privy to Danny's secret identity and that one leaves me exhausted. I was hoping the comic would throw us a bone after "Reality Trip" burnt that bridge when Danny erased his parents memories for no goddamn reason, but now it's back to square one with these stubborn, but lovable chuckleheads. There weren't a lot of interactions between Danny and his parents post-identity revealed, and the chance to explore it seems, for the time, temporarily paused... again.

Should this comic ever get a sequel series (this thing apparently sold out on Amazon, Nickelodeon would be a fool not to greenlight another), perhaps we'll get to see some of this and more, and A Glitch in Time certainly left a couple of plot points dangling for a tantalizing continuation...

#comics #neoyi talks

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iamafanofcartoons · 2 years

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Defending Team RWBY’s decisions during Volume 8, while also defending CRWBY’s V8 Writing.

Let me put this basically as I can.

This was something that apparently was discussed... in a WR Chat.

Then we get to this https://www.reddit.com/r/RWBY/comments/w7qeag/what_are_some_common_comments_that_make_you_go/ From R/RWBY.

As you might expect? Dextixer the “Grand Corruptor of R/RWBY” (that’s literally his label/tag in the subreddit, the admins/mods still allow him to post hate and harass members, don’t ask me why) Started up the typical “Robyn hill is a terrorist, team rwby are war criminals, Ironwood was ruined”

Anyway, so many people started screaming at CRWBY for “bad writing” based on Ironwood’s military formation against Salem’s grimm invasion.

Did people seriously forget that Glynda and Qrow called out Ironwood for not having strategies, and basically only having “military bravado? Ironwood liked to act like he was the smartest guy in the room, and removed anyone criticizing or disobeying/disagreeing with him.

This is why so many people love him like they do Adam...they project themselves onto him while hating on four idealistic hopepunk women.

But honestly, lets just consider that MAYBE CRWBY knew what they were doing to a respectable point, and that James Ironwood defenders deliberately overlook so many things, exaggerate others etc.

And for god’s sakes, can we stop calling Robyn Hill a terrorist or “Somebody that should have been one of Salem’s Moles”

“Team rwby had no reason to see Ironwood as a villain”

I think they had a reason to see him as a villain since he straight up admitted he's leaving thousands for dead, which is exactly what RWBY was trying to prevent. But James certainly was a victim of his crumbling mental state

He was sacrificing millions to save far fewer. It was not a "needs of the many" situation. He intended to abandon all of Remnant, not to mention that Mantle's population is probably a fair bit bigger than Atlas's. It was a move of desperation.

Seriously, idk where people get this 'pragmatism' stuff from. Ironwood gave up. He was admitting defeat. People actually want a future where the entirety of humanity is just like, 500,000 rich elitists on a floating rock, waiting for Salem to inevitably figure out how to reach them?

If Atlas ran off to the upper atmosphere, everyone in Atlas would eventually die due to lack of supplies. Meanwhile Salem would just move on to the other kingdoms are start burning them down. And who's to say she couldn't just concoct a grimm capable of flying that high and then destroying Atlas herself

Ruby still wanted to help Mantle, but they agreed on splitting the group up so they could also get Amity up...RUBY was seeing the big picture...Ironwood just saw the forest for the trees.

“Look, a fleet to evacuate everyone! It would be a shame if something happened to it...”...Here was the SDC ships trying to evacuate people...Ironwood abandoned them because he felt he could no longer control the people he was oppressing as far back in v7. But then he realized that Team RWBY wasn’t simply disobeying him...they cared about Mantle...Hence why he did his “hands together sit in chair” pose...so he decided that the best way to force everyone to obey him is by forcing mantle to choose between him blowing them up or obeying salem.

As for Sleet? Kill one, warn a thousand. He cowed Carmila and all Atlesian military into obedience by showing that he had no problems carrying out his threat to qrow from v3.

“Ironwood is a tragic figure, CRWBY made him unsympathetic, unlike Cinder Fall and the writers' attempt”

What are y’all talking about? Cinder’s a tragic figure, but that doesn’t make her a sympathetic one. Ironwood was set up this way since the minute he was introduced. Cinder is more sympathetic than adam...she at least is honest about her goals, while Adam dresses himself up as an edgelord savior....Who just wants to kill humans.

“Rwby was drinking tea instead of helping ironwood”

The Mansion: You realize they were being hunted by both Salem and Ironwood right? Qrow was in prison, Harriet threatened to arrest Ruby simply for talking back? They had arrest orders on them? Ironwood shot oscar for calling James out on being a coward and hypocrite? So why help Ironwood if he’s going to either shoot you for not obeying him...or shoot you in the back while you’re trying to help him? Ironwood is his own worst enemy...he regularly sabotages himself, something that Watts with his hacking, Cinder with her manipulation of the chess piece, and Salem with her reputation of being a force of nature (by controllling the grimm and not getting directly involved and being immortal and unkillable, she comes off as unstoppable to ozpin’s allies, hence why lionhart betrayed them. They needed a safe place to avoid getting ruined while hoping for help to come from Amity’s message.

Ruby and co didn't have an issue with Ironwood flying Atlas away, their issue was him leaving people to die in Mantle, it was Ironwood's refusal to evacuate the rest that forced RWBY to use the staff to get everyone to a safe location. Ironwood was literally abusing Mantle throughout v7, which was why Robyn Hill ran for office in the first place! To get Ironwood to treat the non-rich elitists of Atlas like people.

If atlas left mantle would have been consumed by the grim with no hope for evacuation. Ironwood was condemning all of those people to die.

Team RWBY did have a plan, btw. Ask for help. The first plan in season 8 involved her using amity arena to ask the other kingdoms for help. Granted, it did not work...but how would Ironwood have done it? Talk about Glory of Atlas? Demand the kingdoms respect his authority? Team RWBY improved on his plan by providing people as resources, explaining the danger, and explaining how to keep an unstoppable force at bay. All things that Ironwood failed at. Despite Vexed Viewer angrily claiming that Yang and Ruby’s v8 reconciliation should not have existed, it did point out that Yang and Ruby were willing to take risks, while Ironwood would always force others to take risks for him. Given VV is a HUGE misogynist, I’m not surprised he would hate these scenes.

Ironwood tried stopping them at every single turn. They had a second plan, use the schnee company to evacuate mantle so ironwood’s army could focus on the Grimm. Ironwood instead diverted his army to destroy the schnee fleet. The third plan involved trying to save all of mantle and atlas, and ironwood tried stopping them instead of helping with the evacuation.

Ironwood is at fault for not trying to understand a plan other than his own when there was little reason to do so. He’s the one who threatened to nuke a civilian populace rather than try and save them. He sees himself as the smartest person in the room...when often he's called out on his bad ideas by Qrow, Ozpin, Glynda, Nora.

And as ironwood said, at any point they could have turned Penny in.

Also, let’s discuss how bad Ironwoood's plan was. Firstly, while there is a ‘current’ upper limit on Grimm mobility, Salem is a bloody witch, who unlike Ozpin, regularly uses her magic. There is no guarantee she can’t reach them. Secondly, Even if she couldn’t, it’s effectively become a siege where ironwood wouldn’t be able to get resources because Salem would fill the sky’s below atlas with flying Grimm, which can and do pose significant threats to air ships. Thirdly, this leaves Salem to pursue vacuo basically unopposed most likely being able to claim the SWORD OF DESTRUCTION which would likely be pretty useful in besieging the castle. She also would have the lamp in this scenario, which still has a question left she can use to try and attack atlas.

Ironwoods plan is doomed to failure, so I don’t really consider it an escape route. Even if it was, the plan could have been enacted at any point by team RWBY if they felt it necessary. As the proved by being the ones to use the staff. And having creativity, which Ironwood lacked.

“Team RWBY had no plan”.. Actually? They did have a plan, ironwoods original plan. Call for help and fight to evacuate mantel. But instead ironwood chose to abandon mantle and actively fought against any attempt to save them. The entire time he was waiting he could have tried to save as many people in mantle as he could. He could have let the schnee fleet so it’s thing. He could have done something, anything, to compromise with Ruby to get the maiden back. But instead he further antagonized them and refused to cooperate. Because Ironwood is all about proving himself right above all else. Hence why he ratted out Oz to the council in v2. And hid Penny's identity in v3. Both of which backfired. Ironwood apologists went HARD on defending both.

Also, they were drinking tea because Nora then Penny were injured and they needed to take time for them to recover. Did people forget that Ironwood was literally trying to arrest/kill them, Harriet threatened Qrow in front of RWBY, and that two of their friends were injured and they were taking care of them?

Demand that the people you tried to arrest/kill help you out? When you'll just try to backstab them later? How do Ironwood apologists seriously think people should help him while he's trying to kill them?

Rwby did not destroy their credibility, nor did they cause mass death? How would they have? Trying to cooperate with Robyn to stop the theft of amity supplies? The reason they had to do that was because ironwood was convinced anyone moving against him could only be Salem’s agents, treating the person advocating for restoring mantles defenses like the enemy.

In fact?

Multiple members of R/RWBYCritics, Twiins Iink and Judgmental Critter fans actively claim they wanted Robyn to be a Salem Mole.

These people aren't just Ironwood fanatics, they actively embrace his mindset.

Ironwood already destroyed his credibility and was acting completely unreasonable before salem came through, so I don’t blame rwby for trying to act as a mediator with an obvious ally. And ironwood was perfectly happy to accept Robyn’s help until he learned that cinder had made it into atlas, at which point he made a massive jump in logic and assumed Robyn and rwby had something to do with it. ...at which point he ordered their arrests.

And at which point CLOVER prioritized arresting Qrow over tackling Tyrian.

Robyn was just trying to defend her people, which Ironwood had no interest in...and then Clover threatened to arrest her for standing up for Qrow. Police Brutality much.

Ironwood choose to lift Atlas early because of Salem, and he then dismissed RWBYs points about how he's leaving Mantle to die, and after snapping he shot down SDC planes trying to evacuate people. He wasn't allowing RWBY to help Mantle

Ruby said no because that would leave thousands for dead, Ruby just wanted Ironwood to help those that still needed evacuating but he refused

James is responsible for putting her in the position where it was her only choice

He started and participated in the chain reaction, that’s what is meant by causation

There were literally Grimm all over Mantle by the end of V7 Salem was going to kill everyone. She tried turning everyone against ironwood.

There were way more there than there usually are during attacks, and Grimm are naturally going to kill people they see, like the Manatalese that Ironwood left with no military personnel to protect

You goes know of the Train Track Analogy? Liets make it into a boat analogy, like this.

I think the boat analogy should go like this

Mantle is sinking and Atlas is sending lifeboats to help the survivors, but the captain decides to stop helping the people because a big wave is coming in 5 minutes, some of the crew tell the captain they should still help the survivors but the captain decides against it, the crew go against the captain's orders and still help survivors to which the captain orders their arrest.

When the crew successfully gets some passengers on lifeboats, the captain orders the boat to be sunk to prevent the crew from further helping them. The crew's only option left is to get everyone on a third ship, Vacuo, that isn't as good as Atlas but, it can still hold both sets of passengers, but that can only happen if they sink Atlas

Ruby kept trying to stop Ironwood from lifting Atlas into the atmosphere... Because they left mantle. If they didn't leave mantle to die then Ruby would've been fine with lifting the city. She wanted to evacuate everyone into atlas and THEN it could safely go into the sky or whatever. If ironwood had just continued the evacuation, none of this would've happened.

If ironwood had also not stopped the evacuation, then it would've happened because Ruby would never have tried to stop him. The only reason she stopped him was because he refused to even try to save what was left of mantle, if he had continued saving them then they probably would've got everyone on in time - especially if they commandeered the SDC ships - but nooo Ironwood was so obsessed with his little trolley problem that he didn't realise that there was a way to save BOTH atlas and mantle.

I really doubt Salem would just be like "Oh, ok, guess i lost" and depart Atlas the second it started gaining altitude. She is more than capable of knocking Atlas out of the air. So no, either way, it wouldn't be "High in the atmosphere".

And Salem's goal being the relics, one of which they’re trying to float away with? Also, besides the fact that the whale isn’t Salem, whales don’t have any aerodynamic properties for icing to affect. The bigger issue is atmosphere being potentially thin enough for breathing to be an issue. Which shouldn’t be a problem for the Grimm, considering they don’t seem to even have organs, let alone a need for oxygen. And Salem is immortal, the second she’s on Atlas it wont matter.

Anyway, thank you for coming to my rant, I really needed to get all of this off my chest.

#rwby analysis #rwby character analysis #rwby volume 8 #rwby v8 #james ironwood #general ironwood #rwby #ruby rose #rwby ruby #team rwby #robyn hill #rwby salem #penny polendina #yang xiao long #blake belladonna #weiss schnee #rwby discussion #iamafanofcartoons

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teartra · 11 months

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TOH X THE NEAR WITCH

So The Near Witch by VE Schwab was not my favorite book last May but oh boy did it give me some idea.

It’s a story of a town called Near (in this draft, Gravesfield) a stranger appeared in town, followed by a disappearance of a young boy

Characters

The characters might not be the same in the book because I’m trying to find a way to fit them with the TOH counterpart so I may change their personality, age, and relationship to each character

Luz Noceda (Lexi Howard): 14 years old tomboyish girl who lived with her mom, Camila, and her little sister, Vee, at the edge of Gravefield because her father was a hunter. Luz was very close with her father, Manny, who died a few years ago. Her father used to tell the story of his adventure as a The Village Protector and how witches used to live among humans in Gravesfield

Amity (Cole): a mysterious stranger who arrived at Gravesfield. She was a witch who can manipulate the wind. Her bio mother was a witch but she fled after Amity was born so she only lived with her father, Alador, and stepmother, Odalia, who were both humans. But after her father died due to sickness and a big accident that happened in her hometown, she decided to flee to Gravesfield

Vee Noceda (Wren Howard): Luz’s 10 years old sister. She didn’t remember much about her father but Luz always told some stories about him and his adventures

Camila Noceda (Mrs. Howard): Camila was not herself after her husband died. Her grief caused her to grow more quiet although she desperately wanted to reconnect with her daughters

Caleb Wittebane (Otto Howard): Hunter’s father and Luz’s surrogate uncle since Manny and Caleb were very close with each other, both of them were hunters. After Manny died, Caleb gained Manny’s old title as The Village Protector. He was VERY protective of Luz and Vee especially after Manny died. That caused Luz to be very distant from him

Hunter Wittebane (Tyler Ward): Luz’s 16 years old cousin who used to be very close with her. His ambition to be the next Village Protector made him follow his father’s path and never wanted to fail him (although his father never expected anything like that from him) this caused Hunter to be protective of his cousins and distant Hunter and Luz’s relationship

Philip Wittebane (Bo but mostly original character): Philip was Caleb’s brother and Hunter’s uncle. He disliked Caleb’s fondness towards The Nocedas especially Luz due to her odd personality and the way she dressed. He was one of the council who may or might not be the reason behind the disappearance of witches around Gravesfield

Eda and Lilith Clawthorne (Magda and Dreska Throne): both were witches who lived at the edge of town, not far from The Nocedas and The Wittebanes. None of them knew they were witches except Luz and Manny. The two were very secretive to the other town folks. Eda was more open to other people while Lilith was more strict and wouldn’t let anyone inside their house. Their house was surrounded by a garden that’s usually maintained by Eda

Willow (Helena Drake): Luz’s childhood best friend and the only person who could connect to her (aside from Vee). Willow grew into the more popular crowd but still maintain her relationship with Luz.

Gus (Edgar Drake): Willow’s 10 years old neighbor who was very close to her. He was also Vee’s best friend. The story started when he went missing and the stranger, Amity, was assumed to be the cause of it. Since his father was one of the town’s councils, it triggered the massive search in town

I’ll put King along the way don’t worry. We need more kids to go missing

#i’m trying to pick up who the near witch is in the story #or maybe gravesfield witch #the owl house #toh #the near witch #ve schwab #luz noceda #amity blight #lumity #toh hunter #hunter wittebane #caleb wittebane #philip wittebane #vee noceda #willow park #gus porter #edalyn clawthorne #eda clawthorne #lilith clawthorne

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ladylynse · 1 year

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Been thinking of superphantom lately, thoughts on it? Since it's been a while

I haven't anything specific at the moment since my brain's on different fandoms (honestly that would change if you wanted to ask about something specific), so have a general opinion and some random ideas the topic in general inspires.

I really like that crossover because it's just so versatile. The worlds fit together well but not perfectly, so you have loads of wiggle room to do pretty much whatever you want. There's so much potential with it, and not just revolving around the Winchesters following a hunt to Amity Park (Phantom, Spectra, Fright Knight, take your pick) or Danny running away or otherwise getting entangled with them, even if it's just a one-off encounter and/or that realization of 'you're not human/not an ordinary ghost'.

After the Leviathan, it might be a little more obvious to the scrutinizing eye that Vlad's dealings are not...wholly natural--assuming Bobby or someone else hasn't already pegged him as someone to watch under the assumption that he made a deal and will be getting his due when it's collection time. (Though, now that they look back at it--it's been more than ten years, and that's unusual, isn't it? Maybe they're not looking at the aftermath of a crossroads deal.)

Dani could wind up involved with the Wayward Sisters, who invariably turn up when things go sideways. Someone who needs a home? Not their first rodeo. Someone involved with the supernatural who needs a home? Also not their first rodeo. Someone involved with the supernatural who needs a home but doesn't want to admit they could use the help? Still not the first time Jody has done this, definitely shaping up like it might not be the last.

The Ghostwriter's amusement at finding a new set of characters to play with sours when it turns out that someone else keeps changing his endings. Really, who has the gall to think they can write a better script than the Ghostwriter?

Clockwork has had it up to here with angels and everyone else meddling in the timeline; it's getting to the point where he can't easily do damage control by himself and needs to call in help. Not that he'd say so in as many words, but Danny does owe him a favour.

Being a prophet sucked. Being stuck in the veil now that his life is over because of that sucks. Kevin was more than ready to move on once he finally got the opportunity. He did not sign up to somehow take a wrong turn and wind up in a place called the Ghost Zone.

The best hacker Tucker knows of goes by Charlie. When he reached out to ask for help with a job--Vlad's constantly upgrading his security systems--he didn't think she'd agree, but when she did? He was over the moon. So when she went dark unexpectedly? Well, Tuck's gotta make sure she's okay. After all, it's his fault she's on Vlad's radar.

Valerie didn't really expect to be hunting ghosts outside of Amity Park. She didn't expect to run into anyone else on the job, either. But she definitely didn't expect to be shot with fricking rock salt-filled shells because her suit pinged someone's homemade EMF meter.

Jazz does not consider herself to be religious despite growing up in a family that celebrated Christmas. She has never been particularly religious. But apparently, not every weird thing that happens around her is related to ghosts. And apparently, angels are real. And overshadow people. If they're stupid enough or desperate enough to agree to it, anyway.

When Sam leaves home, Grandma Ida gives her a sealed letter and tells her to open it only if she ever wants to learn more about the family. It seems nonsensical--she knows about the family; deli toothpick cellophane-twirling device heiress and all that--until Sam finally decides to open the letter and realizes that there is so much more to it than that. Turns out, she isn't the first person in her family to run around hunting things that go bump in the night.

When Dash tore his ACL, he could see his future slipping through his fingers. Yeah, he was desperate enough to try anything, even something he was pretty sure wouldn't work. He did it for laughs, okay? He wasn't expecting anyone to actually show up at the crossroads. (That didn't stop him from kissing them to seal the deal, though.)

There are so many ways this crossover can go. You can just pick a character and the opportunities spring up from there. It's fun.

#superphantom #danny phantom #supernatural #spn #crossover #fic ideas #ladylynse #asks

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ramblings-of-a-mad-cat · 1 year

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DID YOU SEE WATCHING AND DREAMING. I CRIED.

Oh, I saw it!

First of all, I'm genuinely impressed that they wrapped things up in such a succinct and satisfying way after Disney pulled the rug out from under them. Apparently, (and I only just learned this) The Collector wasn't even part of the original plan? He was added after they found out they weren't getting a Season 3? That is wild, but in hindsight, yeah, I can kind of see it. And sure, we didn't get everything we wanted - personally, I'd have loved more development of Phillip's backstory - but overall it was a powerful conclusion. One thing that comes to mind is that we don't get much resolution on The Collectors/Archivists, even though to be frank, they are a problem. Enslaving and genociding their way across the universe, but the story just didn't have time to dwell on that. I've also seen people lament that this was mainly a showcase for the original three protagonists and that the ensemble didn't have much to do. True enough, but they're also called protagonists for a reason. It started with Luz, Eda, and King. It had to end with them too.

It's curious how there are multiple points where the story does a fake-out with The Collector and makes you think they're going to be the new Big Bad, but they never are. Certainly the end of King's Tide and the beginning of For The Future implied as much, but in the end it was always Belos. (And to a lesser extent, Kikimora.) I've got a whole post in the works about him, because I genuinely think he's one of the greatest villains ever written in modern media, which is a surprise even to me, but he totally is. And since this is the final episode, Dana dropped all pretense and had Belos scream that he would "cleanse this Perdition" himself. Which is a religious term. Yep, he's a Puritan bigot, and they're coming right out and saying it now. By contrast, we learn a lot more about The Collector and how he was never the bad guy. Seeing him sobbing in the corner, lonely and desperate for a friend...learning how the Archivists used him, enslaved his friends, and abandoned him...only for him to take the blame for their crimes...god, can you see why they're an unresolved issue? Fuck the Archivists. But by far, one of the most chilling lines was "So? Toys break all the time. You just fix em." Like. Wow. It explains so much, and gives us some insight into Collector/Archivist culture.

Belos possessing The Titan's corpse is something I never saw coming, but it works for me because Belos didn't realize it was possible either. Any more than he realized King was The Titan's son. Why would he? I love his surprised reaction, "The dog?" Especially coming from Raine's voice. I have to give credit where it's due to their voice actor. I bet it was a lot of fun to play Belos during those lines. But speaking of The Titan, I never expected to see him either, but man oh man do I love him. I can't really bring anything new to the conversation about how wonderful he is. From how he acts like Sans, to the casual way they reveal that he's bi-gendered, to the implications of a Hooty-like appendage sticking out of his eye socket. (Why didn't Hooty get any lines, by the way? That's a little disappointing...) Like he might be some kind of maggot that grows on Titans or something. I adore The Titan and his laid-back, good-natured attitude, complete with a bread pun message for his son! The way his works about Luz choosing herself echo back to Eda's words, and how Luz finally does it. I can't get enough of her Titan Form, by the way. Especially since it reminds me of Harpy Eda, and seems like Luz has taken on aspects of both her best friends. (Shame Amity never saw it, though...)

In general, Luz as a hero of this story works really well.

I'm not a fan of the fake-out death trope but they really got the most out of it here. (Similar to Frozen 2.) They reveal almost immediately that Luz is still alive, and what matters is that her loved ones think she's dead. The Collector is forced to deal with loss for the first time and he does not know how to handle it at all. King's rage is awe-inspiring, as is Eda's line about how she can't control herself. In general, the moment of Luz dying to save The Collector, in their failed attempt to pull the forgiveness trope? Oh my stars, that was poignant. And the actual scene of her simultaneously dissolving into goo and yet also turning into light? I don't know how else to describe it but if you saw the scene, you know what I'm talking about, right? The way The Camilia doll sheds a tear. The ball of light falling into the pool of liquid and turning back into Luz as it does. Luz's final thought being a realization of how she should have said goodbye. Like, oof...for a split second, I honestly thought we were losing her. Oh, and the music. The music told us Luz was dying long before anything else did. That track punches your feelz.

But I also love how there's an inversion of what we've come to expect. How Luz's friends are all using Glyphs but she, for the first time, doesn't need them. With the Titan's power, she can cast magic the normal way, with Eda guiding her in how to do it. It feels like comradery, like teamwork, like everyone coming together to save The Isles. Right down to Luz's declaration to Belos at the end. How she is both a child of the human realm and student of the demon realm. Unlike him, she didn't reject either world. She embraces both parts of herself. "Now eat this, sucker!" Ah, so satisfying. I'll talk more about Philip's death in my master-post about him, but since I'm just showering praise on Luz right here, I absolutely love her reaction (or lack thereof) to his final, last-ditch effort to scheme his way out of this, and his subsequent death. Like he said, she just stands there. The Boiling Rain doesn't even hurt her - since, at least in that moment, she's not human anymore. Philip's pretense is figuratively and literally stripped away as the rain causes his human form to melt and reveal the monster underneath. And Luz is all out of fucks to give. She and everyone else have been fooled too many times. It's not going to work this time.

...and then the whole thing is ruined with the stomp-out death, and a serious, poetic moment is played for laughs. Yeah, I know people love this, but I just wasn't a fan of it. Totally kills the tension, and it's not worth it when Belos is a character who hasn't ever come anywhere close to the comedy in this show. He's always been played straight. Also, The Collector smashed him into a wall at full speed, and that didn't kill him...but getting stepped on does? How? Why? It's just a little weak...

But never mind that, time to talk about the ending and epilogue!

I know a lot of people were disappointed that The Collector didn't stick around and get adopted into the big found family, but I like this. One, they were never looking for a family. They were looking friends. That was the word they specifically and repeatedly used. King and the others are still going to be their friends. Cause like, The Collector isn't leaving forever. The final scene proves that. They come and visit. Possibly all the time. But the point was made that he has a lot of growing up to do, and I love that. I love that it was his realization, too. And that final moment between him and King made me sob, even if everyone predicted it. I like how Luz loses the ability to use her magic, and I wouldn't even have minded if that had been permanent, but I also like how there's hope for something new. Hunter gets reunited with Darius (but not explicitly adopted by him. Hunter Noceda fans, y'all are still valid.) and there's seemingly no punishment for Odalia, but also no love. Alador gets a big hug, she gets squat.

Dana, I swear, that fake-out in the epilogue was uncalled for. "After all this time..." Had me gaping. But I will say that Camila's "Luz, you saw them last week." Was perfectly delivered and very funny. Vee is as cute as ever and I love the implication that she became Luz's adopted sister like we all wanted. Luz majors in everything because of course she does, (honestly, I can relate) and I don't even care that the new doorway to The Boiling Isles is incredibly conspicuous and easy for humans to stumble upon because Headmaster Eda! Head. Master. Eda. It's perfect. Amity's redesign makes her look like a pirate, I love it, she actually kind of resembles Alador. Gus's hair is on point, Willow's lost of a ton of her baby fat, and-excuse me? Blue Jay? Blue?! Jay!? Hunter got a new Palisman! And his name is Waffles?!? Nope, sorry, I can't. Nothing could destroy me more than thi-Flapjack has a grave?!?!? Yeah, no. I'm done. I'm out. Dana, you want my heart? Take it. This is just too much. Blair out.

I'm going to miss this show. So, so much.

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fideidefenswhore · 1 year

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okay i am still working on that henry percy write-up but another angle i wish was explored more:

very few allow for the possibility that chapuys was exaggerating jane’s support of mary as heir to the throne to the extent he was because he’s gone beyond and arguably to some extent, even against charles’ advice/instruction in his support of jane and active role in the boleyn downfall, over any princess charles wanted him to wed when it became clear there would be a new english queen (consort)....

of course he’s lost face regardless, but the solution to minimize that (basically, for promising different outcomes than resulted and overestimating jane’s influence on henry and the power that would be hers once queen) might have been to repeatedly insist that jane was vehemently attempting intercession for mary and even to reinstate her as heir, but that henry was dead-set against this, and of course, nobody could ever have predicted this (it was within the expectations of the ambassador’s role to predict political outcomes, an element where chapuys was more often than not, an abysmal failure, particularly wrt this timeline)

aside from the one report of the bishop of faenza ( she has five times thrown herself publicly at the King's feet, requesting him to send for his daughter and declare her Princess), who was not the most reliable source of the tudor court, this is not corroborated by any other contemporary source beyond a report that mary sat at the king and queen’s table for meals (much later), and the later spanish chronicle. chapuys’ own eventual face-to-face meeting with jane preceding mary’s capitulation contained commitment from her that was soon interrupted by henry, although of course chapuys attempts to spin this as best he can and save face later when events plummet soon after:

the satisfaction of this people with the marriage was incredible, especially at the restoration of the Princess to the King's favor and to her former condition [...] begged her to favor her interests; which she said she would do [...] I begged him the day before, when he spoke about it, to take care that it did not contain anything which could directly or indirectly touch her right, or the honor either of herself or of the late Queen, her mother, nor yet her conscience; otherwise she would not consent thereto for all the gold in the world [...] Meanwhile I went to talk with this Queen's brother, whom I left very well informed of the great good it would be, not only to the Queen his sister and all their kin, but also to the realm and all Christendom likewise, if the Princess were restored to her rights; and I am sure he will use his good offices therein. [...] the King got into a great anger against the obstinacy and disobedience of the said Princess, showing clearly that he bore her very little love or goodwill [...] In this case it would be important for the Princess to be declared heiress, at least in case of no male heirs. Has some hopes of this from the demonstration lately made by the King, the Queen's goodwill to her, and the words of Cromwell. [...] it was proposed to deprive the Bastard and make [Mary] heiress [...] the matter proceeded so far that, in spite of the prayers of this Queen, which he rudely repulsed, the King called the judges to proceed according to law to the inquest and first sentence which is given in the absence of the parties [...] I even sent to [Cromwell] several times, when matters were so desperate, to advise the Princess to consent to the King's will, and I have since fully assured him that he should know before two months were over that there was no man in the world who had done better service in this matter than I. / the danger of interrupting our negociations for amity, in which the English proceed so coldly that I know not what to say / The ambassador writes that she was a maid of the late Queen, and afterwards of Anne Boleyn; that she is virtuous and kindly and welldisposed to the Princess, in whose favor she has spoken to the King, and that there were hopes of her being declared true heir in the parliament. / They have also renewed and aggravated the statutes against those who should use the name of Pope, which is also treason; and it is said they will cause the whole realm to be sworn again, in confirmation of the statutes against the Holy See, against the marriage of the late good Queen and the legitimacy of the Princess, to whom no one should dare give that title on pain of his life. / [...] doubted whether he should have any child by the Queen; for which reason he intended, in a few days, to declare the Princess heir of the kingdom / I think the Princess has acted more prudently, whatever Count Cifuentes and Doctor Ortiz may say, who in my opinion have not considered all the circumstances. / The Princess is well. Since her reconciliation to her father, she has been treated even with more ceremony than in times past. / As to the Princess, Cromwell tells me she will be declared heiress apparent without fail. / She is now served as Princess. / Chapuis writes on Sept. 2 that the Princess is well, and is served as Princess.

jane either over-promised or chapuys exaggerated the vehemence of her promise (he certainly did cromwell’s... ‘without fail’ indeed); edward it seems made no commitment at all (none chapuys reports, at least...) and yet he is ‘sure’ he will do his utmost to restore her to her rights.

the question becomes, what corroborating evidence do we have of chapuys’ reports on this dynamic as he reported? really it’s only mary’s letter to jane, which seems to be in response to a letter of support jane only wrote and sent after mary’s submission/capitulation (the copy of which has not, frustratingly, survived, although mary quotes it partially-- “no less full of motherly joy for my towardness of reconciliation than of most prudent counsel for my further proceeding therein"-- although it seems like jane was only able to keep one promise-- “of your goodness you promise to travel to bring to a perfection” was kept, but her request to “have in remembrance her desire to attain the King's presence” after the initial visit was not met for another five months-- “the delay of the coronation will do no harm except that the coming of the Princess to Court is put off till it takes place”).

#his advice to mary being connected on a promise elizabeth would be demoted and mary would be confirmed heir by parliament... woof #there's also quite a gap between the reconciliation and mary being received at court #this has been attributed to the plague but it's like...it's not as if she went with them to dover...#chapuys attempts to save face by saying mary has not been invited to court because she won't be until jane is crowned #and then she is. before she's crowned.#i get so much secondhand embarassment reading his dispatches fr like...what DO you know #but yeah so much of this has to be read as an exercise in face-saving #i don't understand why it so seldom is #'received with EVEN more ceremony than in times past'...come tf on?#as in more so than when she was princess and had a huge household in service to her?#she did receive more servants than she had in elizabeth's residences before #but it was definitely still a huge reduction from 'past times'#also it's interesting that he never asked this of anne #it would involve recognition of her which i assume was why he wouldn't but #considering he claims she was the primary influence of her ill-treatment...wouldn't the obvious answer be to request him to favor her #in exchange for imperial gratitude?#*and most importantly; the primary influence upon henry #or even to george as he does here (the queen's brother) considering he thought george's influence on anne and the king were pretty great #also smth chapuys never attempts despite speaking with george a handful of times during anne's reign #*to request anne #it seems like he chose cromwell as the conduit to henry with very little effect #at least insofar as promoting/protecting mary's interests went

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ironwoodprotectionsquad · 2 years

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I was rewatching this scene to make another post and I noticed this moment with James when talking to Oscar about Amity tower and how it will prevent everyone from losing touch with each other again.

Just this expression conveys all of the stress and pain he’s been through as he’s been isolated and alone for so long. He’s had to make difficult decisions and has had no support system to help him or to talk things over with. He’s been so painfully alone, and when allies finally arrive they non stop rip into him for his “choices” ignoring that he’s had to deal with a massive burden on his own.

I will admit, this is especially hard for me because I get how hard it is to try and make difficult decisions on your own and deal with the fallout when you make the “wrong” choice. I was in management at a hotel and my boss....well he refused to answer the phone after hours but when an emergency happened after hours and I did not perfectly handle the situation in a way he deemed best he would rip me a new one despite him refusing to ever answer the phone. He just....expected me to be perfectly calm, cool, collected and emotionlessly make difficult decisions at two am after being woken up by a frantic employee. Making decisions alone when you’re scared....it’s hard, so hard and to then have people who should be on your side turn on you and tear into every choice you made....it just makes it even harder to tackle the next hurdle you’re thrown alone.

But...when you don’t have a choice like James. When you have to somehow keep making these difficult decisions its so emotionally draining. So James wanting desperately to ensure no one ever is so alone again makes a lot of sense and the emotional turmoil James is feeling here works really well and I so painfully feel for James.

#RWDE #james ironwood #Pro Ironwood #Pro James Ironwood #Ironwood Protection Squad #General ironwood #General Dadmiral #Sorry for the rambling #I have a lot of emotions

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onceuponalegendbg · 1 year

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Alright alright alright. Time for me to really get my thoughts down for the penultimate episode of Owl House.

I really enjoyed it. I think I liked the premiere a bit better but this was still so good. Dana and the crew did a fantastic job hitting the story beats they needed to in such a condensed amount of time.

Let’s try to hit this by character for some sense of organization.

I’ll hit Amity first since she took a little bit of a back seat this episode. Which is fair. She’s arguably gotten the second most amount of screen time as a whole after all.

She had some nice moments though, especially her moment with Luz at the Owl House and a couple of funny moments. Really nice to hear how she woke Ghost.

Gus got to show off why he’s such a good friend to both Willow and Hunter. His banter with Matt was great. I love this little dude so much. Confirmation that he knew about Hunter being a Grimmwalker. Like Amity there isn’t a whole lot to get into here but he played his role well.

Hunter, man I just feel bad for this kid. He’s still trying to figure himself out and he’s not really properly grieving for Flap yet. He’s still processing which is fair. Also, Huntlow.

Willow, sweetheart, precious bean. You don’t have to be strong all the time. Like, I get it. This girl bottled her emotions even before Luz showed up but that was back when she was being bullied. Now, she’s still bottling things up in an effort to prove how strong she’s become and that people can rely on her. It sucks. Her admitting that she missed her dads really just puts into perspective that these are all just kids who are going to need so much therapy when this is over (someone call Sasha!) and I want to hug them so bad. I also just love seeing her stand up to Boscha more and that they’re not suddenly friends because Boscha sort of kind of had a somewhat change of heart.

Camila is kind of the MVP of season three if I’m being honest. I love everything about this woman. She’s a pure, kind soul and seeing her being a mom to all these kids is so heartwarming. But especially seeing her interactions with Luz just… it’s the best. Also, her admitting to being a secret nerd. We been knew.

Luz. Oh my baby girl. Camila really hit this one on the head though. “She just seems determined to make herself sad.” Oh honey. I’m so proud of this kid, though. She finally figured out what it really is that she wanted, and the animation for that was gorgeous. The look on her face. Man. I got so emotional. Also, String Bean is precious and I will protect them with my life. Seriously so cute.

I do want to kind of throw Boscha and Kiki here, because there’s not any major development with them but there’s a couple things worth mentioning. It’s hinted at in the credits that while Boscha was actually very upset about her team (friends) getting captured Kiki snuck in and kind of took advantage of that. Really preyed on this teenager’s own insecurity. More like Belos than I thought, there, Kiki. I also just want to, once again, admit to being a moron and not even recognizing Kiki in disguise. Did not even occur to me.

So, I’ve always liked Boscha for the kind of role she filled in once Amity got her redemption. There’s been a couple moments that kind of show “oh yeah, she’s still a kid” (her reaction to actually getting her palisman comes to mind), and it was kind of nice to have this reinforced here. Have to give credit to the voice actress for really selling the scared and desperate kid (specifically when Boscha thinks Amity left/disappeared again). I wish we had the time to explore this side of Boscha a little more. See how she actually viewed the relationship between her and Amity, and between her and her team. I don’t know. She’s a very minor side character so I get why they didn’t of course. It’s just something I’ve always been a little curious about but never expected them to touch at all. This is really more than I ever expected from Boscha’s character really and it’s not even that much.

Belos…. Oh Belos. You really are just the absolute worst. Got to say though, the animation for his goop monster form and the way it all just basically melts off his bones… oh boy. And now with him taking possession of Raine, I see so much angst in the future. I’m actually really glad he still seems like the final boss of all this.

I really don’t have to much to say about the Collector and the rest of the Owl Gang. I love the new designs but other than that not a whole lot to comment on.

The OST slapped so hard though. Beginning to end.

I honestly don’t even know what to expect for the finale, man.

#spoilers #toh #the owl house deserves better #owl house #the owl house

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sepublic · 2 years

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About Emira...

Honestly, Emira being a healer outside of illusions and only that is just. SO implicitly sad, because she clearly has Eldest Child syndrome and it was even kinda confirmed canon by Disney at one point! And you can see it with how Emira is always being a big sister to Amity, always trying to encourage and bring forth her best (telling her she can pull off the fire spell, advising Amity on her crush, healing Amity), while she also has to keep Edric in line, make sure he doesn’t get into trouble or harm; He definitely could’ve with Batric or eating snow, and canonically has with his fireworks!

So it’s no wonder that her worst fear in Grom was being stuck with Edric forever... She still loves and enjoys and appreciates him, but it really is suffocating and confining to Em how she’s defined by the role she has to play for her siblings; It’s almost adultification in that Emira had to be the mom and attentive parent for her siblings, not their actual parents! At most there was Alador but even he drifted away...

Which means I get the sense that Emira is just left wondering; What about me? What about my childhood? Why can’t I goof off and be the one who’s saved? I can’t blame her for being a bit selfish in that desire and fear. It’s no wonder she wants to be a troublemaker who can do whatever she pleases, because life is already hard and even being a natural prodigy has its expectations! Which then contribute to Emira’s saltiness when Amity feels the need to undermine Emira and Edric, because Em is already doing so much for this family as-is, almost as the forced central pillar/glue; Why can’t she goof off, doesn’t Amity know and appreciate that it’s NOT as easy as it looks???

Which could tie into the twins having to put in the effort to appear flawless; Not just in terms of talent but also their physical appearances, hiding their imperfections. Meanwhile Amity doesn’t need a concealment stone and so she kind of takes it for granted how the twins struggle in their own, meaningful, equally valid way... That isn’t to say she shouldn’t be frustrated over her own situation, but lording it over her siblings isn’t fair either. The twins also had to change their appearance.

There’s honestly something almost meta about Emira’s storyline this episode; Amity and Edric get their arcs and focus, while Emira has to focus on supporting them, getting the ball rolling by taking Edric’s concealment stone, which thematically sets up his storyline with Eda and King, and then healing Luz and Amity between battles. But then when all is said and done, when Emira sees that Edric got his little arc that culminates in a Bad Girl Coven T-shirt...

Well, SHE wants one too! And the hurried way Emira butts in, almost desperately; It’s like she realized that in her efforts to keep her siblings ahead, she got left behind and she’s trying to catch up before it’s too late! Trying to get that approval and love before the episode’s screen time literally runs out! I could honestly compare it to Luz, how they’re both so concerned with helping others and their growth, that... What about their story? Did they forget about themselves???

...Anyhow, I hope to TITAN that we get an Emira B-plot later this season. I wouldn’t be surprised if it would’ve happened in Season 3 instead, but it got cut due to the show being shortened. I’m still desperately hoping that if the writers gave Edric development this season, then they may as well have given Emira some later on... But I also have to wonder that we have seven episodes left. And later episodes might’ve been changed to focus on the plot more, to tie up loose ends and transition better into the Season 3 specials.

So it’s not looking good for Emira and purely by Disney’s fault. If not, I’m gonna be really sad for Emira, because she really is that kid who was born first and seemingly ahead of her siblings in everything, from wisdom to competency; Only to be left behind in making sure Amity and Edric aren’t! Edric got Eda and Amity got Alador, Emira deserves some parental love too! A part of me is hoping, without much evidence, that Labyrinth Runners will have an Emira B-plot; Since I speculated on that episode being about the coven tryouts, which Hunter mentioned as including a maze...

Who knows, maybe Odalia will shift towards Emira as a last-ditch attempt to get a kid into the Emperor’s Coven? Because Emira is already more talented than Amity and actually sixteen, the bare-minimum age to compete. Maybe having expectations shifted from Amity to Emira, as a result of Amity’s development, will prompt some sadness and maybe even some guilty jealousy from Em; That in helping her siblings grow free, she’s left to handle the remaining burden of their parents’, mostly Odalia’s unlived expectations. Emira probably doesn’t want to join the Emperor’s Coven, but who knows, maybe she can get away and choose something for herself?

...Obviously not, the show has made it clear the coven will make any issues about recognition worse instead of fixing them. But god I can kinda see the parallels to Lilith, who felt unnoticed due to the more troublesome Eda needing attention, wanting to stand outside of Eda’s shadow... Maybe something similar can happen with Emira, and Lilith can stop her? Maybe Hunter? Luz? I just want my girl to get some healthy development.

Her siblings got to address THEIR worst fears from Grom, Em deserves to as well, and maybe have them understand just how much of a burden she’s carrying and why she wants some alone-time; Not unlike Amity realizing this episode how Luz has been struggling with a weight, prompting Amity’s guilt in not noticing and helping her out any sooner. I’d just hate for any Blight kid to be left behind, when the rest have made it; Especially if the show planned to explore that by thematically have Emira’s arc come later than sooner, only for that to backfire when DISNEY steps in...

Dammit. I’m getting the same vibes and angst as that one Grom art Dana did of the twins, being stood up by their dates; But at least they were together in their rejection! Now it’s just Emira. Now it’s just Emira who’s been left behind while she’s happy for, but also envious of a sibling’s development and growth. And while back in Grom her and Ed didn’t get brought up because screentime issues... Emira leaping to hitchhike on Edric’s arc this episode feels like she’s just starting to realize how far behind she is, and Em’s desperately trying to fix that now that her twin brother is ahead of her too! But at least she isn’t stuck with him in the back...?

It’s sad. Comparing their fears, Edric and Amity’s were based on how they wanted, needed another person and were so scared to lose that. Meanwhile Emira’s was just being stuck and tied down, so theoretically she’s perfectly ready to be her own person, while her siblings are still struggling! And yet by cruel irony, Em is in last place... And now even Edric, who Em admittedly saw as kind of a liability, is beyond her now; So if anything, Emira might be the one dragging people down! Or at least she now has a new understanding of Ed’s fear, because she doesn’t want to be left behind and thus not alone. And maybe the twins’ fears have reversed for them to understand each other, with Edric wanting to hang out with Eda and King instead of his sister, especially since he admittedly doesn’t feel as stupid around them.

God it just feels like these twins have a LOT of subtle angst and pain and pressure going on the background. Some unique tragedies of their own, a lot of it based on irony and a reversal of positions. I just hope Emira gets her dues... Maybe with a graphic novel if the show can’t fit it in, but those are looking less and less likely as Disney continues to sabotage TOH. DAMN YOU DISNEY!!! Maybe all I’ll have is a fanfic I can write exploring Emira’s angst, like I did with the twins for Grom... But never a resolution for Emira, especially not from canon! Which hurts because I figured/hoped that both twins would receive that, but in the end it’s just Edric...

I just want to see Emira’s feelings explored too. There are many ways to be lonely, and being surrounded by loved ones who had their development while you didn’t is one of them. I want to see the loneliness and resentment leading to guilt for being jealous. And the horrifying question; Did it always require a loser? Did their happiness have to come at my expense and vice-versa? Why didn’t anyone ask how I felt about the sacrifice, consider it from my end?

And worst of all... If they didn’t need me, if they still would’ve done it without me, just longer; Then did I neglect myself for nothing?! Does she feel forgotten by fate, and even by her siblings, and so ironically doesn’t want to be alone and without them, as Edric once felt?! Because who else would stick with a loser like her, besides out of familial loyalty!? And just some gratitude for what she did for them, can Emira get at least that, is that too much to ask for???

Even the magic we see these kids use is kinda, arguably indicative; To overanalyze, we know Emira is a healer outside of illusions. Healing magic is all about existing for others, in support of them; Beastkeepers and Abomination witches at least exercise some control on others and get to be on the top. Edric has control over beasts albeit not absolute; He isn’t AS developed as Amity but he’s there at least. Amity has absolute control over her Abominations, and is the most self-actualized. Her Abominations are only really an extension of herself, while Edric’s beasts are still their own thing; Because Amity can and has devoted the most to herself, followed by Edric. But Emira?

She’s the oldest and first child; Yet left behind and the least developed. Eldest, yet gets hand-me-downs in the form of a complimentary shirt that started as a reward for her brother. Emira has to ask herself; I’m looking out for them, but who’s looking out for me? Are my siblings even doing the same in return, and why should I do that if they won’t do it for me? Because it’s the right thing to do of course, and once I operated from a position of power, having the luxury and privilege to focus on and help others, being the most mature and self-assured; But now I’m left behind at the bottom, so shouldn’t I receive instead?

...Well, if there’s one thing we could possibly look forward to; We know Viney was brought back by popular demand, and now we know she and Emira are both dual-type kids, with one of their skills being healers. Given how the writers have been attentive to the fandom and even ascended Steve in response to his popularity, and with how queer the show already is... May as well make it extra queer out of spite towards Disney for cancelling it over that, right? So maybe we’ll get a bit of Vinira confirmation at the end. Seeing Emira get a girlfriend who she can trust and count on, be herself around, the way Amity is around Luz... That’d honestly sate me a LOT in my desires for Emira development, because that would be a brief yet entire story on its own that speaks for itself, the way a picture is a thousand words.

(Honestly I’m almost definitely overthinking and over-angsting and putting out a lot. But it’s fun, at least and good inspo!)

#the owl house #emira blight #edric blight #amity blight #luz noceda #character analysis #angst #speculation #meta #vinira

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bochitoblanco · 3 years

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Kikimora wants to kill him

He wants to bury himself too at times

His uncle is an abusive and manipulative shit who is trying to make him the same

He’s clearly hurt of what everyone thinks of him (an enemy, a burden, an annoying child)

The worst thing is that he has to actually play his role as an enemy because he is so desperate for Belos approbation that he will do anything for it.

And the worst thing is how you can see him throughout the episode trying not to engage in combat, and actually losing it, when he’s just digging the floor desperate because there’s no titan’s blood anywhere, just having some kind of breakdown.

And when Amity reaches her hand to him, he was about to take it, but he saw the key in her chest and all he could think of was “Belos” and “replacement”.

It honestly feels so horrible, as another 16 year old who breaks really easily when in pressure, to see him like that. It reminds me of my parents demanding perfect 100 in everything at school and me being all alone without friends because I was trying to focus so hard on being the best, with constant anxiety and feeling sick to my stomach every time I had to do a test because of how nervous I was of failing. So his story hits close home, on how desperate you can be when you crave approbation and affection.

The kid is so alone but can’t say it, because it wouldn’t be something the Golden Guard should say, right? The Golden Guard doesn’t break in tears because he has no friends, the Golden Guard doesn’t cry because he is so exhausted of completing missions and missions everyday, The Golden Guard doesn’t cry because he is abused by his uncle, The Golden Guard can’t be Hunter, and Hunter can’t be a child.

If everyone keeps saying they don’t trust him or that he’s so annoying and no one wants him, all he can do is suck the tears up and act like Belos is expecting him to, The Golden Guard.

#the owl house #the golden guard #GG #toh Hunter #Hunter #toh hunter #hunter

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razorblade180 · 2 years

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Dire Situation

I don’t think I ever properly made a post about this but like…team RWBY and friends really messed up. The show and fandom talked about the moral dilemma Vol7-8 had and why people chose their side but taking a step away from that, let’s look at was avoided.

Saved countless lives

Kept winter maiden powers on the good side

To be fair, those are huge achievements. I’m not counting the broadcast because it’s really a matter of opinion if letting the world know like they did was a positive or negative. Also defacing Ironwood like they did in the broadcast didn’t help their situation and might cause worldwide unrest in their leadership; since they don’t know the facts. As far as negatives that they cared about:

Friends are lost/dead

They lost the relic and the question with it.

Now the reason I’m bringing this up and saying our protagonists messed up is quite simple. They made a plan where they’d lose Atlas and Mantle, and they were okay with that. We had no dialogue from anyone disagreeing about Atlas itself falling.

Saving all the people was great morally and I’m not saying I didn’t want them to not try and save a lot of lives, but RT has made Atlas from world building standpoint the major cog in how Remnant functions in most capacities.

The source of the world’s major Dust supplier is now gone. Dust as people know how to use it will gradually become finite or at very least production will be immensely slow which isn’t good

The land of leading science and cutting edge technology is gone so those fronts are also coming to a standstill.

Amity wasn’t fully completed and also drifted off course, so is quick global communication now entirely dead? Yeah they have short range towers but all of the CCT network was developed by Atlas, the central hub.

The world has no idea about Atlas’s evacuation and now there’s no reliable way to tell the world quickly enough. Many will only know an entire kingdom has now completely vanished off the map and that’s going to cause sheer panic.

The world is more crippled than it’s ever been and our protagonists aren’t even united to handle things on a kingdom scale, let alone the global problems. Meanwhile Salem has lost two people and the world still doesn’t have a good idea of who or what she can do. The world essentially heard “the devil is real but we can stop it!” Then a country disappeared. So yeah, I don’t think their plan was that great big picture wise. You can argue they saved people who knew about Atlas tech but that’s iffy at best. We saw a lot of military die, and any living people with expertise still won’t have all the tools and things they need to keep the world as they know it sustainable indefinitely.

Now I’m not and wasn’t ever expecting them to come up with a full proof plan that solves everything or for them to even think about all the different variables because they were on a time limit. Grimm invasion, bomb, Penny’s virus, Hound, etc. They had a lot on their plate. However, what I really want to see desperately is at least two people think about everything they’ve done since making it to Atlas, think about the state of the world after their plan, and then go, “Man….we didn’t handle that well at all.”

I don’t think that’s too much too much to ask for. Ren was getting to that point a little bit but this is much more grand. Believing in your actions is fine and all but there should be no way everyone is still on the “we’ve been handling this” mindset. “Maybe we were wrong” or “Things went absolutely wrong” should exist in some minds and I’m really hoping at lest one of those minds is Weiss’s. She didn’t like her home life but she never hated the country. Her homeland is gone. That should mean something. In many ways she’s lost the most through this experience, be it her own actions or her friend’s actions that she had no say in half the time.

Really hope RWBY sheds a light on this well. I don’t need Lord of the Flies level of breakdown amongst the group of friends but there’s a lot of reasons they should be upset about how Vol7-8 went and I hope they call each other out a little bit and not just go “We tried and things went wrong.”

#rwby #rwby volume 9 #rwby talk #weiss schnee

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professorspork · 3 years

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Floating Array Anon here! Those are all really good points! And I'll concede that "weapon" was probably not the best term to use. I just think there's a really interesting debate to be had about the moral implications of creating (or raising) a sentient being for a specific purpose, especially if that purpose involves violence and death. There's a conversation somewhere in there between Penny and Pietro that I really want to see, since Pietro might blame himself in a way for his daughter's fate.

Oh, absolutely! [And here’s that Floating Array post, for those of you just tuning in.]

Part of what’s interesting here is that the show has encouraged us not to think of Pietro that way, because Ironwood is right there. I was going to make a “Penny has two dads” joke about it, but the crux of it, really, is that she doesn’t. She has one boss, and one dad. Whereas Ironwood consistently talks about her like a tool to be used (“Penny is completely under my control”) or a robot as unfeeling as he is (“If there is no Mantle then there is no reason for you not to work with me”), Pietro unequivocally thinks of her as his daughter. That’s what he tells the kids-- “my daughter’s told me so much about you.” Obviously the big crowning moment of this is in Amity, when he straight up says he does not care about saving the world, he doesn’t want her in danger. He wants her to live her life. But that wasn’t an eleventh hour first-time admission. He’s been consistent about this as long as we’ve known him. I’m thinking about his conversation with Ruby in Worst Case Scenario as a sort of prime example. He frets over “what people want to do to my girl,” and then explains:

Pietro: When the General first challenged us to find the next breakthrough in defense technology, most of my colleagues pursued more obvious choices. I was one of the few who believed in looking inward for inspiration. Ruby: You wanted a protector with a soul. Pietro: I did. And when General Ironwood saw her, he did too.

Every time Pietro talks about Penny in terms of what she can do, her purpose... it’s voiced through other people. The General wanted defense technology. Ruby’s the one who calls her a protector; he just agrees.

The moral quandary Pietro needs to reckon with isn’t that he made a weapon and called it a girl (see: Rhodes and Cinder), or that he raised a girl and called her a weapon (see: Marcus and Mercury Black). It’s that he was asked to make a weapon, and instead he raised a girl, and now he buries his head in the sand and despairs when she and everyone around her still talks about her in terms of violence and utility. Penny believes she’s not a weapon, most of the time, but she’s a little shakier about what she is, instead. And no wonder, because Pietro’s been dodging the question since day one. He delivered the opposite of what was asked for and then let himself pretend that’s not what happened. Ironwood asked for a thing-- a thing that would stand between Atlas and the darkness, a thing that could protect people... ostensibly so PEOPLE wouldn’t have to get hurt. But Ironwood isn’t squeamish about this because of human cost, he’s intent on it because of efficiency. What’s better, squishy soldiers or an army of combat drones? A dozen tiny Huntsman or one fuckoff giant mecha? Of course he greenlit the Penny Project; it’s all the benefits of a human combatant-- the improvisation, the discernment, the ability to prioritize-- with, as far as he’s concerned, none of the risks. There’s no death for a thing that can be rebuilt, and no pesky feelings to deal with. As far as he knows.

But the problem is Pietro made a person instead, and loved her. But everyone else still needed and expected her to be something else, because that’s what was commissioned. And I don’t know that Pietro knows how to process his own hand in that, and how poorly it went, without framing it as regret for making her, which he absolutely doesn’t. So what would coming to terms with that look like, instead? If Pietro were to blame himself, he’d say something like “I never should have let them use her like that.” But she was made to be used-- he would never have had a Penny to lose in the first place if he hadn’t agreed to make a military asset. There is no scenario where he could have woken up one day and made himself a daughter; he’d never have gotten the funding or materials. He must learn to accept the chicken with the egg. How does he square his complacency with the Atlas war machine with his pride in what he did in spite of it? How does he make amends to someone he doomed by making, when she became so much? I don’t know. That’s not an easy question to answer. Ozpin’s had thousands of years to dwell on it and he still hasn’t figured it out.

Because the thing is, Pietro’s waffling over her purpose got Penny’s sense of identity caught in the middle. She’s getting mixed messages. So many of her most important conversations are about her struggling to figure out if her experience is universal or only her burden to bear. Ruby (and to some extent, Winter) must reassure her over and over: no, that’s normal, everyone feels like that, your emotions are relatable and also valid. She feels so much guilt-- for not being optimal, or for not following orders. She wasn’t able to single-handedly keep the Grimm out of Mantle and therefore ensure everything else could go as planned; she wasn’t able to save Fria; she stole Winter’s destiny from her. If she were what they made her to be, surely she wouldn’t have failed, right? It’s why it’s heartbreaking when she pulls Ruby aside in Refuge:

“I was the protector of Mantle, but now, I am much more than that... and I wish I was not.”

But the thing is, if they bring her back-- and this is one of the many reasons I believe they have to-- she won’t be.

Finally.

This has been the goal all along. Ruby outwitted Ambrosius because she was desperate to get Penny out from under the burden of her terrible purpose-- to do what she’s ordered to, to be at the beck and call of those who outrank her, or die trying. And then Penny went and sacrificed herself anyway, which: of course she did. Because she was taught it was all she was good for, if you want to be mean about it, or-- or because she thought it was the right thing to do, if you’re forgiving. It’s the same thing any of her friends would do, if they were in her shoes. I’m giving you a head start. That’s what love looks like; it’s the choice heroes make. Isn’t it?

But to get at the root of the problem, we have to rewind back further. Penny was reactivated the first time not because Pietro wanted her to be (though surely he did), but because she had a job to do. The contract wasn’t finished; Ironwood wasn’t going to give up on his fancy new toy just because it fell apart. But now? There’s no more Mantle to protect. Atlas has fallen. And beyond that-- her friends don’t need her to be the Maiden, either. That’s a mutable title, and one that has passed her by; they still have one, even with her gone.

So this next time around... she’ll have the chance to process why she made the decisions she did, and to move past it, because she’ll know how much she’s worth to them. Not the Penny Project, not the Winter Maiden, but Penny Polendina.

Which is to say: they don’t need her, they just want her.

They want her.

#Anonymous #penny polendina #rwby #pietro polendina #the family polendina #i waffled over including this because I know it will drive Helen bonkers but #this is Will and Lyra shit #‘Memory's a poor thing to have. It's your own real hair and mouth and arms and eyes and hands I want.#I didn't know I could ever love anything so much.’#but Leah you say #that's nuts and dolts stuff and they asked about pietro #YES AND THAT'S WHY IT'S IN THE TAGS YOU SEE #I HAVE OUTWITTED THE SYSTEM

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