#I always love to hear others' opinions

[nemo-in-wonderland]

Once I am done with writing Chapter 5 of my story, I want to draw something with Jacob and Dottie (obviously🥰🥰🥰) in the same fashion as I did my Anastasia!AU (thought, not the same amount of artworks, I think).

Here are the options, let's see what will come out of this :)

[arcanegifs]

Here's more comparisons of Arcane Gifs before and after I color and sharpen em!

[wenellyb]

Buck and Tommy just got together and there are already hundreds and hundreds of posts in the 911 tags talking about how Buck and Tommy's "break up" will happen.

And it's fine, people are allowed to share their theories, I share mine as well, but I can't help but wonder what's the angle here?

From what I've seen, most people are sure Buck and Tommy are temporary because they're sure "Buddie is Endgame"? But how would they know?

As far as we know Buck and Eddie are best friends and there hasn't been any indication that the writers are planning for them to have à romantic relation in season 7. Reading interviews with shipping goggles on isn't canon, it's fan theory.

If they had planned it, they would have put some "seeds", some small hints here and there when Buck and Tommy got together, showing that Buck and Eddie's relationship is not meant to be seen platonic, like Buck being unsure about Tommy or Eddie being supportive but a little jealous.

But they haven't, all we've seen right now is Buck being head over heels for Tommy, telling his sister what he likes about him and telling Eddie how he can't stop thinking about Tommy. Buck has such a massive crush on Tommy he invited him to his sister's wedding.

Buck's coming out scene to Eddie was so beautiful and emotional, but there was no hint of Eddie being jealous or him having romantic feelings for Buck. We even got the sweetest and most platonic hug ever.

Where exactly are we supposed to get the message that Buck is harboring a secret crush for his best friend? Or are we supposed to imagine that he'll magically develop romantic feelings in the middle of the season?

I don't understand where the "Tommy is a placeholder for Eddie" theories are coming from???

Buck hurt Eddie to get Tommy's attention, his words not mine. How are the writers going to go from that and make us believe that he was in reality in love with Eddie? How would that go?

I have nothing against Buddie, I even like the idea of them, but at the end of the day, I believe what I see on screen. Fan theories are just theories.

I'm sorry but to me, Buck is all about Tommy.

As someone who has seen my fair share of TV shows, I'm wondering why anyone would think that that's the direction the screenwriters are going.

[farshootergotme]

Not to join the Wayne Family Adventures hate train (because I actually do enjoy some of it) but I feel like it doesn't have a good balance between the serious themes and the silly family fluff.

With this I don't mean it doesn't have enough of the two, but rather that it has a weird setup for it.

When there's a conflict it barely lasts and everything concludes the way it would in a perfect world. And that's the thing, that's the premise of this comic: a perfect world where the batfamily is happy and together.

I can enjoy the overly optimistic side of it. But then serious topics suddenly slap you in the face and you see that they're actually not so happy and yet, everytime after the bad thing occurs, everything is back to normal like it never happened or the issue is fixed with a small conversation.

And the more I see this cycle repeat, the more I wonder, how many things of the canon timeline did happen in this alternative universe that have been swept under the rug until the comic feels like bringing it up out of nowhere to explore the surface of it and end it on a happy note that's oddly underwhelming?

Now we're on an arc surrounding the joker and the trauma the batfam (mainly Jason and Bruce if I'm honest) has because of him. And even while reading this darker plot it doesn't feel serious when so many things are for convenience:

Nobody (in a room full of very observant detectives) sees Jason (who's not even attempting to go unnoticed) leave the room, which causes some drama later-on

Dick (a full grown adult with his own home and city) seems to be 'benched' along with all the rest who, might I add, the majority doesn't even live in the manor either. Heck, Steph has worked separated from Batman for years, who is he to stop her from doing her job? (tbf they all still continue to work on the case, but they have to do it at Bruce's back like they're actually little kids trying to skip school or smh)

Duke (who was the reason this arc started) happens to be in bed and I haven't seen much of him since then (which isn't great? now it's easier to make it about Jason! I love him but what about Duke? Or even Barbara for that matter.)

I don't know. I think it's great for the people who enjoy it and even the ones who think these serious chapters/this arc are nice to read. Maybe I'm being too critical, but this is my personal opinion about it.

[simplydnp]

personally i cannot get on the marriage hill because i feel like they have already crossed that hill without us knowing, or if they havent already they may just not be planning to. obv i dont know anything about their personal life so maybe im way off base here lol but i just feel like they've already committed to each other for the rest of their lives, thats been done! they did it 15 years ago and they've done it a hundred times since then! buying a house together is the big one where i feel like they either already got married before that and never told us, or they consider that theyre already committed enough that they don't feel the need to get married, since at this point marriage for them would just be a piece of paper. not to mention during the devan wedding video they talked about how uncomfortable a wedding would be so i feel like they've decided that they dont need to make it "official"

i think not being on it is fair. love it, hate it, whatever, but we would Know if they had done so in secret. at least, from a legal standpoint. who knows if they did a little thing for just themselves at some point--but to me, that's different than Marriage-marraige, if that makes sense.

they have been committed for a very, very long time. i hesitate to say right from the start because we just have the benefit of hindsight to know that it ended up there, but it's been there for a while.

maybe it's the romantic in me, but i want them to have that Moment. to celebrate them. where, truly, nothing else matters except them and what they mean to each other. for them to get to bring the important people in their life together and enjoy it. for them to finally breathe. and not have to worry, or think, or hesitate in living their life. obviously there will still be walls and boundaries and i don't expect to see them making out in a video, but to just exist without fear. or stress. or anxiety. to be able to show the things they really Do want to; to be able to go do the things they really want to do. that's what i want for them.

it's less about 'marraige is the final step!' and more like it's the first one into the rest of their lives.

one of the biggest themes throughout this fandom's existence, and particularly since the hiatus began, is that we just want them to be happy. to be free of expectations and pressure and speculation and erasure. and i think that's what marraige hill means to a lot of people.

to speak for myself for a moment: i've got very haggard relationships and depictions of love in my life. it feels hollow in many ways. it's described as vibrant and overwhelming and terrifying and beautiful--but for me it's... empty. i read about how it sweeps people off their feet, or it slowly builds over time, or maybe it's always been there--and i can't help but want that. even just being around it is filling for the soul. i think witnessing joy and happiness is critical to our existence. to physically see love in the world. and maybe it's cheesy and maybe it's parasocial, but i want dnp to have their happy ending. cause the twisted, chunk of meat in my head thinks that's how it's supposed to go. how it should be. is people should get to be happy, and for many of them, that includes being in love. maybe it's outdated maybe it's old-fashioned, maybe it's the ex-catholic in me, but that's what marraige should be. and maybe it's the idea that people do get there and it is possible. and it really is this beautiful thing.

in terms of their stances on it, you offer that you think they're committed enough and they may not want it--which, is a fine opinion to have. it's been a very long time since either of them have really truly talked about marraige and weddings, and add the fact that they're both private people and don't even talk relationship stuff candidly, so anything presented, i take with a grain of salt. and i don't think disliking aspects of a wedding and then also wanting one are mutually exclusive. i think there's plenty of ways to eliminate aspects and still do it. their agreement on it, to me, signals they've talked about it.

and especially with how things have been lately--with how much has changed in the last few months for them even--i don't think the option is off the table for them.

they well and truly killed the joint branding in 2018 and buried it. there were glimpses of their togetherness during the hiatus, but WAD especially pushed back on things. and yet, just a few months after it ended, they agreed to a why not--knowing it would mean inviting us back into it again. inviting in people to see. and instead of hard lines and rigid restrictions, they keep loosening the reins. and i genuinely think them being back, and us being here too, has completely changed the trajectory of their life. i don't think either of them expected to tour together again. for them to truly enjoy this. phil may have hoped, but he wasn't gonna push it if dan wasn't willing. so now that they're here, so many possibilities have opened up. and, to me, it feels like they're building momentum. and while some of that was likely for the tour, it still feels like we're heading somewhere. i've got that same gut feeling i did during ii.

take it or leave it, those are my thoughts. i doubt we'll truly know until they either do it or don't.

[sophsun1]

idk why I've decided to choose violence by asking this but who do you think loved the other more? Brian or Justin?

[pocket-watcher]

oh god, your blog is just perfect. I'm addicted. if you have time and inspiration, could you do another fae story?

Omg Anon you’re making me blush 👉👈

I do indeed have time and inspiration!! Probably way too much. Okay! Here’s another one for ya:

Moving to the countryside was maybe the best decision he has ever made.

Goodbye blaring sirens at 3 am, pushing through crowded commuters, and semi-frequent mugging! Hello fresh air, an honest days work, and a tight-knit community to call his own.

This is this life, he thought to himself.

The only problem was that his house was on the edge of the woods.

He’d got it cheap. That should have concerned him.

The townspeople greeted him happily until he mentioned where his house was.

And the children of the village ran from him.

It didn’t worry him, though.

Old myths and legends will always be around.

Oh no! There’s something scary in the woods! It steals people away in the night!

Sure, buddy. Whatever you want to say to keep the price as low as possible.

That was, until one night, he looked out the window and saw something in the woods was glowing.

He’d been washing dishes when it caught his eye.

It was captivating. He was frozen. Staring at the light.

Only the light.

He moved over to the sliding glass down to get a closer look.

It beckoned him. It wanted him to go into the woods.

Any panic, any thoughts at all, were silenced as he felt himself drawn to it.

Without taking his eyes off the light he slid the door open and stepped out into the cool night air.

His feet moved without him realising it, his mind completely captured by the mystery.

As he approached the light backed away, leading him deeper into the woods.

He stumbled over roots, but never could bring himself to look down. To look away from it.

It was in control.

The light stopped, hovering in a clearing. A ring of mushrooms just before it.

All of his senses came back at once, as if he were waking from a dream.

A fae ring.

If he stepped into it he would be lost, taken away.

All the stories were true.

But the light. It still played with his mind. Hovering just out of reach.

Go on, it tempted him. Step a little closer.

Step into the circle.

He knew he shouldn’t. He knew this was one last test, to see if he couldn’t resist it.

“Fuck it.” He muttered, and stepped into the circle.

[lunarzomb]

tbh i agree with u about ur opinion on shaunahat i don’t mind another survivor but def not another currently alive one and shauna was def NOT in the right headspace for that kiss. i do think that the writers don’t intend to make shauna like, in love with melissa or anything i think it’s just a grieving thing for her but yeah.

i’m happy we have queer shauna now but not a shaunahat shipper tbh (im keeping an open mind tho)

YAY I’m glad at least someone agrees with me !! You’re the only person I’ve seen also say that it’s so clear that Shauna was not in the right headspace for that kiss,, I’m glad cause I was starting to go a bit insane watching everyone praise this kiss like it’s the best thing that’s ever happened with Shauna’s character. I also agree that, at least as of now, I don’t think they’re gonna make Shaunahat an actual romantic couple like Taivan or something. But, like I’ve said before, I am totally cool with being proved wrong. I just hope that whatever the writers have chosen to do, that it’ll make sense and at the very least be interesting.

[arttsuka]

hey ho I just noticed that amongst many of your posts you have some pretty nasty things to say about yourself! As a concerned follower I am here to tell you that does you no good whatsoever, and have expierenced where it can lead you to! (Even when said in jest)

As an outside observer I have determined that exactly 0 of your negative statements are true, so don't believe the lies you tell yourself! Change statements like "my art sucks" to "my art is pretty neat!" (Because it is) "....just kill me" to ".... just give me shrimp" (or fav food/object) "I feel awful and lonely" to " I see the sun rise and its beautiful, I feel nice." And "I have more friends than i realise" ( notice something beautiful or do things you like and appreciate them, you'll start to feel better I promise!

Take a moment to slow down and just breathe and observe all the good things around you (go outside if you have to)

Heres a book that talks about changing your inner monologue for the better, "What to say when you talk to yourself" by Shad Helmstetter its definitely worth a read

I love you and sending a crushing bear hug to you! 🫂🫂💙💙💙

Unfortunately yes I have many bad things to say about myself (I am my biggest hater).

I've been around some pretty toxic people in the past (and present, most of them are my relatives, yikes) and I guess it's just easier to say negative things about me rather than hear them say things (behind my back).

I try to do better but when you don't fit into society the way other people do, it's kinda disheartening, makes me wanna give up.

Sometimes I wish I was like everyone else honestly, or have some confidence.

I'll definitely try to check out that book, thanks for the recommendation :)

Many hugs to you too anon 🫂🫂

[langfield]

Hi. So although I’m starting to understand more about Safi as a character, there’s still something I can’t get over and wondered how you saw it. Seeing as Safi knows first hand the pain of a parents’ divorce, and was furious with Yasmin for keeping her dad out of her life, how could she do what she did to Robbie? Like I get that she wanted to hurt Lucas in the most extreme way possible but to use his child against him, a child who she was fairly close to as well, is crossing a line into making her unlikable for me. I would argue it ended up hurting Robbie more than Lucas since Lucas knows it’s not true that it was Robbie’s fault but Robbie will have to grapple with wondering if it’s true maybe for years to come. Apparently Lucas said that was the least bad thing that was said to Robbie? I get Safi was acting irrationally but she could have idk made him pee his pants on stage or something? When Max points out how wrong what she did was she still doesn’t seem to have much remorse either. Just my two cents. I know it’s just a game but yeah, that plot point touched a nerve with me and it doesn't bode well for her future power squad leadership. Just wondered how you saw this? thanks

ah, yes, the robbie thing. i will say off the bat that i do view this action of hers negatively : in the sense that i cannot sympathize with it in particular. while i understand hurting gwen and lucas ( both of whom did betray her -- especially gwen, despite all her good intentions ) i don’t give safi any slack for harming a child in the process. my max always allows lucas to file a restraining order against her, and though she bites her tongue about robbie during their talk, she doesn’t approve nor necessarily understands safi’s reasoning for it. her ‘cold, but i get it’ is a vague affirmation she doesn’t really mean, but is willing to say in order not to trigger safi further. at this point max can overlook it because safi is still a flight risk and she is notorious for setting side her own morals to agree with her best friend’s choices ( the handicap fund in lis1 jumps to mind immediately, a choice max hated making and did not agree with, but did so for chloe’s safety ). however, i believe safi hurting robbie was an intentional line the game drew. while anyone could easily get behind safi’s revenge narrative against those who actually wronged her, not many would be down to see innocents hurt in the crossfire … in many ways, robbie’s situation is supposed to show that safi’s vicious nature can easily get out of hand, and that ( perhaps! ) her view on things isn’t so clear at all. a point that’s further made, i think, in how fast her emotions change in episode five! even unintentionally, those actions she makes in anger does indeed hurt everyone around her, from the guilty to the innocent. for example, moses gets caught in the storm and is subjected to being overruled by safi herself, despite the fact moses isn’t subjected to the torment lucas and gwen recieve. he describes his experience like being locked in a sarcophagus, with him being locked away inside his own body. it’s clear that the part of safi within him did this to protect him in some way ( from the storm, from herself? ) but this hurts him in the end regardless due to the events she still set in motion. safi isn’t just capable of hurting those deserving, she is also prone to hurting those she cares for via carelessness and a narrow view. so her hurting robbie, despite probably caring for him, isn’t the shocking part. it’s the deliberateness of it. it’s the fact he is a child and she’s an adult. it’s about her knowing the pains of divorce as a child and pressing into that wound anyway. perhaps even creating it.

frankly, i can see many reasons why she would. perhaps it’s one or the other, or a messy concoction of every single one. though the most important thing to remember here is a.) this is definitely not a forgivable act, and the game wants you to look at safi differently for this choice, and b.) i do think safi is supposed to grow from this decision she made. my personal belief is that being away from caledon and her mother and vinh will help shape her with a bit more compassion than she has … she is in no condition to lead or teach, and in many ways is just as naive and new to this like diamond is. i honestly believe she’ll learn more from daniel and alex than they could ever learn from her. i believe this trip is supposed to give safi the breathing room and connections she so desperately needs in order to become better, or begin that road to closure and healing. she is most definitely not a leader! alex, daniel, nor max need a leader. to me, finding other people like her is more about self discovery than anything else, but i digress.

to touch upon something i mentioned earlier, safiya’s view of things has been warped and bent by her anger, which in turn thwarts any logical thinking. she has become selfish in her pain, wallowing in it and refusing to move on for four plus years -- repeatedly picking at that wound over and over again to keep those feelings fresh, and to remind herself of maya, and the book, and the betrayals that followed. her inability to talk about it also makes it easier to get lost in, since she has no anchor that grounds her in reality, nor any outside help besides gwen’s encouragement to put those feelings into poetry. safiya felt silenced by others and therefore silenced herself, and i’m sure many people know how easy it is to become self obsessed with all the trauma you’ve mounted in your head … how easily one can grow entitled or righteous when the only voice you’re ever hearing is your own. things become simple and clear even when they’re not, things become digestible, they become problems that can be simplified and excused. i don’t think safiya shows remorse for what she did to robbie because, in her eyes, there isn’t anything to be sorry for. whatever feelings of disgust or shame she initially had has long since been rationlized to her, to the point where it makes complete sense and was a necessary evil for a bigger plan. maybe safi was able to convince herself that the cruel things she told robbie ( while wearing his father’s face ) were honest truths the kid had to hear now rather than later? maybe safi convinced herself that robbie, just like she had been, was the reason for the divorce, and that she was being rather kind in telling him that horrific truth when everyone else would’ve lied to him. or maybe safi didn’t care ; perhaps she looked upon this kid who still had contact with both of his parents and was filled with a sickening envy, one that choked all the air from her lungs, a greenish feeling that made her so mad she just spoke and spoke until she couldn’t anymore and that was that. safi is prone to misconstruing people in her head to fit her narratives, to justify her anger, to hide from the fact that she hates herself just as much as everyone else. she’s the same person who claims that vinh doesn’t regret bending to caledon despite doing the same thing herself and confessing to such regret to max. despite vinh consistently beating himself up over what he did to maya as well, just like her. again, she is nothing but tunnel vision after her book deal is cancelled, and when left without a proper target to channel that anger into, those feelings sort of explode everywhere instead. all while she justifies it to herself and believes everyone to be guilty … always on the lookout for the slightest hint of betrayal so that she may retaliate first. safiya might appear very poised, intelligent, and strong during most of her scenes ( and she is all three of these things! ) yet her behavior is erratic, scared, a little more than paranoid and exhausting.

if she cannot see past her own hurt, why would she feel any particular way about hurting robbie? if this is a world that guts everyone anyway ( a world that sells them for parts ), what’s the point of sparing this child? it’s an immature world view, although an understandable one. nothing saved maya. nothing’s gonna save safi. this is how the world works, with the people you love most dying or betraying you … maybe robbie would be wise to learn that sooner than later, especially considering the absolute monster his father is. or, perhaps, it’s all about lucas : maybe safi knew there was no other way to destroy him, not when caledon covered for him before, so she went where it’d hurt and dug in as deep as she could to ensure there was no sweeping things under the rug anymore. maybe lucas was so evil and vile in her mind, that all of his kin was rendered revolting by extension? sins of the father and all that?

regardless, the brutal truth of it all is that safiya does not care for the people around her at this point in time. i mean, she does deeply love moses and max, but she does not care for them, if that makes sense? she doesn’t even care for herself, as evident by the suicidality she reveals during the storm, via this brainwashed person and the plaque on the science department’s roof :

i do not mean to imply that safi is at all evil or wrong for these feelings of apathy, because they’re rather understandable feelings to have during this intense time. when i say she doesn’t care for robbie, i mostly mean that she’s too tired and too angry to properly empathize with others ; it isn’t a conscious decision, she did not just flip her compassionate and empathy off, safi has just merely shut down beneath the ever growing weight of her own emotions, which are far too powerful for her to withstand alone. we see how she physically breaks apart into ‘tiny pieces’ at the very end of episode four … she shatters, completely, until there is no more safi left. mainly because safi has neglected herself in this quest for vengeance, mainly because safi has never existed, or so she thinks, mainly because safi has spent four years relating everything back to maya okada and desperately wanting to lay down and die over how that emptiness made her feel. this doesn’t excuse her callousness towards robbie or for using him as a pawn -- though i find the action to be realistic and, while fucked up, understandable and tragic in it’s own way. robbie is the face of a much bigger problem safi possesses, a problem the game starts with him, and then ends with the storm : where we see the extent of her apathy ( like we see with vinh, someone who safi used to be close to as well ) and general discontent with the world around her, how safi is always grouping everyone in her life together rather than acknowledging them as seperate entities. her thinking is very black and white in that way. i will say that i do think safi regrets the robbie thing, at least momentarily, in the same way she regrets everything she’s done … when safi demands max to kill her, she claims it’ll fix everything, that she deserves it for hurting so many people. robbie isn’t mentioned specifically, but i do think this is one of those things she is able to feel the weight of in that specific moment, before all that anger piles up again. it’s not enough, although it is something i keep in mind. at safi’s core, she doesn’t like hurting people. this is the same girl who was known by her dad and mom as desperately trying to save a cat from a tree, breaking her arm over it, and then crying on the way to the hospital about if the cat was okay or not. this is the same girl who feels so guilty for not helping her soulmate, she has dedicated her entire life to her as penance. this is the same girl who, despite yasmin covering up what lucas did and despite their constantly turbulent relationship, forgave her mom and tried her best to make it work. it is very easy to remember safi as how she is during double exposure, a deeply angry person who is unfairly dragging everyone down with her, but she isn’t some bloodsucking monster who delights in that pain she’s causing per se. she is hurt, and highly emotional, and does awful things because of it -- things like toss a kid into a personal hell all because of a plan, all because she’s desperate to get lucas in a way that’ll stick, all because she thought herself as the cause of her parents divorce and so robbie has to be too.

again, it’s not a choice of hers that is easy to digest! it is meant to show a darker side to safi’s need for revenge, her tunnel vision, the extent of her obsession with this. i’m actually glad it touched a nerve with you because i think it’s supposed to make the player feel a certain type of way about her. however, i do hope i shed some light on safi’s decision to do this, and that this helped you understand her somewhat, even if you never agree with her ( as you shouldn’t! ). thank you so much for this question by the way, i absolutely adore getting these sorts of asks where i can analyze the characters more in depth. or at least attempt to! safi is so infinitely complex and reserved that there are many reasonings you could find behind her actions, making her fun to dissect, even if all her inner workings are mostly wounds and a deep seated mood instability.

[ganondoodle]

reminder that my totk rants are me just rambling about my thoughts, ideas and complaints, im not trying to analyze anything, be smart, be right, debate or convince anyone who likes it that its bad just bc i think its bad or simply dont like the choices made, im literally just spilling out my brain so it doesnt keep haunting me

if you think something makes sense that i think doesnt i, and forgive me for being so blunt about it, do not care why you think it works, my opinion of this game will not change and i am okay with that

you are free to disagree with anything i say of course but i really dont care why, sorry

(sth i said only in the tags before but added now in this edit bc i think its important: its not bc i dont want to hear other peoples opinions and live in ignorance or something, but bc im tired and i PROMISE you i have seen 99.9% of those arguments already)

im not trying to be mean, aggressive or dismissive, but again, these rants are just me rambling with no intention of arguing with anyone, the only reason im still posting whenever i think of something thats bothering me (even if it might be dumb or be disproven in game bc i am not all-knowing and might be possibly misremembering something), and letting those posts be rebloggable/interactable is bc i have been told by quite a few people that they like reading them or that they feel validated in their own disappointment

thats it.

[monards]

can a girl ramble aboutthe way you can interpret so many parts of the propaganda and characterization of rhine by other the people/general populace of teyvat as people largely antagonizing neurodivergent traits without being chased with pitchforks and torches.

[fleetsonourgecentral]

Hey sorry for throwing this on you suddenly but aghhh I can’t take it anymore

We need to talk about Scourge coming in actual contact with Fleetway’s chaos energy. Sooner or later it’s bound to happen with all the batshit insanity that goes on that universe.

It’s so easy to say he would have a super crazed form much like Sonic’s. But there’s so much to possibly speculate because the strange way chaos energy works there. Scourge also originally absorbed master emerald energy from the Prime universe and I absolutely refuse to believe it just made him permanently green with a tiny power boost!

Some have suggested that Super Scourge would actually have a more docile gentler personality based on the fact Fleetway’s Evil King Sonic turns good when he absorbs chaos energy. So apply that to Scourge’s case. While everyone is relieved that he’s on their side, Sonic just gets pissed off ofc because that’s not his Scourge at all. Like okay he’s nice too nice, good, but give me back the green asshole I care about.

He could also possibly transform at will though rather than being emotion-based. (though it’ll be fucking hilarious whenever Scourge feels really happy and is just like aw fuck c’mon just let me be happy in the inside—super form)

He still wouldn’t largely remember what he did though when he’s Super (maybe exist as a voice in Super’s head at times) and Sonic bullies him for all the good deeds he does but is likely too flustered to talk about him at first

There can be still conflict to all of this because Sonic can never have it easy in his universe especially when it comes to Scourge. His Super form being aware of Scourge and often refuses to change back. The saving grace is that he could share Scourge’s cowardly traits, so Sonic goes borderline feral whenever this happens and scares his super form off 90% of the time. the other 10% is having the freedom fighters gently coax him to transform back/Scourge gaining back complete control. Over time he also could be mischievous with Sonic only and playfully mess with him in ways Sonic very much does not like.

or another scenario is since he originally absorbed chaos energy from the Prime universe, and is coming in contact with the corrupted chaos energy here, this might cause changes in him. Either gaining new abilities and power/ causing physical & mental imbalances/ (Scourge why tf are you acting like your Super sometimes—) / shares a deeper connection to the master emerald here that might lead to something objectively good or worse in the long run

but no one knows yet if transforming the way Sonic used to would apply to the other universes. He should be cautious. (Realistically, if Scourge has the will to transform, he wouldn’t even bother gotta keep that bad boy reputation he’s got after all.)

ahhh that’s all otherwise I think I might go on forever! anyway I hope you touch on this subject sometime again in the future, it’s so fun to see how you write them out.

Oh god okay okay okay you have given me MUCH to think about and I love it so muchhhh because I love to think about lore especially the lore of the chaos emeralds in the fleetway universe even if I usually never end up coming to a conclusion. Normally I try to only put my fics under a read more, but this got long so I'm putting it under a cut

Okay so you're absolutely correct that the easy thing to do is to assume the influence of the chaos emeralds would have the same effect on him as it did on Sonic, and initially, that was my knee-jerk reaction. The corrupted energy of the emeralds fucks over both Sonic and Kintobor, after all, so it's logical to assume they would do the same to Scourge. Outside of these two, the only other people we see under the influence of chaos energy are Chaos (which happens pre-Kintobor's tampering) and Super (who is made of chaos energy, and only chills out when he is drained of/disconnected from/doesn't use the powers of his chaos energy and immediately goes back to murderous the second he either uses the power of his chaos energy or comes into contact with the chaos emeralds) so those are all we've got to go on, and they don't provide a good track record. We know that in small amounts some chaos energy isn't immediately harmful - I believe the Power Rings in stc have very small amounts of chaos energy in them, and touching one of them didn't instantly cause Sonic to turn super - but if there's a build up, or just larger amounts, it rarely means something good. Following the pattern of what we know about the chaos emeralds and chaos energy in general, it is a reasonable conclusion that they would have the same impact on Scourge

A good point is raised about King Sonic and his reaction to the chaos emeralds, which adds to the evidence that the chaos emeralds may not instantly make Scourge's super form evil and out of control, but we're only in that universe for a little bit, and we don't get to see how chaos energy works in that universe. We don't know if there were any differences in Kintobor's experiments, for example - was he still trying to rid the world of evil by storing it in the emeralds, and were his experiments successful in this dimension? Or did he take a different approach and use the power of the emeralds as purification, instead of containment? - so it's impossible to tell if the chaos emeralds in that mirror dimension even work the same as the chaos emeralds in the main dimension. Not knowing if there are differences in how they work makes it difficult to know if the chaos emeralds in the main dimension would have the same impact on Scourge as the mirror dimension. Arguments can be made for both

What does immediately stand out is your point that Scourge absorbed the power of the Master Emerald in the prime dimension. I'm not too familiar with the lore of the chaos emeralds in the archie canon, but it's pretty safe to say it's very different to the lore and history of the chaos emeralds in the fleetway comics (they aren't fucked, for one). So the immediate question is: how would the chaos energy of these two different dimensions interact? It's tempting to say chaos energy is chaos energy, and that fleetway's corrupted energy would corrupt the chaos energy from the prime zone, but the chaos energy in these two dimensions presumably has completely different origins, so they might not even be similar enough for corruption to happen. Different wavelengths or something, the same way anarchy energy in Moebius is presumably different to the chaos energy of both the prime zone and the fleetway dimension. And if there's no corruption, how would these two very different chaos energies interact, or do they even interact at all?

On top of that, Scourge didn't just absorb any chaos energy. He got zapped specifically with the energy of the Master Emerald. So it's not just any old chaos energy, it's energy that can control and neutralise the chaos emeralds and their chaos energy. Whether or not Scourge can use that energy he got blasted with, that's still something pretty overpowered to be running through his body

So if he was to be hit with chaos energy from Sonic's dimension, how these two different energies interact - again, if they interact at all - could have a big impact on what happens to Scourge. Are the energies similar enough that the energy from the Master Emerald can neutralise the energy of the chaos emeralds that come from a completely different dimension? And if this energy can be controlled by the Master Emerald's energy, that gives Scourge a much better chance of retaining control over himself. Kintobor and Sonic notably got blasted with energy that grew unstable because they only had six of the emeralds, crucially missing the one emerald that controls the others. And when Knuckles has the emeralds, he can control their energy, even corrupted as it is, just fine, enough to put a stop to Robotnik. If the Master Emerald's energy in Scourge can do something similar, there's a very, very good chance he's not even at risk the same way Sonic is. It could very well just act like an ordinary super form

Or maybe the chaos energies are too different, and the Master Emerald's energy has no impact on the chaos emeralds from Sonic's dimension. From there, that could either be the equivalent to a negative chemical reaction, or nothing happens and the chaos emeralds continue to impact Scourge as normal. I'm leaning more towards the latter, because we see Scourge wield anarchy beryl post-ME zapping, and anarchy energy and chaos energy are presumably different energies, and the energy of the ME doesn't seem to change anything about the way anarchy energy influences Scourge, but the former is definitely a possibility considering the additional corruption of the chaos emeralds. It would probably look similar to what you mentioned (possible new powers, physical and/or mental imbalance, deeper connection to the master emerald, and honestly so many more possibilities)

Another thing that comes to mind is how the the chaos emeralds' impact Captain Plunder, when they temporarily absorb the negative energy of him and his crew. It's the only time I can think of we see the chaos emeralds impact anyone in a vaguely positive way, and is, imo, actually pretty good evidence to the idea that they could impact Scourge the same way they impact King Sonic. Of course, the difference here is that the pirates didn't (to my understanding) actually get blasted with chaos energy; they were just around the emeralds long enough for their negative energy to be absorbed, and the emeralds were retrieved before they could become unstable and blast the pirates with chaos energy. So maybe actually using the emeralds wouldn't have this impact, but again: if the energy from the Master Emerald can control the chaos emeralds, then maybe a side effect of using them without losing control might be the emeralds absorbing Scourge's negative energy; it's pretty safe to assume he must have a lot of it as an Anti Sonic, after all. It might not make a difference, again, because of the differences of Scourge having a connection to the prime dimension, not Sonic's dimension, but honestly, I don't think it would be a stretch to assume they would have this impact. To my understanding, it's pretty vague if this "negative energy" that the emeralds absorb is negative chaos energy, or something else entirely. So, up to whatever u wanna go with

Interestingly, this also means that even if turning super doesn't make Scourge mellow out the same way it does to King Sonic, just being around the emeralds and using them might. So Scourge might not even need to use them for them to change him, which... well, Sonic already doesn't have good associations with the chaos emeralds, so seeing them so drastically change Scourge even when he's not using them wouldn't sit well with him. As you said, he really, really likes Scourge, and he especially likes that Scourge is an asshole. The asshole is who he fell in love with, and he wouldn't take kindly to that being changed

His instinct is, of course, that the chaos emeralds will have the same effect on Scourge as they do on him, which is why he's so desperate to keep Scourge away from chaos energy. He wouldn't want to take the risk, and once they grow close, he especially doesn't want to lose someone else he loves to chaos energy. He wouldn't be happy about Scourge becoming "not an asshole" under their influence, but he's infinitely more terrified of them doing to Scourge what they did to him. Of course, there's no guarantee how long that will last. Like you said, Scourge is bound to come into contact with chaos energy eventually. It's just a matter of how much of it he comes into contact with. Sonic just has to pray it's a small, non-harmful amount

The tldr is that exactly how the emeralds and chaos energy impacts Scourge depends entirely on how you the rules work, and as there is no canon explanation for how these rules differ and thus would interact, it's entirely up to whim on how it would play out, and I am indecisive and like the sound of both scenarios lmao whoops. I enjoy chewing on these thoughts, because I like thinking about what the rules could be, and the results of these different rules. I like having options on how I want to spin things. So for now I haven't committed to one idea on how the emeralds would impact Scourge. That may change in the future, but for now it's a solid "whichever set of rules I wanna play with at any given time"

Okay fdhsdj now that I'm done overthinking the lore, I'm following up on the rest of your ask, because I also really like and am intrigued by the scenario presented here. I love the idea that Scourge can transform at will, because the interesting thing about chaos energy in Sonic's dimension is that it kinda... sticks around. Super is slowly drained, but he's made from chaos energy, so the rules are a bit different for him. And although Sonic comes down from being hopped up on chaos energy, we can assume there's still some in there, because stress can cause him to transform even when he's nowhere near the chaos emeralds or power rings. It's reasonable to assume that if Scourge used the emeralds, or maybe if he also absorbed a lot of chaos energy, there's a good chance it would stick around in his body too (maybe getting zapped by the ME also makes it so chaos energy sticks to him easier, if you want further explanation?)

And if it sticks around in his body, I think you could probably make a pretty strong case for Scourge being able to transform at will. Because although Sonic doesn't transform at will, I don't think Sonic really wants to. Why would he? His super form is destructive and has a very high risk of hurting innocent people and the people Sonic cares deeply about. The super form is an involuntary last resort, and considering the consequences that come with it, of course we won't see Sonic try to do it at will

You know who we do see use the powers of chaos energy at will, though? Super. You could make the argument this is an ability unique to him because he's made of chaos energy, but I don't see why it couldn't be an something Scourge (and Sonic, if he wanted to) could do. Granted, when Super used his powers he fell right back under the influence of the chaos energy, but if we're working under the assumption Scourge doesn't deal with those negative effects when he uses the chaos emeralds, then that isn't a consequence he has to worry about. So I think it's pretty reasonable to assume he could transform at will, because if Super can use the powers of chaos energy at will, why can't Scourge?

(That being said the idea of Scourge forcibly transforming because he got too excited or riled up or even too happy is a hilarious mental image that will delight me for the rest of my days)

Scourge would, however, hate that his super form is so nice lmao. It's hilarious how much he'd hate it. He'd be less reluctant to do it than Sonic if only because he doesn't have to deal with the same burdens Sonic does, but you're so right that he wouldn't bother to transform because he has a Reputation, and his super form threatens that reputation. Sonic had to wake up from every transformation going "oh god who did I hurt" while Scourge wakes up from every transformation going "what do you MEAN I built an orphanage with my bare hands??? This is the worst day of my life" and this is made worse by the fact the freedom fighters would not let him forget about any good deeds done while transformed

I LOVE the concept of Super Scourge refusing to change back, especially as it has a lot of weight to it. King Super Sonic's immediate reaction is to want to stay like that, and Super refuses to use his powers out of fear of becoming evil again. So it makes sense that Super Scourge in this scenario would refuse to turn back; his normal self is a horrible person, selfish and rude, why would he want to become that awful person again? In stc this is framed a good thing, because both Super and King Sonic were evil, but for Scourge? Becoming a nice person is closer to horror for him, tbh. For his entire self, the identity he clings so hard to, to be stripped away and locked up forever. Rendering him the same as any other Sonic in the multiverse, with absolutely no way to stand out. The idea of that happening - worse, of choosing to do that to himself - is horrifying to him. For once, becoming a "better" person is not the good option. It's the terrifying one

I also really like the idea that he shares Scourge's cowardice, and that is what ultimately makes him bend to the demands to change back. Sure, eventually Scourge would turn back on his own - super transformations are temporary after all - but if Super Scourge really was that reluctant to transform back, he'd search for a way to make it permanent, just like King Super Sonic, or at least keep it up longer. All it would really take is an extra dose of chaos energy from the emeralds to keep up the transformation for a little longer. So it's really nice that there's another reason he ends up transforming back outside of it happening naturally, even if the other reason is Sonic scaring the shit out of him and probably threatening to kick his ass until he transforms back lol. Honestly, in a way it's really sweet that Sonic loves his asshole boyfriend so much that he throws a fit over said asshole boyfriend becoming a nicer person. He finds it genuinely unnerving when Scourge isn't an asshole, and he hates that Super Scourge wants to say super, like Scourge's bad attitude is a thing that should be fixed. He especially hates it because he knows how much Scourge hates being perceived as nice or good or a hero, so watching Super Scourge act like he's better off this way upsets him greatly because he knows how much it would upset Scourge if he was in his right mind

As for headcanons about possible dynamics, I think Super Scourge would drive Sonic up the wall, mostly because Scourge becoming nice would lead to him, like, cuddling close to Sonic and saying lots and lots of sappy and romantic shit, and worse, being genuine while he says it. Sonic is flustered. Sonic hates it. That's not his boyfriend who says one thing and does another and only says nice things if it's wrapped in three layers of sarcasm and irony. He is pushing Super Scourge away and yelling at him to change back and stop trying to kiss him, stop being nice to him that's not how this works all while Super Scourge talks about how much he loves and appreciates Sonic. A kind of:

"You're beautiful" "HE'S LOST HIS MIND!!!! >:("

kinda dynamic.

(In the background, the freedom fighters are filming this interaction, and they will force Scourge to watch it once he's back to normal. Scourge will also hate this and is three seconds away from burying someone alive. He and Sonic silently agree to never talk about the incident, while the freedom fighters are committed to never letting them forget it)

[frogspawned]

pet peeve is when a story tells us something is aberrant, but it seems to matter more about who does the behavior than the behavior itself. rorschach in snyder's watchmen isn't going too far; we watch nite owl and silk spectre ii snap necks and arms with gleeful, loving abandon, in slow motion no less, while they lecture the audience about rorschach's violence. heroes frequently torture the plot contrivance out of a villain and then moralize to the camera when the villains do the same. indominus rex's killing spree doesn't shock or appall me; all the jurassic world dinosaurs act like mindless killing machines, and the camera lingers, rapturous, on their cruelty. it's not an outlier. there's nothing interesting about it beyond as a set piece.

in a better script, the indominus rex would have had pathos; a chimera made for entertainment, for profit, stitched together with no regard for itself and placed in a lonely box. a freak among freaks. of course it would be mad. but the film wasn't interested in it as an animal, or a character, only as a moving piece of scenery for people to scream at or breathe tensely while it can clearly smell and reach them but doesn't, because it isn't a character and doesn't have motivations.

it's just sort of boring, i suppose. it tries like all other empty drab things do to cover it with bombast and roaring and soaring brassy scores but it's just sort of dull. a sprawl of nothing.

conversely peele's nope is a transcendent monster movie, imo, because it thinks about the the whys and hows, how jean jacket perceives the world, how the world perceives her, and lets that shape the narrative as much as jupe or emerald or gordy. they consulted biologists and behaviorists, digging into the meat of it. the creature as a camera as an animal as a device. nope has layers. it takes its own insane premise seriously, and has something to say, and is a goddamn good movie. i forgot where i was going with this.

[ollylotl]

I WANT TO HEAR YOUR DAKOTA N VYNCENT THOUGHTS SO BAD please tell me about them.....

oooh dakota and vyncent…, where do i start. i warn you i don't normally do like. character analysis writing type posts? so please excuse if it's bad.

they have perhaps the most strained relationship out of the prime defenders. but that's not necessarily a bad thing. it's really compelling. they're very similar but also very different at the same time. and maybe this is why they can sort of grate against each other sometimes, but is also why they are such good friends who can rely on each other.

vyncent grew up living a life that, while not necessarily comfortable, he was familiar with. he was happy and he had a support system in the greats and his parents. that got ripped away from him very suddenly and he got dropped in the deep end of a world entirely unfamiliar. meanwhile dakota (from after his parents death onwards) had a very difficult childhood. he spent many years without a support system - his parents gone, his aunt struggling herself and not able to care for him as he needs. but he's had time to learn to deal with that. rockfall/new haven is where he's grown up, and he knows it like the back of his hand. so they're both struggling but like in opposite ways? where vyncent has been okay for most of his life but now he hasn't had a chance to adjust, while dakota's been going through it for longer but that means he's been able to adjust and is familiar with the rules of this world.

they also have opposite ways of coping with bad things / tackling their problems. dakota shuts down. vyncent lashes out. dakota is determined to never take a life. vyncent comes from a world where fighting to the death is normal. dakota not only trusts, but idolises heroes. vyncent has been nothing but let down by them and doesn't trust them at all.

i think about that scene in season 1 so much where they're at mark's house, and tide has been taken, and dakota's just shut down. vyncent starts yelling at him because he's lost everything he had in this world and can't afford to just stop like that. it's just the perfect example of how their opposite experiences and coping mechanisms cause them to clash.

more extremely, when william gets killed. dakota completely breaks down, while vyncent starts attacking even more furiously. then vyncent is like. almost pleading (? you could say? not sure if thats the word) with dakota to just get up and fight because he can't do this alone. he can't do this without dakota. he couldn't have done any of this without dakota.

but in perhaps the more simple ways, they're quite alike. they're the epitome of dumb teenage boys. i mean, they'll just break into a duet on the train. they goof off together - the shopping cart race, that one scene in the gym in season one.

so. like. they lean on each other. they both don't have much to rely on. but they have each other. i think vyncent was probably, even if its a large part subconsicous, feeling betrayed when dakota left over the s1-2 timeskip. likewise how dakota felt betrayed over the bino and mark thing / mal amulet / belltech, etc. etc. but they stick together. no matter what they go through they get out of it, and they get out of it together.

so. okay apologies for taking so long to say so little. essentially what i like most about dakota and vyncent's friendship is that duality of relying on each other both out of necessity and because they're the only ones who really get each other, and also having the energy of like. "hey bro how many slices of pizza can i fit in my mouth at once. hey bro bet you cant backflip off of this building. hey bro let's do a karaoke duet of breaking free from high school musical"

as vyncent himself said in late season 2. they're brothers. (falls over and sobs)

[biohazbat]

I want to preemptively say, if anything I say about a character is incongruent with canon, then I'll immediately adjust it like I was an inexperienced writer hired by DC and had to be retconned