#[ but honestly NOBODY CAN BE THAT HEARTLESS ]

[weirdo09]

i’m very tired, i’m so tired of not being like these adults, i’m so tired of being called a child but not treated like one (well more like a different species then a actual child) i’m just so tired

[antimony-medusa]

Honestly though like if you're following Philza you should get used to the fact that since the dawn of him streaming RP people have violently disliked his reaction to any angst beats because like, the cc finds angst rp funny and is also a very giggly guy. And if you're here for drama and tragedy it looks like he's not taking the pain seriously, which is obviously going to be something you don't like seeing. Trust me. We have been here before. I have watched DSMP. There were people saying he didn't take Techno's IRL death seriously enough because he was positive on stream. Like, this is top five things people get mad at cc!phil and his characters for, after "breaks the fourth wall" and "is an imperfect person/parent" and "idk his vibes just grate and I read them as Bad y'know".

I personally think that like the fact that he was repeatedly saying to the eggs that they were gonna get Tubbo back, they'll bring him back with the create wrench cause he cares about create, don't worry it'll all be okay; that was all evidence that the character does care about Tubbo and for heaven's sake, if you want angst, read that as denial and you're fully comfortably in one of the recognized stages of grieving. I was making jokes the day people in my life died, this is also one of the ways people deal with loss. But I also see why that's a POV clash if you wanted a more straightforward depiction of grief and angst? Phil was pretty far from being in tears, which is what some people think was warranted. So like, sure, if you've been watching a specific perspective, Phil's reaction was trivializing. I can see that perspective as well.

It is not fun to see someone calling your POV "vile" and "heartless" and "too selfish to consider other people" and the other delightful stuff that I just saw on a scroll through the tag, but like, that's just POV clash, you gotta let people have their own opinions and block the neg tags and maybe block people who are being really loud. Sincerely, it does nobody any good to go beefing about people being mean about your favourite cubito. Post careful lore exploration on your own blog if you want but doing replies, sending anons, all of that is the way down which A Bad Time lies. Sincerely like, this has happened before, this will happen again, just go listen to good music or something and ignore it.

[misaerabl]

Guys it's fucking 2025, I thought you people would've grown up already.

The hate Abby gets, especially from people who refuse to see her as anything more than “the girl who killed Joel,” completely misses the point of The Last of Us Part II. Her character isn’t just some one-dimensional villain; she’s a direct reflection of the cycle of violence that the game is trying to break down.

Abby’s entire life was shattered when Joel killed her father. That surgery wasn’t just a job to him — he was trying to save humanity, and to Abby, he was her world. She lost her dad in the same brutal, unexpected way Ellie lost Joel. But the game doesn’t stop at showing her thirst for revenge; it makes you play as her, to live in her skin, to understand that she’s not some heartless monster. She’s a person who laughs with her friends, loves dogs, tries to protect the people she cares about, and breaks down under the weight of her own pain.

Even after she kills Joel, Abby doesn’t magically feel better. She’s haunted by it, still struggling with guilt and grief. And instead of letting revenge consume her, she finds redemption through Lev and Yara. Her willingness to protect Lev — even when it costs her everything — is proof that she’s more than her worst actions.

Meanwhile, Ellie’s descent into vengeance shows how destructive hate can be. By the end, Ellie loses almost everything: her relationship with Dina, her connection to Joel’s memory, even her sense of self. She finally lets Abby go, not because Abby didn’t “deserve” to die, but because killing her would have only prolonged her suffering.

People who hate Abby while loving Joel and Ellie miss that Joel himself wasn’t perfect — he made choices that destroyed other people’s lives. And Ellie, as much as we love her, loses herself to the same kind of rage Abby had. The point is that they’re all flawed, human, and doing what they think is right for the people they love.

If you hate Abby, you haven’t fully understood what The Last of Us Part II is trying to say: violence breeds violence, and the only way out is through empathy and forgiveness. The game forces you to feel uncomfortable, to wrestle with the fact that you can care about both Ellie and Abby — because that’s the reality of human nature. People are complicated, and nobody is just the worst thing they’ve ever done.

Abby is living proof of that. And honestly? She deserved better.

GROW THE FUCK UP

[dr9com9ge-ix]

Apparently Sprunki is getting a remaster and Nyanio has said that that they'll be replacing Wenda bc she's the worst of the content farms

Thoughts? Both in general and related to the AU

oh god, Okay opinion time. It’s a long one folks… It’s gonna get maybe a bit emotional and please don’t take my word as gospel or something, Have opinions please! I also use “you” alot when I’m not referring to any specific person/ when I refer to a general person so apologies if I sound accusatory or anything- It’s a habit of speech.

Okay actual stuff under the cut.

Dude can do what he wants, I already know of this news and choice (Honestly I really try not to think about it because it bums me out), The choice to abandon her is understandable considering like… The horrible content that has been made of her and not wanting to use the character anymore. I do despise content farms and what they do to media in general (I used to watch people discuss how bad they’ve gotten in recent years— MAN I also like TADC so I’VE BEEN THROUGH THE WRINGER TWICE MAN. It kind of hurts to see Sprunki so often in them that I stopped watching videos regarding dissing content farms.)

I kind of understand (Though heavily disagree with)people watching some of it in Sprunki’s case because of the lack of story driven media if you only focus on content on YouTube. I’ve tried watching like… I think GameToon’s Sprunki and just was like “Man… These characters deserve so much better than this, I’VE SEEN BETTER DONE WITH THESE CHARACTERS!!! ON TUMBLR!!!” and not to mention them literally stealing OCs and me not having the mental fortitude to handle like… How content farmed content’s tone usually is.

(I WILL REITERATE, I do not think you are a bad person if you watch GameToon’s content and like it-

I just do not like what content farms do in general for a media’s reputation and search results. ESPECIALLY REGARDING SPRUNKI as the creator was literally DOXXED over it as far as I know. Nobody deserves that for just creating things. It’s frustrating and heartbreaking when it happens.

Though watching farms does unfortunately support them and thus they make more and more usually low tier, low brow and if I’m being a pretentious artist… Heartless content. Made for a profit off of something they don’t actually like as much as who they’re targeting. If they did care they wouldn’t have taken other people’s ocs. They would have been consistent with characterization and themes—SHIT They’d probably try to have the SAME VAS for some characters!!!! I only watched some of it solely because someone on the sprunki tag said they gave Jevin a “hot voice” and I ALSO HATE HOW THEY MAKE HIM A VILLAIN A MAJORITY OF THE TIME AS FAR AS I’VE SEEN.)

Actually the whole horrible thing that happened to the creator and a video discussing it is how I got into Sprunki- I felt terrible and went “Why don’t I give into the impulse to draw something from this? I’m sure making something nice of it will be better than… Whatever horrors get spat out for ad revenue.” and I did! I think I do have a kind of underdog bias with a comment under one of the most popular mixes with the original mod going “Why they never use the blue one? :(“ or something so Jevin became my favorite and first to be drawn- With the rest following because I’d genuinely gotten so attached to all these funky little guys!

And regarding Wenda in my AU? She’s not going anywhere.

I would understand if the creator went “Please stop using her in anything.” I would respect that wish (albeit tearfully) but he didn’t he just told people to behave- Not act a fool and such which I don’t think making an AU is that…. It’s just making your take on a media you like as a fan. I’ve already like… Pack bonded with the OG characters and WENDA INCLUDED. I have so much planned for her she’s too important to it and also I think one of my friends would probably get really sad if I ever did just scrap her. I truly just want justice to be done for her (aka GOOD MEDIA THAT CARES ABOUT IT’S CHARACTERS) because I think she’s probably one of the potentially most interesting of the OG bunch if you take away any outside media (Like questions of “why did she do what she did in Horror mode?”, “How was she like previously? Was it a sudden snap or something a long time coming?”) and I think any answer to it is interesting!

I also kind of hate the reductive take of “Too many people do this interpretation of [character], I hate it now!! I’m doing a different one!” I see sometimes so I don’t want to hear about that, Sometimes that’s just the natural assumptions one would make about THE SAME CHARACTERS IN A MEDIA… And that’s an entirely different gripe unrelated to this! Like shush… There are fans of that interpretation and I’d rather you make yours WITHOUT disrespecting other’s interps.

Anyways summary is:

DO WHAT YOU WANT FOREVER!!!!! (as LONG AS YOU AREN’T HURTING/DISRESPECTING PEOPLE!!!!) Love your medias!! Make your arts!! And Sunshine Suburbia! Wenda is staying because… I love her too much. c,: And again DO WHAT YOU WANT FOREVER!!!!

[ianthewife]

im a liar that lies so okay here it is by popular demand of like one and a half people

Ranking the silt verses characters that i find attractive and why (nobody look at me insane addition):

1. Val — every time she talks or does anything at all, all the blood rushes away from my brain and i fall unconscious hitting my head on the way down that’s honestly probably why i am this way. the gruesome mess and utter devastating tragedy of her existence is so hot to me. she can turn me into a chair whenever she wants to. all this to say: Val please please please please just one chance—

2. Mercer — a nasty obsessed honestly insane woman with zero hinges? ummm yes please? the way she says “mine” before a kill is doing some certain things to me but i shan’t say. love when she is cackling wildly going insane and murdering people. which means always. mercer call me back

3. Sibling Rane — always smiling when i think of them, their laughter has saved my life. cultist of the month the year the life and my heart. fuck it, ill convert to the Trawler-man bullshit even, im down. we are having a spring outdoor wedding with shrimp cocktail bar and everyone is invited. the ceremony will be wonderful and if they want to drown some people during it well whatever my beautiful spouse says

4. Carpenter — no explanation needed i think. she is everything to me on every single level, my love for her is vast and endless and soaring high in the sky. she has never and i say NEVER done anything that i would think is unattractive. i will forever and ever hold her in my heart. also DAMN her voice-

5. The Saint Electric — id fuck her. straight up. please don’t ask me why she is so high on the list

6. Hayward — when he is extremely pathetic or extremely goofy. he makes me laugh that’s all i need from a fictional man. also that one occasion in the end of s1 when he was screaming wildly i think that’s was hot i mean who said that-

7. Paige — putting fucking hayward over paige feels like blasphemy but i can’t help the way i feel. Fighting against doom is so hot. Yes baby quit your marketing job to birth a god. Can i run away with you? Also when she is angry and determined and her voice is sharp with frustration and- well you get it

8. Faulkner — when he is being insane or using that ridiculous goofy ass evil cult leader voice. i said what i said.

9. Shrue — when they are in the middle of a mental breakdown or beating the shit out of Carson. i love how they sound when they are distressed and at the end of their fucking rope<3

10. Cross — yep. you heard me. i won’t even apologize or deny this. baby, are you perchance looking for a 4th ex-wife? tbh would love to ruin this man even further. he is 1. hilarious (big time) 2. pathetic (BIG time) and that’s all i need to like a fictional man

11. Charity — idk i think we could have fun, she’d chase me through the woods and then… well, i digress

12. Carson — now NOW everyone STEP BACK and put your rifles down let me explain— this poisonous slug of a man is the most disgusting, sinister, sleazy, inhuman, heartless, cruel, reprehensible thing i have ever witnessed. i want to garrote the living shit out of him and smash his head through a concrete wall. and maybe in this unrepentant desire for violence against this man there is something slightly sexually charged?.. i… honestly don’t know and i will not examine it. also he talks as if he is constantly whimsically kicking his feet which makes me want to kill both him and myself.

[palmolli]

oh, and more on my rant about sksw Zelda to make it worse, you're welcome.

In the game, Zelda's mother is nowhere to be found, but Gaepora's there, so it's easy to make the assumption that her mother passed away. From what? Who knows. So I have a point with this.

Impa.

She's a strong woman, which is an example Zelda was deprived of honestly. Her dad found out she fell from the sky and just pat Link on the shoulder like, "I'm just gonna sit here and wait for you to bring her back and not do shiz." Not a very good example of a strong parent, but I'm not hating on Gaepora, I love the guy, actually. Rhoam can perish in a ditch. I know I know he was worried about Zelda and his kingdom, so he pushed her to unlock her powers because he cared, but the way he did it was so DOOKIE. I understand him as a character. Still hate him and hope 50 cartoon pianos fall on him. Not all at once, so he survies and just has to feel the pain over and over again. Now, back to what I was saying.

Impa is a wise, strong, silent type, but she's not heartless. She clearly cares about Zelda, and even in her younger more grrr years, her soft side still saw the light a little. If I were Zelda, I would immediately upgrade her to mother status. Because of that and the fact Zelda didn't have a mother, I headcanon that during her journey, she started seeing Impa as a mother figure. She probably learned things from her that Gaepora was definitely too awkward to talk to her about, or he just refused to believe she was growing up because that seems like something he'd do or maybe I'm just projecting?

Zelda 100% ranted to Impa about Link, which led to Impa acting like a girl dad and just bullying her daughter's man, and she definitely told Zelda he was a distraction. She expected a lot from Link and wasn't gonna allow her daughter around mr. BoyFailure. I NEED MORE CONTENT OF THEM. I NEEEEEEEEDDDD ITTTTTTUUUUHHHHH. Like they're just a neat little pair, and I just love them so much. I'm so normal about skyward sword, shush.

Cough. Impa was EXTREMELY overly harsh on Link, but that was just due to her protectiveness. And at the end she even SMILES at Link!!!!! SHAKDHEKDBEK. But uh... just like with Sonia, Zelda's mother figure got ripped away.

MY HEAAAAARTTTT!!!! I LOVED HERRRRRRR 💔💔💔💔💔

WE BARELY SEE THEIR RELATIONSHIP. WE COULDVE GOTTEN SO MUCH MORE OF THEM IF THAT DLC OR WHATEVR IT WAS GOT MADE. I HATE YOU NINTENDO I HATE YOUUUU!!!! (not the workers they're just doing their job) YOU GAVE ME FALSE HOPE YOU FRICKS. I THOUGHT THEYD BE TOGETHER AGAIN, BUT THEN YOU MADE GRANNIE EXPLODE INTO GLITTER YOU FOPPLING DUNDERHEADS. YOU BROKE MY HEART, PUT IT BACK TOGETHER AND JUST SHATTERED IT AGAIN BECAUSE YOU'RE A BUNCH OF EVIL FRIBBLES. NOBODY TALKS ABOUT HER GREIF ENOUGH POOR ZELDA HAS BEEN PUT IN AN EMOTIONAL BLENDER. LIKE COME ON LET HER BREATHE FOR FIVE SECONDS 😭

I lowkey believe Hylia got the worst fate in the Zelda franchise next to like oot link. She's not really a goddess anymore, just a ghost. So she can't die she can't go to heaven, and she just has to watch her descendants get tortured in an endless cycle for the rest of time. ALL BECAUSE OF THAT STUPID TRIFORCE!

THE TRIFORCE WAS THE REAL ZELDA VILLAIN ALL ALONG.

GREED WAS THE VILLAIN

IT WAS GREEEDDDD

EAT THE RICCCHHHHHH!!!

...

Got a little off track. Let me just roll my car back onto the road real quick.

Sksw Impa is the best Impa ever argue with the wall idc. Her design is mwa, her character is mwa, love her, all the cookies to her. Also to Zelda, she needs sum cookies, goodness gracious. Am I reading too much into a video game? yes, I am. Cry about it or something. I don't know, do what you want I could not care less. Unless you're like committing an unforgivable crime, then I care.

In conclusion:

Just stop reading. Bye-bye, have a nice day and thank you for coming to my ted talk.

[the-incident-on-show-day]

fav iwbft hcs ?

where to start honestly

-GNC lister

-bliss x juliet x rowan messy love triangle/polycule

-the ark making katseye style tiktoks in the pandemic/getting back into vlogging & doing stupid shit

-rowan omondi forever DM

-rowan tries to get lister into his favorite story-based games and then gets upset when he skips all the dialogue

-aroallo jimmy kaga-ricci with guilt about being “heartless” x bisexual lister bird who has only ever felt wanted for his body and is starting to lash out about it. nobody is having a good time

-jimmy somehow becomes the most well-adjusted person in the band during hiatus, leading the other two to confront how fucked up they are

-99% of the time bliss literally only uses social media to tweet out petitions/articles, the other 1% is live-blogging trashy reality TV

-the ark love island cameo.

-there is only one piece of fanart on lister’s wall and it’s the three of them drawn as muppets. rowan is miss piggy and he hates it.

-lister consistently beats rowan at just dance by just moving his arm around, jimmy can beat them both but he prefers to watch the bloodshed

[jewish-vents]

I had to turn my asks off completely because I would get nonstop G*za donation asks despite never engaging with that stuff. I don't understand how people can't grasp that those are probably scams, and they call you a heartless evil monster for saying so (and you get called worse if you're also Jewish, of course). The sudden lack of pornbots isn't because they gave up. They just found better scams. I'm sure maybe a handful of those people are legit (though how can we trust that the people vetting them are?) but even if they are, it's scummy as fuck to go to somebody's askbox uninvited demanding people pay up. And for what? Nobody can get in or out of G*za right now. No matter what your personal feelings on the issue may be, how do people not question where their money is actually going? Then again, I doubt these goyim care if it goes to H*mas since they worship them.

The answer, of course, is once again christonormativity. Truly only the Catholics could inspire this level of non critical thinking internalized western guilt in people who've got no ties to this and don't understand the conflict even remotely. I am exhausted of it. I hate that I had to turn my asks off because I couldn't stop the flood.

And aside from posts proving some of them are scams, the number of them who have followed me since my asks have been off says enough honestly!

.

[veelzievul]

Honestly, when it comes to canon, I feel like the “WillCare” theory is way too overlooked and despised in the fandom. For those who don't know: “WillCare” is the theory that William actually cared for his family, and many believe that, well.. He didn't. My point is, such surface-level overview of a character's psychology is just... Wrong. When it comes to villainous characters, people just LOVE to exaggerate their recklessness and carelessness, like “oh yeah he doesn't care about anyone or anything cuz he's so cold and cool and stuff 🤪”, and that's just an understanding of a character so dry it genuinely makes me sad. I mean, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but I've seen people literally getting attacked for not agreeing to William being a literal heartless monstrosity

In my opinion, Afton is (OBVIOUSLY) affected by a mental illness, which makes him less empathetic and more risky with his decisions which leads to him displaying serious neglect towards people he should care about

He does not know right and wrong, exposing his family to danger he doesn't see as “that serious”, and he often prioritizes minor victories in his passion over them, which, obviously, creates an appearance of a heartless person, but could actually be a result of him just being... Unstable. Ill.

When it comes to people who are ill, you can't just choose one side of a spectrum and proclaim you're correct. When trying to prove their point, i've seen a lot of people say something like “he did (bad thing), (bad thing) and (bad thing), obviously he doesn't care about anyone! But don't bring up (that one thing where he displayed actual care) because it's overshadowed by the amount of the bad deeds”

Why not take valid arguments into account? The relationships of a character is not some rock-concrete “yes or no” question, it's not “one or the other”, and I think many people fail to understand that. For example, if William actually did not care about anyone, why would he continuously tell Elizabeth not to go to Circus Baby? What would be the point of that? If he did not care what child would be the test subject of the kidnapping mechanism, why care if it's Elizabeth or not? In fact, if it was her, it would be even beneficial to him, as nobody would question his innocence as the owner of the restaraunt if it was his child that dissapeared, and it would be just one less mouth to feed. You can't just leave that out as “inferior” to the arguments that prove his horribleness. Why would he organize a birthday party at his restaraunt for the Crying Child if he did not care? And, when it comes to the movie, why would William give away personal belongings of the victims, his “trophies”, to his daughter? Why would he care to make his kid happy with yet another toy if he could just keep it somewhere, hidden? I think it's obvious he viewed his children as his children, just very negligently exposing them to danger and hurting them with his experiments or his blind devotion to his work. When he stabs Vanessa, you can see a moment of thought and regret in his eyes – which is, of course, just a speculation, but adds to the point.

I feel like people just hate the assumption of Afton being actually human with human feelings, which are, surprise-surprise!, complex, and complexity is what makes a good character. You don't need a character to be literal Satan to be considered a worthy villain, and accepting their humane characteristics does not equal justification for their wrongs. In fact, if you cannot consider a character a villain if they're not the incarnation of evil in their every aspect, it's possible that you find any positive or neutral feature of theirs a worthy excuse that cancels out their every wrongdoing and makes them “less of an antagonist”, which puts your understanding of right and wrong to the question.

Just to be clear, I am not trying to attack anyone in this post, I am not seeking to start an argument – all I'm saying is, if you take EVERYTHING into account, it is false to decide on just one part of a character's behaviour and call it absolute. You should be equally accepting of all opinions and not start unnecessary fights on the internet because somebody thinks differently. Be nice spread love

btw guys english is not my mother language don't question my wording I don't know what I'm saying either

[foreskinniest]

Ok now that I've stumbled out of the Appalachian woods after getting some Bigfoot dick, I'd like to say a few things in light of recent events.

1: I hope leftists/liberals/the DNC finally realize that just because someone is le wholesome poc immigrant doesn't mean they're gonna be any less xenophobic or racist than your tired old white boogeyman. Immigrants in the US fucking LOVE closing the door behind them. Stuff like open borders or defunding/abolishing cops is stuff that sounds great inside of Portland slam poetry queer clubs, but is pants-shitting idiocy with any sane society on earth. And even appearing to be linked to those ideas is political poison, sorry to inform you. Nobody wants weak borders, not even the immigrants who crossed them to get here. Yes it's heartless, yes it's unfortunate, yes it's tough to hear, but now you know that is the reality we live in, because fear sells better than hope. The beatings will continue until this lesson is learned.

2: I've talked before about the need to log the fuck off, the promised Touch Grass Movement, and this is honestly the ultimate sign of that. Living all this time inside your echo chamber has been -- surprise! -- not healthy for you. Not only are you going to stress out more about things you cannot possibly control (how the fuck are you going to save Gaza when you can't even save your own rights at home?), but it's exactly what's lead to everyone being so hyper emotional and partisan about everything. Nobody has a reasonable debate anymore because they're used to amped up internet vitriol, which is manufactured half the time. Still care about the issues, be PROPERLY informed, keep voting (every time, not once every 4 years), and also go have an actual life outside of twitter and tiktok, which have turned politics into cheap entertainment. Your mental health comes first.

3: Yes it's gonna get bad, but we've literally already been here before. None of this is new. It's good to keep this in mind so you don't go completely insane. This country won't change in any meaningful way until it hits rock bottom and if this is what it takes, then so be it. Take care of yourself and the most vulnerable around you, that's all you can do.

[twistedtummies2]

Top 15 Disney Villain Boss Battles from Kingdom Hearts

In my previous countdown, I talked about my favorite Disney Villains from the Kingdom Hearts franchise. Of course, part of the joy of these Disney Villains in the series is not only seeing so many of them gathered into one story or series, but also having the opportunity to face them in battle. That, I think, is one of the great things about Kingdom Hearts that has made it so popular: the boss battles are a major draw to the series, and the chance to face some of this famous characters in combat is quite the wish-fulfillment for many people. The Villains of Disney are ripe figures for video game bosses: many of them have incredible skills and powers perfect for this kind of universe, and with their colorful personalities and wild voices, you can have a lot of fun with boss dialogue and taunts, something I personally always enjoy in gaming battles. So, with all that said…how come nobody ever talks about them? Seriously, anytime I look up lists about Kingdom Hearts bosses, the focus is almost always exclusively on the original characters (such as Riku, Organization XIII, or the many forms of Xehanort), or on the creature-type battles (with the Heartless, the Unversed, and so on). It’s extremely rare I see ANY Disney bosses featured, and when I do they always seem further down the list and extremely sparse. And don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of great battles with the original creations of KH: they DO deserve to be talked about. But it seems a crying shame that the one thing that I feel I, personally, look forward to most - and that, by all accounts, many others do, too - rarely gets the same amount of attention. When people talk about Kingdom Hearts bosses, I never hear anybody say “Don’t you wish we could have another fight with Xaldin?” or “Do you think we’ll get any new Heartless bosses this round?” It’s usually more along the lines of, “Man, I wish Frollo had gotten a boss fight instead of that Dream Eater thing,” or, “Imagine how cool Dr. Facilier would be as a boss!” Being a card-carrying Disney fanboy of the highest order, I WON’T STAND FOR IT ANY LONGER! The time has come to give these villains and their battles their time in the spotlight! I’m going to be basing these battles on a bunch of different criteria: how challenging they were, how satisfying they were, how creative they were…but perhaps above all else, just how FUN they were. Because sometimes, being difficult or story-relevant doesn’t really matter: it’s the experience of facing the boss and everything that comes with that which truly makes the difference. With all that said, here are My Top 15 Favorite Disney Villain Bosses from Kingdom Hearts!

15. Lucifer, from Birth By Sleep.

“Birth By Sleep” is my second favorite KH game, so you’ll be seeing it pop up a fair share of times on this countdown. Starting things off is a battle that I’m pretty sure most people WOULDN’T include among their favorites, but it’s one that’s always stuck with me: that being the battle with that mean ol’ cat, Lucifer - Lady Tremaine’s pet from “Cinderella.” While we never face Tremaine herself (I would honestly argue she’s one of the least well-handled villains in the series), fighting Lucifer does make for a pretty interesting consolation prize. But how do you make a housecat into a genuinely dangerous boss fight? Answer: you make that housecat the size of a frickin’ ELEPHANT. During Ven’s visit to the Castle of Dreams (the Cinderella-themed World from BBS), he ends up shrinking to the size of a mouse, and has to help Cinderella’s rodent friends gather materials for her ballgown. Naturally, of course, this can only result in a run-in with that nasty mouse-munching “Rucifee,” who spitefully attacks Ven. Lucifer’s attacks are mostly the ways you’d expect a cat to fight: he has no magic abilities, but rather just slashes at Ven with his claws, jumps around between pieces of furniture before pouncing on him…and occasionally bellyflops him, because Lucifer is one tubby tabby. What makes him a challenge is that he’s GIGANTIC, and trying to tackle him straight-on can be more dangerous than expected as a result. Lucifer’s not quite as challenging as some of the others on this countdown, but he’s certainly one of the most fun encounters in the game, at least in my humble opinion.

14. Monstro, from Birth By Sleep.

Monstro made his first appearance in the original “Kingdom Hearts” not as a boss, but rather as a World: at one point during the game, the characters end up swallowed by Monstro, and have a whole level that takes place in the bowels of the giant whale before they’re finally able to escape. As awesome as this was, I guess someone on the team of BBS felt they could do one better, because in the Final Mix version of the game (only recently available in English, originally exclusive to Japan), Monstro appeared as an optional battle in the Mirage Arena. He’s actually the only optional boss on this list, and - obviously - being an optional battle, there’s really nothing to say in terms of story relevance or impact. Having said that, this is definitely a duel to remember if you choose to try it out: Monstro starts the battle by - what else? - swallowing the player, and having them face a bunch of Unversed inside his stomach. Eventually, he expels them through his blowhole, and the player’s character must find ways to damage the monstrous whale before he eventually swallows them again for another round in the belly of the beast. This occurs every three minutes. Each of these rounds in Monstro’s gut gets tougher, as digestive acid now joins in with the Unversed enemies, making it harder to move around, so you have to try your hardest to do what you can to hurt Monstro before he gobbles you up again. The battle is long and intense, but as far as the optional battles go, it’s a lot of fun, and is more about thinking and working quick on your feet than just slamming away at the opponent. The main reason I don’t rank it higher is because you don’t NEED to fight Monstro, and I do think that lowers the stakes.

13. Scar, from KHII.

From this point on, the rankings get a lot tougher, since all of the remaining battles are really, REALLY great. Scar may once again be taking a low place, but do not misconstrue this to mean I do not enjoy his boss battle: if anything, the best part about Scar’s presence in KHII WAS his boss fight. Much like Lucifer, Scar poses an interesting puzzle: with other villains like Ursula or Davy Jones, they have supernatural powers and various weapons on their side. How do you make an ordinary lion into a great boss for the Warriors of Light? Answer: you DON’T make him an ordinary lion. Scar’s boss takes place after Simba duels him and hurls him over the side of Pride Rock…but instead of falling to the waiting jaws of the hyenas, it’s revealed Scar’s anger and jealousy have grown so intense, he’s been turned into a Heartless, and he crawls right back up to begin the battle again. Unlike most other Heartless, Scar still retains his appearance, personality, and intelligence…but now, he has a whole slew of magical abilities he can use to his advantage. He not only uses his claws to attack, but can also summon flames and lightning, and has a “Berserk Mode” where he surrounds himself with a dark aura before dashing at superhuman speed around the field. This was an unexpectedly epic fight, and showed the more out of the box thinking that could only work within the KH universe to create an engaging battle with one of Disney’s greatest antagonists. I really wish this kind of creativity had been shown with other villains in later games…but that’s another story for another time.

12. Jafar & Genie, from KHI.

Jafar is one of my favorite Disney baddies to appear in the KH universe, and he takes two separate slots on this list, with two separate battles, from two separate games. This is the first of those. In the original “Kingdom Hearts,” instead of using his first wish to become Sultan, and his second to become “the most powerful sorcerer in the world,” like in the film, Jafar instead uses his power over Genie (after stealing the lamp) to first find the Keyhole. After it has been revealed, Jafar uses his second wish to command Genie to attack the heroes. Of course, Genies can’t actually kill, and the big blue guy’s heart really isn’t in it, so Jafar ends up taking most of the work of battling you on his own heavily-padded shoulders. Throughout this boss fight, Genie floats around the field - and occasionally moves much faster - in a sort of vaguely circular pattern; his attacks don’t deal a ton of damage and are very easy to dodge, and besides, you can’t really defeat him anyway. The player should just ignore him when possible and focus on Jafar, the real target. Jafar flies around the field taunting Sora and his friends, cackling and chanting spells as he unleashes volleys of magical power onto them. He can shoot a laser beam from his snake staff, or turn it into a fiery club to strike you with (or even just hit you with it normally). He can also summon a blizzard that swirls around the center of the arena, create a barrier around himself that makes him immune to magic attacks, turn into a sphere of darkness and zip away from you, or create a shockwave that knocks you back. It’s a tricky battle, overall, and Jafar’s quotes and taunts are very fun. One of the things I love about KH is that many of the classic voice actors for the various characters did return, and in the case of Jonathan Freeman as Jafar, he puts just as much gusto into his performance for the games as anywhere else. It’s a boss that’s both challenging and entertaining: just what I would want from a great Disney Villain.

11. MCP & Super Sark, from KHII.

This is another battle of two bosses at once, though it works slightly differently from Jafar & Genie’s battle. After a brief (and EXTREMELY easy) mini-boss against Commander Sark himself, the villainous MCP - the Master Control Program of Space Paranoids - revives his lackey and declares, “All my functions are now yours!” This causes Sark to transform into what some affectionately refer to as “Super Sark,” a giant-sized version of the villain, who assists his master in their final duel against Sora, Tron, and the others. Much like with Jafar and Genie, your real target is the MCP, not Sark, but this time it’s a little harder to ignore the giant commander. See, as the battle goes on, Sark will march his way around the circular field, stomping and occasionally flinging a giant-sized data disc at you. He can also summon bolts of lightning to hit you, and create a barrier that will prevent you from moving too far away from him. You therefore need to attack Sark and leave him stunned in order to buy more time to get to the MCP, who is protected by a spinning barrier. Once you create a gap in the barrier, you can use a Reaction Command to launch an attack directly at the MCP himself. As for the MCP, he defends himself by firing laser beams from the barrier walls in various patterns, and by occasionally surrounding the barrier with electricity to knock you back. He will also heal Sark after he remains stunned for a time, to continue the battle. As a result, the boss against these two feels more evenly split, as the characters effectively support and complement each other: you can’t just ignore one and focus on the other, you have to split your attention and find a way to get past each of their defenses. As far as dual-battles go, it’s definitely one of the best and toughest to beat.

10. Captain Hook, from KHI AND Birth By Sleep.

This is one of two choices on the countdown (technically three, I guess, but we’ll get to that later) where I decided on a tie involving two battles with the same character. In this case, I couldn’t really decide which of these two boss fights against that scurvy sea dog, Captain Hook, I really enjoyed more. I like both of these battles with Hook for similar reasons, but also for some different reasons. Both have a setting I approve of, with the first taking place aboard the Jolly Roger, and the other on a spit of rock at the Mermaid Lagoon. Both are decently challenging battles, but both also take advantage of Hook’s silly side; Hook not only has some entertainingly-delivered boss quotes (thank you, Corey Burton), but in both battles you can kick Hook’s hiney straight to the Crocodile, with expectedly amusing results. The real change in each is the context of the fight, not just in terms of story but the battle itself. In KHI, the battle is much more busy, so to speak. It takes place on a pretty decent-sized arena with multiple levels; you’re fighting alongside your Party Members (among them, if you so choose, Peter Pan himself), and Hook is constantly summoning Heartless to help him out. In BBS, it’s a straight one-on-one duel between Ventus and the Captain, and the arena is much smaller with no real place to hide. Both are battles with their own merits, each is surprisingly challenging, and Hook’s skillset between them is almost identical, with only a couple of minor differences. So, I’m just lumping them both together here: you can decide which is more to your liking.

9. Hades (Final Battle), from KHII.

Hades is not only a frequent antagonist and boss throughout the KH games, but he’s also a consistently DIFFICULT boss to face. I absolutely HATED fighting him in the GBA version of “Chain of Memories,” he wasn’t much easier in the 3D-animated remake (which, frankly, is surprising, since most of the other Disney Villains are disappointingly easy in the game), and I didn’t even bother with the extremely tedious duel in his optional battle from KHI. (How weird is it Hades is the only one of the main Disney Villains you don’t HAVE to fight in the first game?) KHII only raised the annoyance level of his difficulty by having a special game mechanic whenever characters enter the Underworld: throughout your time there, you’ll run into Hades on multiple occasions…and you will not - I repeat, WILL NOT - be able to beat him. The game physically does not allow it. The explanation is that “in the Underworld, heroes are zeroes;” basically, since we’re on Hades’ home turf, and he’s in total control, we can’t really hurt him. This makes the final battle with him in KHII SUCH a cathartic one: you, your Party, and Hercules all gang up on the God of Death, with the lattermost summoning “Aura Spheres” that make Hades vulnerable for a while. You have to launch these Spheres at Hades, both to damage him and get him out of his invincible state, and then lay as much of a smackdown as you can on him, while the Lord of the Underworld attacks you with a variety of fire-based abilities. Some people claim this battle is too easy, but I beg to differ: even with Hercules’ help, I still died on this a couple of times. And even if it IS easier than other Hades battles? I say that only helps it, in a way. After all the grief this guy gave me in so many other appearances, and in every encounter prior to KHII itself, it was NIRVANA to finally see him go down...aaand then he came back and fought us with the help of a frickin’ TITAN in Birth By Sleep. (pauses again) Actually, that BBS battle was…SHOCKINGLY easy. I guess they finally decided to show us some friggin’ mercy. :P

8. Pete (Final Battle), from KHII.

As the second-in-command to Maleficent, Pete is a major antagonist throughout the Kingdom Hearts series, with several boss battles to his name. In KHII, alone, we fought him no less than five times: twice in the Underworld area of Olympus Coliseum, and three more times in the Timeless River World. As a constant pain in our necks, facing Pete that final time at the River is a satisfying moment. Even though it’s hardly the last we see of the guy, it just feels so good to finally put a cap on that part of the story’s run of bosses. You can tell the creators wanted to pull out all the stops for the occasion, because Pete’s final battle is actually surprisingly tough, as well as EXTREMELY entertaining. Pete uses most of the same powers we’ve seen in previous battles, but what makes this final duel great is a combo of three things. First, we’re fighting Pete WITH Pete: his past self from Timeless River actually joins us in the battle. That’s just cool! Second, because the Timeless River level is based on Steamboat Willie, and takes inspiration from other old 1920s/early 1930s Mickey Mouse cartoons, the presentation of the battle is unique, with the sounds and picture made to resemble that of old film stock, with a monochrome color palette. (Of course, this is true of the two earlier battles in the same World.) Third and finally, the battle takes advantage of its surroundings: throughout the fight, every time Pete loses a certain amount of health, he changes the scenery to a different part of the World, and we have to deal with him as well as the obstacles that area presents. Altogether, it creates a spectacular brawl, and a great note for Pete’s battles to go out on in-game.

7. Captain Barbossa & Illuminator, from KHII.

I just want to start off by saying that apparently, for a lot of people, this is a really easy fight: most videos I look up of the battle finish it within about two minutes, and without much visible difficulty. Maybe it’s because these video-makers are more experienced than I am, or I just really suck at games (I think it’s probably a bit of both), but I actually died a couple times on this fight the last time I played KHII. Not super often, mind you, but still, it’s worth pointing out. ANYWAY, however easy or hard this boss may be, it’s still one of my favorites. The setup for Port Royal - the Pirates of the Caribbean-themed world from KHII - is that Sora and Co. can only hurt the pirates when they are in the moonlight, and their true undead selves show. Whenever they’re in the shadows, they become invulnerable to harm. So, when Barbossa’s battle begins, he gets help from a Heartless called the Illuminator: a chameleon like creature that sucks all of the light out of the arena, leaving you in a pitch black void. You have to find the Illuminator and smack it a few times to bring the moonlight back. In the meantime, Barbossa cackles creepily in the darkness, ready to pounce and spring an attack you can’t countermand against you from the shadows. Barbossa will repeat this action at least once more after enough time has passed or HP has been removed from his bar, and you’ll have to do this again. Once you DO bring the light back, the cavern arena is still partially surrounded in shadow, and you have to make sure to maneuver Barbossa into position as you fight him. Meanwhile, he’s slashing with his cutlass, shooting his pistol, and occasionally tossing some old grenades at you. Also, you have to keep Jack Sparrow safe from getting killed, or the battle automatically ends. Bottom line, there’s a lot to juggle here, but once you get the hang of it all, I guess it isn’t too tough. Brian George as Barbossa does a great job with the voicework as well, only adding more flavor to the fight. In my opinion, this was the first REALLY great boss in KHII (at least once Sora’s story got started; mustn’t forget Axel with Roxas), and easily a shoe-in for my personal Top 10 Disney Boss Battles here.

6. Rinzler, from Dream Drop Distance.

As I said on my previous list, Rinzler - one of the main antagonists of “The Grid,” a level based on “Tron: Legacy” - is actually Sora’s former friend and companion, Tron. The once heroic program has been brainwashed and manipulated by the evil CLU, and thus transformed into a murderous puppet, with no purpose but to serve his master. We’ve had other KH bosses where we face friendly or once-friendly characters, but this one hits differently, in my opinion: this isn’t just “our friend possessed by dark magic,” or “a misunderstanding,” or “a friendly competition.” This is a character the player, and Sora, have come to care about and love, and has now been turned into a monster that is barely a shadow of their former self. That lends a personal touch to this battle we don’t find in very many other Disney bosses throughout the games. Even if you take that out of the equation, however, this is a challenging and dynamic duel. Rinzler is incredibly fast and agile; he attacks you by throwing his twin disks (sometimes just one, sometimes both) and with acrobatic, martial-arts-style melee strikes. He’s strong, too, and can really eat up a lot of your life quicker than you think. However, the best part of the fight - as well as the most disorienting - is that Rinzler can flip the arena around by shifting the gravity of the area, causing you to have to fight him on the ceiling...positioned upside-down. As well as visually interesting, it only adds additional challenge, as this causes some controls get swapped around. It’s a battle that is as tricky and engaging as it is emotional and dramatic. A rare combination among Disney Bosses in these games, and thus definitely one worth high marks on this list.

5. Genie Jafar, from KHII.

This seems to be a battle that players either love or hate: I’ve seen it ranked among the best bosses in the series, and I’ve also seen it ranked among the worst. It also seems to be a battle people can’t make up their minds on, in terms of its difficulty: some say it’s one of the easiest fights in the series, others claim it’s one of the hardest. I don’t know why this boss seems to be one that creates such disparate reactions, so I’m not going to touch on that much more. For me, however, this was one of the hardest Disney Bosses out there…but also, in my opinion, a decided improvement on the original battles with Genie Jafar from KHI and Chain of Memories. I found those boss fights disappointing: I liked the angle of having to hit the lamp instead of Jafar himself, but after getting “Phenomenal Cosmic Powers,” what does this almighty, psychotic, would-be world conqueror do? Throw big rocks at you. Yeah. Wow. The ultimate dark power in the universe has all the battle savvy of 90s Killer Croc. In “Kingdom Hearts II,” we got to see a LOT more of that power on display, as Sora - riding upon the Magic Carpet - flies into the air to face Jafar directly. The Dark Genie unleashes a whole slew of abilities against Sora in return: he can shoot a paralyzing beam from his eyes, summon huge fireballs and bolts of lightning, surround his fists with a dark aura before hammering them into the keybearer, or transport the player into a dark vortex and hurl chunks of debris at them. You can stun Jafar by first striking his abdomen, then spinning him around by the tail, which will keep him dazed a little longer. Even with this though, the battle can still be quite tricky. I will say, I do feel this battle got a bit annoying after multiple tries, so if THAT’S a reason people dislike it, I can understand. For me, though, this felt more like what facing a Dark Djinn voiced by Jonathan Freeman SHOULD be like, and despite the moments of aggravation, I can safely say it’s in my personal Top 5 here.

4. Oogie Boogie, from KHI.

Oogie had four fights across the KH series, and three out of four of them are fun. (We don’t talk about Treehouse Oogie.) The battle in KHII was really entertaining, with the Gamblin’ Boogieman taking over Santa’s workshop and turning it into a hive of death traps. (I would have included it somewhere on the list, but it felt unfair to do that; at least with Jafar and Genie Jafar, it’s two totally different forms of the villain.) The “Chain of Memories” fight, while fairly easy, still had some style and a fun sense of story context. But by far the best one is the very first, from the original KH. In this battle, you’re trapped inside Oogie’s casino, and have to find a way to get to the upper levels to face him directly. Oogie himself doesn’t put up much of a fight; all he can do is deliver a relatively pathetic slap with one of those tentacle-y arms of his. The problem is reaching him. Throughout the battle, Oogie hurls dice down into the pit of the casino, and depending on the number rolled, a different gimmick in his lair will be activated. He can summon a bunch of blades from the ceiling, which will sometimes bounce around or just spin in a static way; he can summon a buzzsaw that whirls around the floor; he can activate his one-armed bandits to shoot at you; he can even activate a special machine that sprays him with a healing mist, allowing him to gain back some of his HP. If that’s not enough, he’s also able to Summon two Heartless at a time onto the field; the type of Heartless depends on the number. To top it off, he’ll frequently throw glowing dice that explode like grenades. Add in Ken Page’s marvelous voice all but singing out his dialogue and taunts, and it’s easy to see why this battle with the baddy of my favorite Disney movie takes the Top 5.

3. Chernabog, from KHI.

The famed Devil of Bald Mountain was a sort of “surprise boss” that appeared in the first KH game. After descending into the dark realm of “The End of the World,” Sora and Co. find themselves floating near the peak of Bald Mountain itself. Chernabog unfurls his wings and goes on the attack; the trio must defeat the demon to access entry into the mountain and continue into the final lap of the game. That’s basically all we get from this infamous monster, but, just like in his original appearance, we don’t really need much: Chernabog has always been a villain whose all about powerful presence. He’s memorable not because of his devious schemes or catchy dialogue, but simply for the sheer, intimidating force of his appearance and the power he exudes. The original Kingdom Hearts captured that perfectly, as - while strains of “Night on Bald Mountain” play in the background as his personal boss theme - the Satanic fiend unleashes a series of attacks that can massacre the player’s health bar. He breathes fire, hurls balls of flame, summons ethereal phantom light missiles, performs fiery slashing attacks, and can flap his wings hard to knock the players away from him by a great distance. His most devastating attack is creating a volcanic eruption, wreathing himself in flames and smoke. It’s next to impossible to use Summons during this battle, which only makes it trickier. This was a great appearance from the mighty monster, and he later returned in another game, “Dream Drop Distance,” this time appearing in his homeworld, Symphony of Sorcery (based on different bits and pieces from “Fantasia”). While that boss was certainly interesting in its own right, most agree his big surprise attack in KHI was Chernabog’s shining moment, and I really wish more bosses of this kind would appear in later games. I’d love to see them do something similar with the Headless Horseman sometime, for example…but that’s another story.

2. Maleficent AND Dragon Maleficent, from Birth By Sleep.

Yet another tied choice, but this time it’s between two battles within the same game. I decided to link these two together because I like them roughly the same, and since they both come from the same game, and featured the same villainess, I didn’t see any real point in separating them. As the secondary antagonist of the entire KH franchise, Maleficent - both in her normal state and her Dragon form - has been a recurring boss throughout the games. Most notably, we fought both of her forms, one after the other, in the original KHI, and if that had been the only time this happened, those probably would have been the ones that made the list. The reason I rank Birth By Sleep higher and chose those battles to represent the character is for one simple reason: they take more advantage of Maleficent’s source material. In KHI, we were fighting her in an original world that was not her own, and in her first battle she largely used abilities and techniques that were not necessarily familiar from the original film. In BBS, we are on Maleficent’s home turf: the battle with her in Ven’s story takes place in her lair upon the Forbidden Mountain, and during the fight she uses abilities we can recognize from the movie itself, such as casting a sleeping spell, turning into a Will-O-The-Wisp spiral, wielding various lightning-based attacks, and teleporting around in a flash of green fire, just to name a few. When we fight her as a Dragon with Aqua, we’re facing her in the Forest of Thorns, and we even get to join forces with Prince Philip in combating her. As a result, it really does become the ultimate wish-fulfillment set of bosses, in comparison to the ones from the original KH, which were already pretty good. Given that I'm such a massive Maleficent fan, these bosses are definitely shoe-ins for my Top 3.

1. The Magic Mirror, from Birth By Sleep.

Technically, you could call this final choice a tie, as well, since we fight the Magic Mirror twice in this game…but both fights are almost identical in how they play out, aside from story context, so I don’t really think it matters. It’s hard to say what makes me love the boss fight with the Magic Mirror so much; it’s not the most challenging (although it’s certainly not easy, I died a couple of times facing this thing), it’s not the most emotionally impactful, it kind of comes out of nowhere in the story (on both occasions), so what makes it so special? I think, for me, what gets me about this battle is the combination of atmosphere and creativity. The context is that the Evil Queen, incensed by Terra during his visit, conjures a way to make the Mirror change from a merely oracular figure to a weapon. The Spirit of the Mirror sucks him into the void where it dwells, and Terra is forced to face the specter in battle. Later, when Aqua ends up in the Castle during her visit, the Mirror - possessed by the Queen’s lingering dark will - repeats the process with her, before the Spirit is finally freed and the enchanted glass becomes inert. The visuals used to make this battle come to life are downright trippy at times; the simple imagery of this giant, floating, eerie mask, and all the ways it manifests and moves around, can be quite spellbinding. There’s a haunting, strange feeling to this fight that you don’t find anywhere else, helped by the vaguely melancholic melodies of the theme “Vim & Vigor” that plays throughout. While battles like those with Maleficent or Pete may mean more, and battles like those with Chernabog and Monstro may be a lot harder, this battle is just fascinating to me, and once again shows how a bit of creative thinking can create something memorable, fun, and challenging all together. This, in some ways, is the summation of what I love about Kingdom Hearts and its battles, especially the Disney-based ones, and for that reason above all, it takes the cake as My Favorite Disney Villain Boss in the series.

HONORABLE MENTIONS INCLUDE…

Giant Ursula, from Re:Chain of Memories.

None of Ursula’s boss fights are really the best, sadly; her battles in KHI are hampered by the swimming mechanics, and in Dream Drop Distance she’s basically just the tutorial. I chose the one from COM because it’s the least infuriating of her boss duels.

Shan-Yu & Hayabusa, from KHII.

This one very nearly made the list, but I just find the battle with Lucifer more fun. ‘Nuff said.

Davy Jones, from KHIII.

The only ACTUAL Disney Villain Boss Fight we get in KHIII, and thankfully it lived up to my expectations. Just like with Shan-Yu, this very nearly made the cut, but I just found other battles more fun to talk about.

Card Guards, from KHI.

Anytime we go to Wonderland, we face the Card Guards, and their battles are typically about the same every time. I chose the one from the original KH because it’s the most intricate, with us needing the target the Crank Tower rather than the soldiers themselves, and with the Queen of Hearts being able to play a role in the proceedings.

[katherinakaina]

🧡🖤💀

for pathologic ofc

🧡: What is a popular (serious) theory you disagree with?

I have a hard time assessing what is popular. As far as I can tell, anything you’d call a theory is rather unpopular around here. Most people just go with the text and take all the characters at their word. Which honestly baffles me, because the game warns you every chance it gets that everybody’s lying to you all the time.

For example, most people seem to think Aglaya is sincerely in love with Artemy or the player. And, strictly speaking, it doesn’t really change anything whether her feelings are genuine or she’s just manipulating either him or you directly. BUT I feel strongly that her being a master manipulator and all around heartless bitch makes for a better character. Maybe I just find love and affection less interesting than cunning and ambition – especially in women. But when a character is introduced like ‘oh, she’s devilishly smart, she’ll achieve her goals no matter what, she’ll make you do her bidding and you won’t even know it, every thought you have in your head was planted there by her on purpose’ I am going to assume she had you all fooled, sorry.

🖤: Which character is not as morally good as everyone else seems to think?

Lara Ravel. She has a very particular brand of darkness that nobody seems to be talking about. Her deal is that she wants to be a good person. That’s why she always tries to sign up for all these humanitarian efforts like House of the Living, Isolation Ward, testing medicine, working at the Hospital or having water delivered to her house in p2. She romanticizes the idea of being a hero, a beacon of light, of giving away everything she can. “Lara reads too much classic literature” as Daniil puts it. The problem is, she tries. Doesn’t actually go through with any of it. Because she’s a coward.

Bachelor: Are you that afraid of death?

Lara Ravel: Utterly…

She says this on day 10. After you’ve seen her trying to involve herself in events and put herself in danger so many times. After she talks big talk about how she’d totally go and kill Alexander Block. And yet she always lets the circumstances stop her. And now you know why.

Is this too understandable to be a moral failing? People seem to think worse about Daniil for even considering fleeing the town. Or maybe you are mad at us americans for not going against armed police more often to stop a genocide. Or at russians for not overthrowing our warmongering regime yet. Whatever it is, sometimes people should risk their lives. Extraordinary things won’t be achieved without extraordinary effort.

Anyway, I think Lara is my favourite bound. I honestly want to write a separate post about her, especially her p2 story, because it has interesting things added there. Her story is probably the most well written in general, thematically consistent and human. And just plain relatable. We all wish we were Danill Dankovsky. But we all are Lara Ravel. Too afraid of death to make anything of our lives.

💀: If you had to choose one major character to die, who would you choose?

If you think about it, it’s a bit of a plot hole that Aglaya doesn’t try to get rid of all the humbles to make the Changeling's ending impossible. She can’t just execute them without being too obvious about it, but she can plot and scheme to make that happen. Like, what if it was her who gave that gun to Anna on day 9? Would be fun if one of them actually died as the result of this whole thing or even all three of them. Something like that.

[sleepyone2three]

This has been sitting in in my drafts for forever so I decided to finally finish it up! Thus, may I present:

How the demon bros would react if Lucifer had locked them away instead of Belphie

Can we talk about how lucky Lucifer was that it was Belphie he locked up and not one of his other brothers? Of all the sins, sloth is probably the best suited to being trapped in an attic. He can sleep the entire time and be giving into his vice at the same time. Meanwhile, if it had been any of the other brothers things could've been so much wilder! Just thinking about it has me rolling to be honest, so I decided I had to write this 😂

Mammon

Mammon would go stir crazy so fast. The only reason he hasn't completely lost his mind is the fact that Lucifer didn't bother to take Goldie away when locking him up. He has so many mental lists of the things he'll buy as soon as he's out.

Honestly, Mammon would probably whine a lot the entire time he was there too. He'd be bored out of his mind and unable to spend/get any Grimm. What kind of torture is this???

Lucifer honestly might get so annoyed with it that he'd resort to cursing Mammon so he can't talk. Ah... peace and quiet finally. This probably only leads to Lucifer feeling uneasy though since Mammon being quiet usually means he's thinking up new schemes or causing trouble.

You think Belphie got lucky with how trusting MC is? Mammon is probably one of the worst liars... ever. Mams is doomed, no way MC would be falling for any of his tricks.

This doesn't mean MC still wouldn't help though. They're horrible about sticking their nose in other people's business, even if it is well intentioned. So you know they're still going to get involved in all of this somehow.

I think Mammon would use MC to the point of getting out, but I can't see him planning to kill them. Lucifer already locked him away for being pissy about the exchange program, imagine what he'd do if Mammon killed Diavolo's precious exchange student *shudders*

Even if Mammon did hate humans, he's too soft to stick with that hate after getting to know MC. He'll probably try to rationalize that this one is an exception to the rule, his amazing influence being the reason of course.

The only plus side to all of this is that the witches and debt collectors can't find him.

Levi

Why did Lucifer lock him away in the first place? Dude is already a shut-in so he wasn't actually planning on doing anything. Maybe saying he would sick Lotan on Diavolo before allowing a normi human in their home was taking things too far though...

Honestly, as long as Lucifer at least left him with a gaming console and some anime, he'd probably be fine. Though, he would be very upset about not being able to keep up with the latest releases.

Levi would stress so much over if Mammon had sold his games and merch. The only way to stop him from spiraling with this would be if Lucifer promised to lock Levi's room with an equally powerful barrier.

Also freaks out that nobody will feed Henry 2.0 and his best friend will starve to death. Lucifer isn't totally heartless though, so he promises he will make sure Henry is well cared for until Levi has come to his senses.

Would probably plan to kill MC once out, but after talking about anime/games with them he isn't as sure anymore??? They seem to like the same stuff as him and don't call him gross... no! It must be some sort of ploy to gain his trust! This was just like in an anime he'd watched a while ago, Help! I've Been Locked Away By My Strict Older Brother And Now A Human Is Taking Over The Underworld! Ah, how life immitates art sometimes...

Satan

Oh geez, Satan would be furious if this happened. You think, he hated Lucifer before? Get ready for a whole new level.

Where does Lucifer get off, thinking he can get away with this!? Locking him away like this program isn't utterly delusional from the start anyway! If Satan didn't know better, he'd say that the elder brother had planned this from the beginning of even developing the exchange program. But that would require Lucifer to pull his head out of his own ass, so it's definitely not the case.

I mean... he'd have plenty of reading time at least? He's fuming to the point of having destroyed the entire room already, but he'll still be able to read plenty afterwards.

Lucifer tries to nudge Satan in a more positive direction of thinking, dropping off books that try to exemplify the beauty and potential of humanity. For the first time in his life, Satan refuses to even consider reading multiple books. Would possibly even consider destroying them in front of Lucifer, but I'm not sure he could actually go through with it.

Would 100% plan on and go through with killing MC once out. They'd have to really make an impression and connect with him if there's any chance to have things go otherwise. Even then, it's unlikely to stop this outcome. Consequences be damned, he will have the satisfaction of seeing how delicious Lucifer's expression will be upon seeing Diavolo's little pet project go up in flames.

Would take not getting to see his kitty friends pretty hard. He misses them and sometimes worries there isn't anyone else feeding/giving attention to them with him gone. If MC really wants to get in good with Satan, offering to check in on the feline population of the Devildom might be a solid starting point.

Satan does have to admit though, MC is an interesting human if nothing else. Unafraid to go against Lucifer's orders? Likes reading as much as him? Snuck a cat in to see him??? M-maybe they aren't the worst...

Asmo

I'm pretty sure his online following would form a search party if this happened. Radio silence from Asmo's accounts is unheard of and Lucifer better have an official statement about Asmo being in the exchange program if he doesn't want hordes of lesser demons showing up outside of the House of Lamentation.

Asmo's never really had to "rough it" and living without all his beauty products within reach is going to make him even angrier at Lucifer. This only gets worse the longer he's kept there, every flaking skin cell fueling his rage.

Gets a single zit and somehow finds a way to blame it on a human being in the house. Dramatic sniffles and crying commences as he's trying to sway Lucifer with his theory, though the elder seems less than convinced.

Would probably consider agreeing to the program once he's been without his products long enough, but is also called out on lying by Lucifer.

Baby boy would just be all smug and waiting for Solomon to try summoning him, thinking there'd be no stopping him from leaving at that point. Too bad Lucifer took this into consideration. Solomon is now mildly concerned and very curious what the heck this exchange program actually entails of the participants that could null the effects of a pact. Asmo's just whining about how cruel and unreasonable Lucifer is to do such a thing. And would you look at that? Lucifer's headache just got worse.

MC won't have to do much to begin swaying Asmo if we're being honest. This is especially so if he's feeling like he's become less attractive due to not being able to keep up his hourly daily self care routines and regimens for so long. Just sitting down and treating him like he's worthwhile even when he's "an abomination," will go a long way. Sneaking him some decadent lotion or products he mentioned offhandedly will seal the deal though.

They cared enough to actually listen when he looks like this? Even though they're not affected by his powers?? Maybe he was a little quick to shun the idea of the program... at the very least, they could make an adorable new plaything! Just thinking about all the makeovers and sleepovers had him feeling a little excited!

Beel

He ate his way out.

I don't know what else to say, even Lucifer isn't powerful enough to stop such an appetite. Besides that, no demon in their right mind at RAD would be down with their star Fangol leaving for an exchange program!

But in all seriousness, Beel is a simple demon with simple pleasures. MC just needs to bring him some food and show him that they aren't a monster who's out to hurt his family. Man just doesn't want to lose anymore family and was a lil hangry is all. Lucifer's the one who overreacted to the whole display.

On the plus side, the House of Lamentations food budget actually managed to build up a decent reserve while Beel was locked away. So you can be sure there's going to be the most amazing and decadent feast anyone has ever seen once he's out.

Belphi

Just glad it's not him I suppose 😂

Though he may actually be low-key jealous that it's not him. Just thinking of how much he could sleep without being woken up has him rethinking his stance on the exchange program.

But MC is so sweet and makes a good cuddle buddy/pillow for his naps, so he can't be too upset.

[alaskan-wallflower]

let’s chat about paul holden!

i saw a post by @sondheim-girly about socs not being just one dimensional characters and it really made me think

Sometimes it feels like this fandom makes Paul in specific out to either be an innocent little woobified guy who hasn’t done a thing wrong in his life, orrrr they make him out to be a heartless and cold asshole who wants to watch the world burn. And i’ll admit, i kinda fell victim to this too, HOWEVER

i think it’s also safe to say that neither of those characterizations are really entirely accurate? like in canon yes, he has literally two lines, and in the musical he’s a very small character (compared to others at least) but honestly i wish there was more balance in his character

paul is not a saint. he’s not an absolute angel who’s never done nothing wrong (sometimes it feels like this characterization also tends to make darry look heartless and like a jerk for cutting him off which i don’t like either because while we don’t have a con on reason for why they parted ways, i don’t think it’s fair to make darry the villain) but he’s also not a heartless asshole. to me, i feel like a lot of the socs are the way they are because of how they were brought up and raised. look at bob-bob was looking for someone to tell him no. his parents never told him no and so he spiraled out of control. randy in the book and cherry both said bob was caring and that “nobody had seen that side of him”and i believe it. bob wanted somebody to tell him no. he wanted to be paid attention to. he needed that attention he never got from his parents.

that’s something else that divides the greasers from the docs. the greasers are like a pack-they all stick up for each other and they all stick together. they may not have parents that are good, or parents that are even around (obviously, look at johnny and dally and steve and two bit) but they find their family. they find their family in each other. the socs are characterized to be more self conscious, and not in the insecure way, they’re just made up to be more mindful of themselves because they don’t have that family with each other. like cherry describes them-“cool and collected because there forced to be that way. To not let anything bother them.” so i think that’s why a lot of them are more wild and crazy in a way.

so back to paul. do i think he’s a heartless jerk who was never nice and only liked drinking and jumping kids? no. absolutely not. i believe that when him and darry were friends (or whatever more you guys want them to be) he genuinely cared about their friendship. however, do i think paul was a little angel who hasn’t done a wrong thing in his life? also no. he jumps pony in the musical and frankly i think his parents are just as bad as bob’s, likely. neglectful. i think that’s the case with a lot of the soc characters and that’s why they’re seen as ‘mean’.

there needs to be balance. you can’t make paul out to be something hes not, and to me, through the musical at least (we have so little in the book i frankly haven’t thought about paul until the fandom started collectively agreeing to) but he certainly isn’t a character that should be woobified or anything. paul has done some awful things, he canonically jumps pony and such, and i think a lot of that has to do with the fact most socs don’t have good families -either biological or found ones, to help them be nicer for a lack of better terms.

i dunno. i think both characterizations can be equally as incorrect. i don’t think paul is heartless. but i also don’t think he’s an amazing person who got along with all the greasers just cause he was friends with darry. that switch doesn’t flip overnight.

anyway that’s my ted talk. i know im gonna get shit but yk

[itsmistyeyedbi]

For Zuri (any or all universes!):

mixtape: 5 songs that describe your OC(s) or songs they themselves would like.

shooting star: if your OC(s) could have one wish what would it be?

parachute: who does your OC(s) trust the most? who makes them feel safe? who would they do absolutely anything for?

Hi PD! Thank you for sending in an ask🥹❤️ I am particularly excited about the first one lol.

Mixtape: 5 songs that describe your OC(s) or songs they themselves would like.

I'm gonna do both! Most of them apply to both twc and infamous Zuri!

Songs that describe her (or get really close):

Circus by Britney Spears: There's only two types of people in the world // The ones that entertain, and the ones that observe // Well, baby, I'm a put-on-a-show kind of girl // Don't like the backseat, gotta be first + I feel the adrenaline moving through my veins // Spotlight on me and I'm ready to break // I'm like a performer, the dance floor is my stage

Be Honest by Jorja Smith: I know you want me // Every day, not only when you're lonely // You see, you think you know me // But you don't even know nothing about me + Be honest // You want this // But I can be heartless, regardless of my conscience

No Angel by Beyonce: No, I'm not the girl you thought you knew and thought you wanted // Underneath the pretty face is something complicated

Nobody by Mitski: My God, I'm so lonely, so I open the window // to hear sounds of people, to hear sounds of people + And I don't want your pity, I just want somebody near me // Guess I'm a coward, I just want to feel alright // And I know no one will save me, I just need someone to kiss // Give me one good honest kiss and I'll be alright (honestly the entire song fits her extremely well)

Don't Judge Me by Janelle Monae: Even though you tell me you love me // I'm afraid that you just love my disguise // Taste my fears and light your candle to my raging fire // Of broken desire

Songs that she likes:

Take A Byte by Janelle Monae: I'm not the kind of girl you take home to your mama now // I tell you no lies (I tell no lies) // Your code is programmed not to love me, but you can't pretend // Oh, what a surprise // Maybe it's lust, maybe it's love, maybe it never ends // Oh, say you're goodbyes (say em now) // Play in my hair and nibble there all on my mocha skin // Yeah, just take a byte

Experience by Victoria Monét: Tell me what you came for // Here cause I'm breaking down // Trying not to make this obvious // Tell me what you came for // Need to forget it now // Lost in the middle of it all // That's what came for // Love always feels better when it's true // Love tastes way to bitter when it's you (this song could actually be put as a song that describes Zuri as well lol)

Give It To Me Baby by Rick James: Give it to me // Give me that stuff, that funk, that sweet, that funky stuff (honestly this one is more about the vibe of it all than the lyrics)

Hey Ya! by Outkast: If what they say is "nothing is forever" // Then what makes, then what makes, then what makes love the exception? // So why oh, why oh, why oh, why oh, why oh // Are we so in denial when we know we're not happy here? // Yall don't want to hear me, you just want to dance

Ordinary People by John Legend: As our love advances // We take second chances // Through it's not a fantasy // I still want you to stay + We're just ordinary people // We don't know which way to go // Cause we're just ordinary people // Maybe we should take it slow

Some of the songs she likes could be used to describe her to tbh👀

Random Zuri fact though; she started playing the keyboard after retiring from gymnastics, and Ordinary People is one of her go to songs to play.

Shooting Star: If your OC(s) could have one wish what would it be?

I've answered this question here! That's what twc Zuri would wish for.

But infamous Zuri? She's found a family in the band, so her wish would revolve around her and her music career - that no matter what happens, she's remembered as someone who was talented and driven and touched people's hearts. But that her motivation for that remains a mystery to the public.

Parachute: Who does your OC(s) trust the most? Who makes them feel safe? Who would they do absolutely anything for?

This is kind of a tough one.

For twc, my instinct is to say Tina. She definitely trusts her the most and would do anything for her. But makes her feel safe? Debatable. Maybe if we're strictly talking about safety in the emotional sense.

With Unit Bravo, it's a more physical safety. The emotional safety hasn't come into play just yet. But she can't say that she wouldn't do anything for them. It's a little interesting though, that they've become so important to Zuri even though she doesn't quite trust them enough to completely drop the mask when she's with them.

She'll get there though.

Infamous Zuri... I'm not sure...

I don't know if she's been able to really trust anyone after the separation with Seven. She would do almost anything for the band, and Seven, despite the complete and utter wreck their relationship is.

But she doesn't feel safe with anyone. She's wearing the mask more times than she's not, especially with her being in the public eye. There isn't any physical danger, but if Seven was able to leave her after years of knowing her, truly knowing her more than anyone ever has, then what's going to stop everyone else from doing the same?

Oc ask meme.

[rockybloo]

So, speaking of Civilian!Amara, would Freebird still be trying to woo her??

Sadly, Amara cannot escape the winged fuck boy.

(warning, this answer gets LONG winded bc Freebird's dynamic with Sweetheart and Bitterbat is one of my fav things to write)

It's a bit harder for the two to cross paths compared to canon since Amara ain't that much of a public figure. She occasionally helps with hero events and the such like setting up convention booths for the annual Decking City Hero Convention. There's also the times he visits the Decking City Defense Force Headquarters to deal with international hero stuff where they have a chance to run into each other. She knows the building like the back of her hand though so she is very good as skirting around him.

On the bright side, Freebird can't come on as heavy as his canon self since Amara is a civilian and there's different social standards for how a hero can flirt with a normal human before it gets creepy because of the uneven power dynamic. BUT that doesn't mean he doesn't flirt with her whenever he gets a chance to. He calls her the typical things, like "Cutie" or "Dollface". He occasionally asks when she gets off work to see if they could do a date. Amara is quick to hit him with "I got a full schedule today! You know how it is trying to keep track of you heroes."

Plenty of the other people she works with thinks she's lucky to catch his eye and should give him a chance. Who wouldn't want the chance to be the Lois Lane to a Superman? But Amara is happy with Bitterbat...she just can't tell anyone that she's dating one of the biggest villains in the city.

What sucks though is that Amara is basically stuck in customer service when she is working for the DCDF. Thankfully, her customers happen to be heroes and many of them are nice and polite to her.

But when it comes to Freebird, poor girl has to put him down even more politely than canon due to the risk of getting fired since Freebird is the #1 American hero and it wouldn't look too good if one of the workers for Decking City's main hero force was rude to him and ruined his opinion of the city.

Thankfully, Freebird typically has his hands full with hero stuff so he's not as annoying as in canon but that doesn't mean he's free of Bitterbat.

If anything, he's in even MORE danger in this AU because Bitterbat in canon is held back by the fact Sweetheart is his designated hero. No matter what he is doing, Sweetheart is the one called to deal with him if she ain't already on the scene. It makes their secret relationship easy to maintain because no one is butting in.

Bitterbat killing Freebird would lead to him being marked as one of the #1 biggest threats to America as Freebird is basically a living icon. This means that Bitterbat would have every hero and the American military on his ass which would take his alone time with Sweetheart away. And he can't just go on a rampage because he doesn't want to make Sweetheart upset due to the rising body count of honestly innocent people who are just trying to do their job because they don't know the full story of him and Sweetheart.

So the guy is basically on a short leash in canon.

But in the civilian AU, Amara isn't a hero. She just works with them. And girl is tired since she is still a workaholic. It's not that she's heartless in this AU, it's just that her morality scope has shrunk since she isn't in charge of people's safety-just her own and some paperwork. And Bitterbat is basically a full villain in this AU instead of him being partially evil in canon. Yeah, he and the Flavor Four killed Lord Vile and saved Earth from him but they only did it so their beloved civilians wouldn't get hurt. They have no loyalty to the rest of the human race.

And being a villain means that Bitterbat can basically do whatever he wants because ain't nobody strong enough to stop his ass. Truthfully, the only reason the city is still standing is because Amara likes Decking City being in one piece since she has to live and work there. So you have the same situation in canon where Bitterbat behaves somewhat. But he's still dropping some "But wouldn't it be nice"s and "Just say the word"s and hoping one day Amara quits her job and comes with him to Umbra to be his queen.

And Bitterbat behaving in this AU is a lot different than canon. He has a higher body count for certain and his "yandere" vibes are cranked up. In canon, he is transparent with Amara. In this AU, there's a lot of shit he keeps a secret from her since she's just a mere human in this universe. And he doesn't want to scare his beloved queen away.

So this is all a long winded way to say that the second Bitterbat learns about Freebird's advances on his Sweetheart, Freebird is fucked because that bat is either going to slaughter him dead and string up his body nice and pretty where everyone can see it as a warning to stay away from Amara...or just tear his wings off and make sure he never spends another day as a hero again.

Yeah, he's gonna be listed as a high level security threat. But Bitterbat doesn't really care. Nothing matters save for Amara and her happiness. And if he has to take on an army because some people don't like the fact he broke everyone's favorite pretty boy birdie, then he's more than willing to add some more bodies to his list.

As for how Amara feels about this...she has no idea how truly down bad Bitterbat is for her. She's very aware of the danger he carries with him and she still finds it very alluring just like him dripping in blood is attractive as all hell. It's basically her knowing he can and will kill for her, but not knowing just how many he already has.