#I love speculating about this because I think it’s a fun way to contrast him and Brain

[cq-studios]

29. How do you think they would be as a parent?—Ephemer

Ooh, okay, I do spend quite a bit of time thinking about this.

So, I think Ephemer would be a really fun dad overall, but he’s also not entirely stable.

He’d mask a lot of his pain with his cheery demeanour but sometimes his kid(s) will come home and just see him completely broken on the couch or something. Ephemer has a lot of trauma and I very much doubt Scala in general, let alone early Scala, has a good grasp on or ways to help treat mental health issues.

Speaking of that trauma though, I don’t think he’d want his kid(s) to be Keyblade wielders. I’ve talked about this before, but Daybreak Town certainly had a lot of kids dying… all the time. I can’t imagine that anyone, let alone someone as social as Ephemer, could’ve avoided that. I feel that Ephemer would be against kids wielding Keyblades similarly to how Skuld was against Shift Pride, with the compromise being the education system. Even still though, I can’t imagine Ephemer would be too comfortable with the idea.

I also think for similar reasons that he’d be a bit of a helicopter parent lol. All up in his kid(s) business, always checking in to make sure they’re okay, can’t let them out of sight for too long. Like people who had too much freedom when they were younger tend to not give their kids enough freedom and Ephemer certainly had quite a bit of freedom when he was younger.

I feel like his partner would try and rein him in a bit, to moderate success. The anxiety wins over quite often, but it gets better as the kid(s) get older.

I’m trying to think if I have any other headcannons about this but I think that’s it

[hollowed-theory-hall]

Do you think that some wizards are naturally born with significantly greater magical power than others?

For example, the Dumbledore family seemed to be like this: Albus himself was a great wizard, and both his sister and nephew were able to withstand an Obscurial inside them for as long as possible and not die at a young age because of it.

Lily and Tom Riddle were able to control their magic at an early age, which I believe might have been due to their lack of understanding about what was happening to them. However, they used their abilities for different purposes; unlike Tom, who used his magic to harm others, Lily used hers solely for fun.

Although each wizard developed their magic differently, Dumbledore was naturally talented and actively sought knowledge. However, the tragedy involving his sister led him to reevaluate his ambitions of ruling alongside Grindelwald. He lived for over a century, continuously honing his skills. In contrast, Voldemort lived only half as long as Dumbledore, devoting his entire life to the pursuit of domination over others.

Unlike the two men, Lily had a very short life and didn’t have the opportunity to reach their level of knowledge. From what we know of her, she seemed more skilled in specific areas of magic rather than mastering all fields. Another key difference is that both men sought power, while nothing of the sort was mentioned about Lily. She was described as vivacious and sociable, focusing more on the human aspects of life—such as family, love, and friendship—though she was certainly not stupid.

Another point to consider is Lily's sacrificial protection. While magic typically requires intent, it doesn’t always need a wand as its conduit; wandless magic is indeed possible. Lily’s childhood ability to harness her magic without a wand may have unconsciously intensified her desire to protect Harry.

Many have speculated whether others have faced a situation similar to Lily's on that fateful night, where they were presented with a choice they ultimately refused, sacrificing themselves to protect their loved ones. While such instances may have occurred, Lily's magic was inherently more powerful than that of others, which played a crucial role in ensuring Harry's survival.

Hi 👋

And yes, I do. I think some wizards are more innately powerful than others and are more skilled in certain aspects of magic.

It is stated multiple times in the books some wizards are more talented in different areas of magic/are more naturally inclined to these areas of magic:

“Pettigrew . . . that fat little boy who was always tagging around after them at Hogwarts?” said Madam Rosmerta. “Hero-worshipped Black and Potter,” said Professor McGonagall. “Never quite in their league, talent-wise.

(PoA, 207)

“Many witches and wizards, talented though they are in the area of loud bangs and smells and sudden disappearings, are yet unable to penetrate the veiled mysteries of the future,” Professor Trelawney went on, her enormous, gleaming eyes moving from face to nervous face. “It is a Gift granted to few. You, boy,”

(PoA, 103)

And some wands also are more inclined to one field of magic over another:

Your father, on the other hand, favored a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more power and excellent for transfiguration.

(PS, 61)

You have your mother’s eyes. It seems only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wand. Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charm work.

(PS, 61)

And if we're talking power levels, if we look at the Golden Trio, we can see Harry clearly had the edge in terms of raw magical power, bending the very way spells are meant to be cast:

She aimed a curse over her shoulder. The tank rose into the air and tipped. Harry was deluged in the foul-smelling potion within. The brains slipped and slid over him and began spinning their long, colored tentacles, but he shouted, “Wingardium Leviosa!” and they flew into the air away from him. Slipping and sliding he ran on toward the door.

(OotP, 809)

And that Harry's magic is more intuitive than basically every other wizard we meet:

Dust swirled around Harry like mist, catching the blue gaslight, as Mrs. Black continued to scream. “Mudbloods, filth, stains of dishonor, taint of shame on the house of my fathers—“ “SHUT UP!” Harry bellowed, directing his wand at her, and with a bang and a burst of red sparks, the curtains swung shut again, silencing her

(DH, 171)

(I have more evidence for this here)

That being said, magical power is affected by other factors. Years of study and experience like Dumbledore has would make everyone a better wizard. Dumbledore himself is powerful, but he puts a lot of effort into studying and advancing his skills in magic, something Harry doesn't do, but can still get similar results. Magic is referred to as a skill that you can train, even if the talent isn't there:

“Yes, but it took a great deal of skilled Legilimency to coax it out of him,” said Dumbledore

(HBP, 367)

“You cannot pass an O.W.L.,” said Professor McGonagall grimly, “without serious application, practice, and study. I see no reason why everybody in this class should not achieve an O.W.L. in Transfiguration as long as they put in the work.” 

(OotP, 257)

Or how Harry is told to practice Occlumancy, or how Snape has them practice silent casting in 6th year. Like with most skills, practice makes perfect.

So even a mediocre wizard in terms of natural talent could do some complex magic with practice, as seen with Crabbe, actually:

“Fiendfyre — cursed fire — it’s one of the substances that destroy Horcruxes, but I would never, ever have dared use it, it’s so dangerous — how did Crabbe know how to — ?” “Must’ve learned from the Carrows,” said Harry grimly.

(DH, 537)

Fiendfyre is no easy spell to cast and control. He shows he can't quite control it, but he can cast the powerful curse even if he isn't very magically powerful or talented because he's been taught and he practiced.

Similarly, mental state can effect one's magic. Neville was thought to be a squib when he was younger:

but the family thought I was all-Muggle for ages. My Great Uncle Algie kept trying to catch me off my guard and force some magic out of me — he pushed me off the end of Blackpool pier once, I nearly drowned — but nothing happened until I was eight. Great Uncle Algie came round for dinner, and he was hanging me out of an upstairs window by the ankles when my Great Auntie Enid offered him a meringue and he accidentally let go. But I bounced — all the way down the garden and into the road. They were all really pleased, Gran was crying, she was so happy.

(PS, 91)

(Also, fuck, Neville's childhood makes me so sad)

But he isn't magically weak in any way. I wouldn't say he's incredibly powerful, but he's also not weak:

He and the D.A. were resisting her under her very nose, doing the very thing that she and the Ministry most feared, and whenever he was supposed to be reading Wilbert Slinkhard’s book during her lessons he dwelled instead on satisfying memories of their most recent meetings, remembering how Neville had successfully disarmed Hermione, how Colin Creevey had mastered the Impediment Jinx after three meetings’ hard effort

(OotP, 397)

His self-doubt and being under stress affected his magic negatively. Neville is another example of a wizard whose magic gets better with practice, both due to his boosted confidence, and the fact that practice does help.

Even Harry, who is one of the more magically powerful characters we see is affected by his own perception of what he can and can't do, regardless of whether it's magically possible as I mentioned above. When he thinks he can do something, like fix his own wand with the Elder wand, he can do it, even though Ollivanders thinks it's impossible to accomplish (I talk about this a bit more here)

So, long story short, yes, I think there is an innate talent/power factor to magic. But, like many skills, it can be honed with practice and improve with your mental state.

Magic is kind of like drawing. Some people are naturally talented and it comes naturally to them easily. Some need to work much harder just to get the same results. Some practice for years in professional environments and get really good at it. Some rando on the internet taught themselves, but their pieces wouldn't look out of place in a museum. Some people don't have the talent but work their ass off to get really good at drawing, and some don't have the talent and are fine with just drawing stick figures forever. Some would rather draw better but feel incapable due to the amount of effort it'll need, so they stick to stick figures even if they aren't happy with it. And your mental state and inspiration matter, sometimes it's hard to draw when you feel like shit. And how these different people would think of drawing would be different depending on their natural inclination, some would just know where the light comes from and how the shadows would look like on the object because that's how it works, while others would need to find a reference to look at or have a completely different way to visualize it.

As we see characters like Dumbledore and Hermione have a very rigid by-the-book approach to magic. Both have talent but they hone their talent in study and bookish approach to magic. Harry, on the other hand, is very instinctive with magic. He doesn't really know why what he does works, he just knows it does because he has a lot of natural talent.

Tom Riddle and Severus Snape are examples of characters who are a bit of both. They are clearly naturally talented and can approach magic intuitively — Tom learned to control his magic before he understood what it is, and both of them invented spells quite easily compared to most wizards — all signs of natural, intuitive talent in spellwork. But they both also studied like mad to improve themselves even more. And their studies do pay off, they are two of the more powerful wizards in the books.

Young Lily, as you said, casts some very well-controlled accidental magic, much like Tom does. So, yeah, I'd say she is naturally talented and powerful and it likely had a hand in her being able to cast her protective magic over Harry by instinct in her death — like we see Harry cast magic in instinct. I think Lily had an approach to magic on an instinctual feeling level very similar to what Harry has. At least, in my headcanon. But, I think the magical protection is basically a lot of circumstances coming together on half-coincidence and half-Lily casting a spell like the "shut up" scene I brought up above where Harry accidentally casts "shut up" as a spell because of strong emotions — so I think the protections she left for Harry are similar in how the magic worked all on her force of will and intention. Nut raw talent definitely helped. Lily would've likely gotten more powerful with study and practice had she lived longer as shown by other characters.

TL;DR

Magic is a skill. Some people are born more talented, or with a better disposition for the skill, or aspect of the skill, but this isn't all there is to magic. Factors like study, practice, confidence, and your mental state in general do heavily affect your ability to do magic. Some need more or less practice to achieve the same results, but most magic is possible to everyone assuming they put in the work (bar special inherited gifts like Parseltongue, or being a Metamorphmagus)

[baddybaddyadardaddy]

I am here to ask your vision on sex repulsed Adar?

I know, the complete oposite of the daily sceduled hornyposting but I feel like after the uruk creation he could have NOPE'd hard and nowadays it only recalls trauma.

OKAY HI, I LOVE THIS ONE BECAUSE I ACTUALLY HAVE A LOT OF FEELINGS ABOUT IT!!!!

I grant you, Horny!Adar is obviously VERY fun to picture and speculate on, and while I do believe our guy is CAPABLE of being a complete and utter sensual sexpot/cunnilingus king... I think the point you raise is VERY VAILD.

In my own personal opinion (and this gets explored a bit in my longfic Awake, Arise), there IS a strong degree of sex aversion that Adar carries as a result of his trauma. IMO, Adar experienced so much manipulation by Morgoth when it came to sex and the creation of the uruks that it takes him to the point where he can't trust anything about his own sexual impulses. So I think that naturally, there would be a tendency to avoid anything that might provoke it.

(Lowkey that's why I do actually like all the headcanons around "Adar can smell arousal" because I think he would be soooo reluctant to engage in any kind of activity unless he had a way to know for sure that the other person was consenting, and that would be a very tangible indication. If there was a shade of doubt or hesitation from a potential partner, he wouldn't be able to bring himself to do it. IMHO. Conversely, I could see consent as being a MAJOR turn on. But he'd be Very Confused about it initially.)

Looking at our two versions of Adar, I think Joseph Mawle's Adar definitely reads as more celibate/sex repulsed. Which makes for quite the contrast to Sam Hazeldine's take, because he was clearly ready to fuck everyone in sight. While I'm having MUCH FUN with the latter, I think the former is truer to Adar's character. Just my take!

Anyway, I included some snippets from Awake, Arise where I go into this a lil bit under the cut, in case anyone is interested... [cw: non-con/dubcon references]

From Awake, Arise or Be For Ever Fall'n chapter 8:

The Dark Lord overtakes his mind, moving through every inch of it until it is filled to the brim with vile thoughts and feelings that he does not want, but cannot escape. Melkor knows nothing of tenderness—only of taking, of possessing. For Melkor, there is only lust, and the visions that now flood his mind are soaked in it. He feels a dull sense of horror as his body begins to respond of its own accord. . . . he suddenly finds it impossible to distinguish where Melkor’s control of him ends, and where his own urges begin. 

From chapter 21:

[Lenneth's] voice is close—so close he can feel her breath ghost over his ear. It is a sudden, unexpected, pleasurable sensation that sets every sinew in his body shivering. He recoils instinctively. It is a feeling he cannot trust, for it is inextricably linked to Morgoth, and the way the dark king had so often manipulated his mind and body when he had been summoned to breed. He catches a glimpse of Lenneth’s confused face as he pulls back, rising to his feet and wincing in his shame.

[infiniteeight8]

I love your dabbles!! And time travel is my favorite!

Can we get more if the ironstrange time travel when Tony shows up in the hospital room? Maybe an outsiders POV?

Oooh, one of my favourites of the ficlets and outsider POV! This is a very fun prompt. :D

We could get more outsider-y than Christine, but I felt like her familiarity with pre-accident Stephen would make the contrast more interesting.

It also occurred to me when I was almost done that you might have wanted something a little further along in the development of this timeline, but this is what I thought of when I pondered outsider POVs. Hopefully it is still enjoyable!

-

Christine could hear Stephen’s voice, crisp and animated, long before she approached his hospital room. That could mean only one thing: Mr. Stark was visiting. 

In the days after Stephen was recovered from the wreck and before he woke from surgery, Christine had braced herself for denial, or fury, or depression. Operating was everything to Stephen. It had certainly meant more to him than their relationship. She’d braced herself for a viciously rocky road to whatever recovery he could make, and for the first few hours, it had seemed like depression had won the lottery. Stephen had been so silent. It was an unsettling reaction from a man who had opinions on everything, especially everything medical. 

And then Tony Stark had arrived and it was like the entire world went screwy.

Not only had Stephen snapped out of his nascent depression, he didn’t even seem to care about his hands. He didn’t denigrate the work of his doctors, he didn’t ask for a second opinion. He didn’t even ask to see his own films! Instead he spent every waking moment—literally—deep in discussion with man he’d once described as the worst possible expression of the military-industrial complex. And that had been after Stark’s establishment as Iron Man. Just because now he’s keeping the bombs for his personal use, Stephen had said once, doesn’t make him a hero.

Honestly, if Stephen hadn’t been in a hospital, closely monitored, Christine would have suspected Stark of… of… something. She couldn’t think of any drug or bribe or whatever that would turn Stephen’s opinion around so dramatically, but it still made more sense than reality! Christine couldn’t even call it a nervous breakdown—Stephen somehow seemed better adjusted than before his crash.

Shaking her head, Christine continued on her way to Stephen’s room. She’d promised herself she’d be there for him, even if the role she’d expected to take had somehow been co-opted by Tony Stark.

“…not sure,” Stephen was saying as she approached. “The first time I was in hospital for a month, but I didn’t have anyone to help me care for myself. Christine tried, but I was… not receptive.” 

The first time? Christine didn’t think he’d ever been hospitalized before. 

Stephen looked up and saw her in the doorway and any chance at more information was lost. “Christine!” Stephen said warmly as Mr. Stark dismissed a hologram. Christine only glimpsed enough to guess it was some sort of timeline before it was gone. “Tony and I were just speculating when I might be released. I don’t suppose you have any inside information?”

“Ah, no, I’m afraid not,” Christine said, somehow thrown off balance again. “It would probably depend on how much support you have. Your apartment—“

“Nah, he’ll be staying with me,” Mr. Stark jumped in. “I can get you whatever support you need,” he told Stephen. “Nurses, accessibility features, you name it.”

Christine’s gaze flew to Stephen, expecting him to flinch at ‘accessibility,’ but he just nodded. “Thank you, that will help. The sooner I can get out of here, the better.”

“Stephen, are you sure you’re comfortable with that?” Christine jumped in, glancing at Mr. Stark. 

“I won’t be freeloading,” Stephen assured her, as if that was the problem. “Tony and I have a big project to get started on.”

“Huge, world changing project,” Mr. Stark added brightly. Then he got a considering look on his face and turned to Stephen. “We’re going to need support staff. Do you think—?”

Stephen hummed thoughtfully. “It wouldn’t have worked before, but this time, maybe.”

“We’ll add it to the list,” Tony said.

Christine could only glance between them. It felt like she was missing half the conversation, but, somehow, she suspected it was a lot more than half.

[mayze2]

almost nobody in the fandom talks about this (possibly scrapped) wh character & it made me sad so I drew them interacting w/ the main beta home rivals a bit :) I love you n your raggedy fashion sense forever Maisie! put some of my thoughts about this playfellow + beta home in general under the cut if you’d like to read

there really isn’t much about her (check the context links included in the post for more info) that’s been divulged publicly BUT based on their name + clothing I think she was inspired by a scarecrow (maisie -> maize/corn -> corn field -> scarecrows go in corn fields) (the bandanna/scarf, long sleeves, and over-shirt together are v reminiscent of a scarecrow)? I also think that, going by the explicit religious imagery that was in beta home, they might have also been initially created as an allusion to the Crucifixion of Jesus within the Bible — since scarecrows are often put up in crucifixion pose.

As for what role I think she would’ve played in the beta version of welcome home, I think they likely did something that Wally didn’t like (maybe questioning his authority somehow if we choose build off of the possible aforementioned connections to Jesus and the cross) that resulted in her being mangled by him or someone else under his command (Wally is heavily implied to have been the villain in beta wh, so him causing physical pain to others wouldn’t be surprising).

Personally, I ascribe to the theory of them and Wally having previously been cohosts in beta home, but because of a disagreement they had (about the neighborhood maybe?) she got brutalized somehow, and thus was tucked away into some abandoned corner of the show to rot while Wally became the sole host. This event would have probably been the cause for Maisie to discover the true nature of something (probably related to the neighborhood itself), and this information they learn would act as the catalyst for Wally’s downfall. Sunny would discover her somehow as a result of his snooping around Home to calm his suspicions about Wally, and through some convincing the two would work together to stop whatever Wally is doing and save their friends from him. That’s just my speculation though lol

Beta Welcome Home is a very interesting thing to me, because it’s so different from the Welcome Home we have now. I like seeing the contrast between the versions of the playfellows a lot, and it kinda makes me feel oddly nostalgic for WH during the fandom boom it had? It was a pretty stressful time, but the wondering about how characters might act in canon before their personalities were further demonstrated back then was fun. I guess beta home is kind of a way for me to experience that again.

[gendervapor14]

treating myself to some old OP episodes to alleviate the horrors and i can’t resist the urge to ramble about bell-mère’s death a little bit.

so, i will start here, with this iconic moment:

manga readers may notice something right off the bat. “hey, arlong’s not aiming for her head!” yes, in the anime, seems they switched his aim for the heart. i actually prefer this. first of all, that flintlock is huge compared to her, so head or heart, it’s gonna kill her. not a fatality issue. i’m just a huge sap, and i think there’s something more symbolic about him shooting her in the heart for defending her love - her kids. (even tho all of this could have been avoided if she just lied, and then she’d actually be able to keep loving and supporting her kids, but, uh, i digress)

this moment really captured me when i was first watching, because for the first time, one piece truly felt dark. this wasn’t just an upsetting backstory. it had some element of gore here, which i’m not sure would be as effective if he went through with a headshot. they might have censored it a bit more.

more (slightly gruesome) photos and analysis beneath the cut 👀

look at what they got away with here!! this was early one piece mind you, so i feel like things were generally a little cushier? (or maybe that’s just my nostalgia talking XD) but the harsh black and white contrast, the utter silence during this scene, the speed in which this happened! (it was a pain to pause and scrub and get good screenshots, let me add). i will say i’m not up to date with current OP shenanigans, but to me, this seems like one of the most abrupt and brutal deaths in the series. (and this doesn’t even put into account the horrid beating she got beforehand)

there are some nice parallels here between her death and rosinante’s, (most notably her last words being “i love you” to nami and nojiko, and a flintlock as the weapon of choice), but even then, i think this is a bit nastier. seven little bullets in a 10ft tall man is painful, yes, but it wasn’t gruesome, and he managed to cling onto life for a little while afterwards. this was just. bang. done. heart – gone. leaves the viewer totally reeling.

in a way i feel like it’s almost an honor for bell-mère to get such a violent death? okay hear me out i know that sounds crazy. she sacrificed herself for her kids and went out kicking and screaming (or standing solemnly, towards the end). she brought forth such a refreshing take on women in one piece. i mean, let’s not forget this scene:

she was gonna blow his brains out!! zero hesitation!! how many characters in this series, let alone women, would go through something like this? i get that different characters have different honor codes and such, but it was sooo incredibly invigorating to see a woman get her hands dirty like this.

so by that logic, it’s kind of weirdly nice to see her not be treated like a little doll? this is highly speculative though, because i’ve noticed there’s this rather annoying trend where women are used as a moral compass for villains. “oh, look how deplorable arlong is, he did that to a young pretty woman!” we see the same thing with doflamingo, for instance, in his “fight” with viola. “oh how heinous, he threw her to the ground! how disrespectful! she’s just an innocent princess!” yeah, ugh. getting off tangent here

this whole scene set a standard for me, (and hopefully other viewers), who kind of saw the series as a fun lighthearted pirate adventure. yes, there was tragedy and sadness before this arc, before this backstory, but something about this moment in particular made my perception tremble. the bar was raised! a compelling character and backstory can have a truly harrowing ending!! a delightful revelation for me, for whatever reason XD

feel free to chime in if ya got any additional comments or takes on the matter. i don’t think bell-mère gets enough love. if you do wanna chime in, just um. be nice. i’m not the sharpest knife in the drawer, okay. and multiple interpretations of these scenes are valid! i’d love to hear ‘em! <3

[steelycunt]

helloooo ridi. I have been thinking about young r/s a lot and I know that you describe them (especially s) as being "strange" about the other before they ever talked about their feelings and I wanted to ask if you had any examples that come to mind

hiiii love!! yah absolutely!! predicting my own too-long rambling response 2 this by adding a cut straight away but. i do have thoughts :^)

obviously usual disclaimer that this is. speculation this is my headcanon and in answering im probably going to take for granted a lot of insights into the general mwpp dynamic that other people might (and are free to) disagree with xx but for me personally!! i am one for them always sensing that their feelings towards each other r a little strange compared to their other friendships within the group long before they manage to identify romantic feelings from platonic ones or just generally understand what it is they feel for each other. n im going to go mostly with s here because i think a good way of laying it out is by contrasting it with the way i view his dynamic with j, although for the record i definitely imagine r to always feel a little strange towards s too.

i do genuinely think s loved j in a way that is perhaps. pointless to label as either platonic or romantic but in a way that was very different to the way he felt about r and i think. that difference at first is all he's aware of. he meets j and they are a double-act they're a two-headed monster they're each other's phantom limb they're thick as thieves they're more than brothers but i think immediately his dynamic and his closeness with r are very different and thus strange to him. they are not a double-act. he does not always know what r is thinking (although he wants to). their intimacy feels strange because it is not intimacy as a product of like. familiarity or similarity the way his intimacy with james is (horribly clumsy way of wording that but hopefully you can make some sense of it). i wouldn't necessarily go as far as to call them opposites because i think in a lot of ways they aren't, at all, but to me it is the difference between sitting next to someone at a table (j) and sitting across from them (r).

and i think the uncertainty when it comes 2 his relationship with r and his feelings about r mean that he sort of craves it more yknow (especially because he. unconsciously thinks a close relationship with r is infinitely worth earning). he seeks it out. r can make him uncomfortable and he likes that. i think he would go out of his way to make r laugh i think he would get a certain sense of triumph out of accomplishing it that he wouldnt look for/need with james. r's general aura of strange wistfulness and melancholy also contributes to this (and this is partly why i hesitate to position them as opposites) because although their experiences are so so different there is an understanding of. suffering? trauma? whatever you would like to call it that s can get from r that james (although he is very loving) just cannot provide because he has not experienced that. the discussions he has with r are not the same ones he has with j. the fact that r is more difficult to get close 2 and to make smile etc makes s want to try harder to accomplish it. and he wouldnt necessarily recognise that in himself but i do think if he tells a joke and everyone laughs he is conscious of the fact that he gets the most reward from having made r laugh. and not only that but he wants the person who makes r laugh to be him.

i do also think he is just. softer about r. whether or not he realizes it or whether he thinks his softness is just a result of r seeming more melancholy to him than the others/post-lycanthropy discovery just feeling the need (rightly or wrongly) to be more protective over him. like they are twelve n s will playfight and roughhouse j all day for fun but with r he will only ever. pretend to do it or mime doing it or do it very gently not just because r is generally in worse health but also because the idea of accidentally actually hurting r is genuinely very distressing to him. also touching him a lot probably also make s' stomach hurt and makes him go all sweaty and light-headed for reasons he doesn't want to explore. idk i am sure this has gotten far too long by now but i think. the strangeness is best felt by both of them when comparing how they feel about each other with how they feel about their other friends. its an intimacy that does not even resemble anything brotherly or familial and at their young age that is what they think it means to be friends with someone. it is not comparable with anyone else it is not as easily labelled it is full of hesitations and private moments and give and take and it trembles and it shapeshifts and it doesn't let anyone else in. there is essentially a private joke between them, except neither of them are in on it.

[atamascolily]

TBF S4 Speculation: We Could Be Immortal

Urobuchi has said in interviews that Thunderbolt Fantasy Season 4 is going to dig into Shang and Lin's backstories. I'm of two minds on this--on the one hand, I live for juicy details about my faves, gimme all ya got. On the other hand, one thing I genuinely like about TBF is how much remains mysterious and open into interpretation. Character backstories can be challenging, and up until this point, they haven't been necessary for the narrative--I think Urobuchi is a talented enough writer to pull off a satisfying reveal that ties into everything else, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little nervous... and curious.

Because I love speculating, and because there's still a month and a half before S4 starts airing, I'm going to write out my thoughts for the hell of it.

I first came across the "Shang is a fallen god" theory from @jafndaegur's fic "Just A Guy With A Sword" and it's intrigued me ever since. A past history as a martial god of some sort would not only explain Shang's unique skill set, it would also explain why collecting magical swords and preventing misuse of them is so uniquely personal--as a way of atoning for the suffering and destruction he's undoubtedly been privy to in that kind of privileged position. Not to mention that Shang's decision to reject his destiny/role and do his own thing as a (mostly) ordinary human being feels so in-character for him.

I like this idea because it makes Shang, and his emphasis on appreciating everyday life becomes even more poignant and meaningful as a result. It fits into the series' larger themes of the responsible use of power and an emphasis on free will and choice over destiny and fate. Plus, it would delightfully recontextualize the entire series, from Lin Xue Ya's wry comment at their first meeting that Shang has no respect for the divine to Shang's conversation with Bai Lian, an ordinary person who was mistaken for an immortal. Not to mention a contrast with whatever Huo Shi Ming Huang has planned--unknown for now, but almost certainly related to acquiring cosmic power(s). Up to this point, we've only had humans and demons, but there's no reason why Urobuchi couldn't up the stakes even more by introducing beings with entirely new power levels, just like he did with the introduction of the Sorcerous Sword Index at the end of S1.

(Also, as a bonus, this would be a backstory for Shang that wouldn't involve fridging his family or anyone else he cared about; we've had quite enough of that already, thank you very much.)

On a meta level, becoming an all-powerful divinity has been a running theme throughout Urobuchi's prior works, so the idea of someone starting out as a god and then giving it up seems like a logical evolution of the idea, as well as a fun twist. I could totally see him doing it here.

I've suspected for a long time that Lin Xue Ya might not be fully human--his lack of canonical birthday (when even the immortal demons have them!), his incredible genre-savviness, etc, etc, all point to someone who isn't what he seems to be, on top of his general sketchiness. (Depending on how seriously you take the epilogue to Bewitching Melody of the West, it also seems like he has knowledge that he shouldn't otherwise have, again pointing to him as a meta-narrator and authorial stand-in.) As a trickster figure, he echoes the kitsune of Japanese legend (who can take on human form in many stories), and the main Pili series has a bunch of dragons with human forms. [A recent social media post for this year's Dragon Boat Festival also put Lin Xue Ya in the role of Bai Suzhen, the famous "White Snake" of legend who took on human form and fell in love, so, uh, there's that.] Lin Xue Ya's backstory also involves him giving up and turning away from the path of the sword, which in turn could mean that he also gave up on other things as well when he became a wandering thief and rogue whose sole purpose in life is his own personal amusement.

Previously, my one stumbling block with this theory was that Lin and Shang are both opposites and equals in every sense of the word. This is, for instance, the reason why Lin also has to be a Secret Sword Master at the end of Season 1, because Shang is one. In order for them to contrast each other most effectively, they have to be on the same level. Thus, if Lin Xue Ya isn't or wasn't human, then Shang also has to be the same level of being in order for this symmetry to be maintained. Having Shang be a fallen god would satisfy this requirement and then some.

Given that the ending of the series is most likely Shang and Lin walking off into the sunset together as their journey continues, this backstory would also mean they were and have always been timeless and archetypal, with no beginning or end, and the symmetry is also pleasing to me.

Is this where the story is actually going? I have no idea, but this is certainly plausible and I look forward to finding out!

[danganronpasurvivoraskblog]

A2-4....this chapter. I knew this chapter was coming and I'm still shocked you ranked it so high as given how much you despise Nikei as a character, I expected this to be way, way lower for you.

Ironically enough this Chapter was the reason yesterday's review of 1-6 came out late as I was hyper analysing a Fangan which had a enomorus impact on this Chapter and that is The After Chapter 2. Which if you don't know, that Fangan casts a massive shadow over this chapter as had LINUJ not watched it, we could have had a very different A2-4.

An A2-4, might I add, if my deductions on what the original plans for it were, would have probably made you stop playing the game from how pissed off you would have been over it.

You speculate that something must have happened to LINUJ between Another 1 and Another 2 to jaded him to reality and make him believe humanity cannot change their core nature and character development doesn't exist. I'm not a mind reader so I wouldn't know but what I do know is between that tranistional period, LINUJ had to do national service (If you don't know, South Korea is one of the few countries where all men have to do mantorary national service so they can be ready when the country comes under attack, most likely from North Korea) and thus I can only imagine this was what made him think humans suck. But its just a guess as I do know LINUJ talked about him being in the army while he was thinking ideas for Another 2.

So let's get the pretext out of the way regarding the man of the hour; Nikei Yomiuri. My opinion on him when compared to yours might as well be on the other side of galaxy by how much of a contrast it is. However I also understand why you think he's a piece of shit that deserves to die, because he does do very heinious acts throughout Chapter 4, and the way he not only tricks the cast but also the player and I think that is the crux of where a lot of hatred to Nikei comes from. I personally see him as the best example of a liar character even more so then Celestia and Kokichi, as those two lie yes, and the cast fell for them, but you the player were never fooled. Nikei however casts wool not only over Sora and co but also the player, and thus when he's revealed to be self-serving and only out for himself, the player will react nuclear due to being personally betrayed. You placed faith in Nikei and he broke and that's where most haters come from.

Besides The After Chapter 2 contains Ryohei Seki, a character that I hate as much as you loathe Nikei, and when I was getting so mad at his actions, I then realised this must have been what you and all the other Nikei haters felt in A2-4. Ironically enough given how he's the reason Nikei even dies at all in this chapter you might love Ryohei. But there is one thing I do have disagree massively with you.

The idea that Nikei was always meant to be a shallow arsehole and he's nothing more then that. Because let me ask you this, if Nikei is as shallow and only cares about himself like you said he does; then why did LINUJ consider making him the main protagonist in Onmake Mode before his laptop bricked?

Because let me tell you, yes you can have unlikable and jerkish protagonists, but the player is still meant to sympathise with them. And if Nikei was this shallow selfish dick the whole way through the game, it would be very unfun and would turn a lot of people away from the game as generally you are meant to put yourself in the protagonist's shoes. And I know the next rebuttal is that maybe this is why the game got ditched. No the reason it got ditched was because LINUJ suffered hard drive failure which wiped out all his progress on Onmake Mode which coupled with irl factors was too demoralising for him to carry on. It had nothing to do with the realisation playing a a jerk wouldn't be fun.

I do know Nikei does have a least one Onmake story tied to him around the corner, which should explain his backstory at long fucking last and also some more insight into the character. Now yes the Onmake Mode Short Story with Nikei could have been a 100% jackarse in it and it is by far my biggest fear with it, but with all the confusing messaging LINUJ has said with Nikei on his character bio, I don't think it would be the case. So no I don't agree LINUJ written him to just be a arsehole for the sake of a arsehole, and heck a lot of Nikei's A2-4 more evil actions can be blamed on something else.

And that something else is Danganronpa The After Chapter 2. For those who don't know what Danganronpa The After is, its a webseries developed by Kunoe Pencil and is to my knowledge one of the few Japanese Fanganronpas out there, the other being Danganronpa Re:Birth. Currently its on Chapter 3 and in my opinion its a really underated gem of a series. But what's important is when LINUJ was making A2-4, Chapter 2 of the After came out and LINUJ watched and he realised the ideas of Chapter 2 were too similar to his vision of A2-4 and so made some very radical last minute changes, which I must also add; he also ends up regretting.

Yeah you heard me right A2-4 is LINUJ's least favourite Another chapter he's written and the one he wishes he could have changed the most in terms of how he written it. Now I don't know what part of A2-4 he doesn't like since he's never explained it and it can only be guesswork what he reversations over but my best guess, is the realisation that his rewrite of A2-4 to avoid "copying" The After Chapter 2 is stupid in hindsight and ends up hurting the story overall and he should have stuck to his original draft.

Or it could also be how he changes Sora at the last minute. You see originally Sora was never meant to be an AI, she was meant to be Akane Taira but with no memory, but when LINUJ was writing Chapter 4, this was a popular fan theory at the time, and he didn't like how everyone guessed his big twist. So he does the number 1 thing a writer should never do and that is change the plot to subvert and say "gotcha" to the audience by making her an AI. I'm not sure if this was good or bad since well I like Akane but I also like Sora and this would have made Sora be more or less like Ryoko which reduces her overall as an character.

Point is, I don't know what parts of A2-4 LINUJ thinks suck now, all I know that he doesn't like this chapter AT ALL. And while SDRA2 has witstood the test of time in terms of how it looks, I could imagine if it ever gets remade this chapter will change the most in terms of story.

This also explains why A2-4 is so weak, because it has had a massivly mangled history behind it where it was meant to go one way, but LINUJ watched Chapter 2 of the After went "Nu-uh" and changed things to prevent accusations of plagirism. Which given how A2-3 is a 1:1 of 3-3 is MASSIVE hypocrisy.

The Tower of Babel is indeed the least interesting of the locked areas in the Canon and Another series and also a very unsubtle nod from Nikei what he plans to do if you know the history behind the Tower of Babel. While a cool idea, we have been locked in areas before and the Ballrooms and the Funhouses are more fun. Especially since unlike those two there's no "get out or you starve to death" so what incentive do the others have to getting out? Its not like they are gonna die. It was just such a waste of a idea.

I do not like how Teruya behaves in this as while I understand the emotional heartbreak he suffered in A-4 and something we will discuss when we get to it, there's also the fact why he even listened to Nikei in the first place. He knows he's a Void and Void are group of liars and decievers and since Teruya's memories were coming back at that point, he would know anything Nikei was saying is BS so why does he go along with it? Its a bit of a plot and not forgetting I don't like how Teruya decides to be Tsurugi which is such a disservice to the character.

Again how Teruya was handled could be another thing LINUJ regrets in hindsight about this chapter as maybe this might have made people dislike the character so his death in A2-5 isn't as impactful.

Nikei's Void reveal was something I predicted as soon as Mikado announced there were hidden Void members due to how he behaves and the fact when you meet him in the Prologue he's in the same area as Mikado is which is a massive red flag. But again, while its obvious, the way its revealed is brilliant as he openly ousts himself, tells Mikado to fuck off in mulitiple angles and decides to intially throw himself in with Sora and co seems like things are looking up as Shinji's main philosophy is that the Voids are good but they fear Mikado so if they are nice to the Voids, they might switch sides, and so with Nikei seemly seeing the light, its proof that his ideas are working so all is left is the other Void member and then they can all unite against Mikado.

And then let's get into Nikei's plan because I will be real with you; its very similar to what Ryohei Seki from Danganronpa The After was trying to do. Both were making plans to kill someone who is the deuantagonist of the story, and have them become the blackened while a innocent person dies, a person who also fully trusted them. Someone else then sees the crime being committed and decides to meddle to save the original target and the schemer goes through a breakdown.

This similarity between the plans is also why I suspected that Nikei died when he did because having watched The After Chapter 2, I have two big deductions on how A2-4 was meant to go and when I said you would hate how it would go I am not even remotely kidding.

My first is that Nikei was meant to LIVE past Chapter 4, this is mainly because his backstory was never revealed, his execution has muitiple animation errors and problems in it which is proof LINUJ did this at the last second and Nikei wasn't his original target, especially since A-4 also faced a similar problem when the culpirt had to change due to problems with animating the execution and how the rule change at the last minute feels very BS and left-field, because it literally was done at the 11th hour to make sure Nikei dies. As such my deduction was he was meant to survive to Chapter 5 and then become the victim there instead of Teruya.

Why do I think this? Because Ryohei who schemed similarly to Nikei, lived to get to Chapter 3, and LINUJ didn't want people comparing the two so he killed Nikei off when he did just to stop that stone dead.

But that's not even the end of it. Because now comes the question of if Nikei wasn't meant to be executed, who was? Well after seeing how the murder plan in The After Chapter 2 was meddled with, I also believe I have the OG culpirt and this would piss you off even more.

It's Sora. I think Sora was meant to be the A2-4 culpirt.

ESPECIALLY when you put into the ideas she was meant to be Akane without her memories as this could have brought them back. The fact you lose control of Sora to have control over Syobai temporarly is a big factor into this, and it also explains why Sora is so out of it in A2-5, since she would have "died" in her execution as Divine Luck would have kept her alive. How LINUJ sees writing and Sora is also key as he thinks of Chapters 1-3 and 4-6 as two halfs so as far as he's concerned Chapter 4 is similar to Chapter 1. He also thinks Sora as a decoy protagonist as the true protagonist in his eyes is Yuki Maeda. Now this would come off as fridging but to be perfectly frank, LINUJ fridges a lot so this what I see as the most likely explanation based on watching The After Chapter 2 and knowing it scared LINUJ into changing A2-4.

Remember when I said you would HATE the OG A2-4 if my ideas are right? This is why because the fact your most hated character of all time lives to fight another day, laughs at the heroes while doing so, while Sora gets to be on the chopping block? I would highly suspect you would have quite playing the game then and there.

And here's the thing, I don't even know if Nikei being this self-serving was so that LINUJ could justify killing him so quickly in A2-4 or if he wasn't meant to be like that but then Ryohei was like "Stop right there criminal scum" Like the changes to avoid being compared to The After were so eleventh hour that a lot of what happens in the Class Trial and afterwards is LINUJ trying to avoid The After comparisons.

Yes everyone besides Yoruko is an arsehole and this is when the writing flaws of SDRA2 really comes out. It IS interesting to see Sora go this direction as this is not protagonist material here and something nobody saw coming. Its also quite highly emotional and the mystery itself is interesting.

If you can't already tell I do not like A2-4 one bit, and its so much lower on my rankings but that's mainly because I know how much of a shitshow was going on in the background and how this chapter got destroyed due to LINUJ fearing he's ripping of The After Chapter 2 which I find is bullshit and reeks of insercuity from him.

Ftr I'm not blaming The After for why A2-4 is the way it is, because its a underrated gem and its Chapter 2 is a compelling and emotional rollercoaster I highly recommend watching. Its all on LINUJ for feeling the need to change so much due to fears people think he's unoriginal.

Shinji is also such a obvious character to kill off and really I just feel can't we go one Fangan when Chapter 4 doesn't kill the big guy? Please? Is it harder then not having double deaths in Chapter 3? And yeah he was the last good guy left as Yoruko was the only person who looks good in A2-4 and then afterwards she goes crazy. And remember that LINUJ actually wanted Yoruko to be more deranged and crazy.

I haven't. I do not know if any of LINUJ's ideas would better or worse for the game if they were in, though I think I know what your answer would have been; worse.

Kinda ironic that this chapter Nikei hijacks the virtual world from Mikado and makes it all glitchy and that's' also a metaphor for how this Chapter is like from a writing perspective.

I know I've talked WAY more about behind the scenes stuff and what could haves for this but that's due to how much its had a impact on this Chapter as a whole. A2-3 is basically "Okay 3-3 is copied" and that's that. This had a original idea but then LINUJ watched another fanseries, felt people would accuse him of ripping off that series, and then decided to destroy this chapter at the literal last second, and the scars show.

I also think Sora doesn't even find out its Iroha who tried to kill her. Its not brought up and while we the fans can guess due to the CG, Sora never once gets mad at Iroha for trying to kill her, unless that happened in the information overload that was A2-6 and since too much happens there, its extremely easy to forget stuff. Ironically enough I think Iroha is the reason Nikei's plan fails since with Mikado singing praises in Iroha's room in A2-5, it implies he doesn't have Divine Luck and was relying on Iroha's to defeat Nikei's and since Iroha is too scared to oppose him, she does so.

Point is, the knowledge that this chapter is such a clusterfuck due to LINUJ not wanting to be compared to a completely different Fangan that I don't even though many Another fans were even aware of has completely killed any enjoyment I have for it. Is The After more popular in South Korea then it is in Japan? I don't know, but even if it wasn't, it doesn't warrant ruining your story beats because you want to be seen as "original" bro Another 1 copies a lot of the canon series and the previous fucking chapter was a literal copy of 3-3. Yet A2-4 was the expection to this?

Its very hard for me to enjoy this chapter when I know it could be so much more. Would my deductions be right? I don't know. Would it made the story better or worse? I don't know, some might be better and some might be worse. But what I do know is that this chapter is a mess and a mess LINUJ has regretted making.

Again apologises I didn't talk much about the actual story, but there was so much behind the scenes fuckery going on with this Chapter its beyond imaginable. And unlike with say A-3 or 3-5 you can sympathise with the creators since it was events out of their control, A2-4's messes were all on LINUJ. And plus I just feel very dull about the chapter as a whole. And this is why A2-4 scores so low for me due to how garbed the chapter is.

The good news is that this is also the most behind the scenes messed up chapter as the others I can talk more about the actual story.

//I think people kind of misunderstand how I generally feel about Nikei, but if I can compare it to anything, I feel the same way about Nikei Yomiuri as Mod Bubbles feels towards David Chiem.

//I do not like who he is as a person, how he treats people, or the shit that he has done. For me, he is one of the most irredeemable bastards in Fangan history, and I loathe the fact that he has such a substantial fanbase.

//However, I will relent and admit that I do think he is a well-written villain, and handled expertly in this part of the story in particular. I do not have to like a character for me to admit that they are written well in the context of their game.

//Another example that I used in the analysis as well is Towa. I despise Towa as a person and I hate the fact that he exists, but he does exist, and I am forced to admit that he serves his purpose well within Ultra Despair Girls narrative. Sure, he's on your side, but the game never truly frames him to be a character you could hope to get along with.

//I'm aware of how national service works as well, and in some regard, I do think that it's a pretty reasonable concept. I feel like being put through the ringer like that could really humble a person, but at the same time, I sympathize with LINUJ for what he might have had to go through during that time.

//As a Briton, I can't speak for Korea, nor do I want to. And I need to preface that despite how much I seem to shit-talk him, I don't dislike LINUJ as a writer or a person. The impact he's had on the Danganronpa fanbase is unquestionably large, and generally, I think we're better off for it. If he hadn't made Another and Another 2, several other brilliant Fangans wouldn't exist, so the man deserves some appreciation.

//As for the stuff about the Omake...I'm sorry, but I simply don't think that would matter.

//Ideally, if we ever do find out what happens in the Omake, and we learn more about why Nikei is the way he is (because as far as I'm aware, Nikei is the only member of VOID, including Mikado, who doesn't have a known backstory) but if the Omake with Syobai and Iroha is anything to go by, I'm genuinely not holding my breath.

//I think the Queen of Despair Omake with them was interesting, but it also really solidifies the fact that Syobai and Iroha haven't really learned anything from the killing game. They're both still kind of cheating, selfish shirtbags. And Iroha had far more catalysts to be humbled than the other VOID's did.

//And of the four of them sans Mikado, Nikei was the one who felt like he had his head so far up his own ass that he only ever wanted everybody else around him under his thumb. Sure, maybe the abundance of notes that LINUJ has on him signify something, but do any of them give any real indication why he is the way he is or what he hopes to achieve with Ultimate Luck? I don't think they do.

//And yeah, the stuff with Teruya is a big oof, but when it comes to trusting Nikei, you could say the same thing about the rest of the cast as well. He immediately outs Shinji is a potential traitor, and that causes unrest despite the fact that Nikei is a VOID, and Shinji is just an outstanding guy who literally hasn't done anything wrong this whole game.

//Sure, not everyone believes Nikei, but no one outright argues against him here.

//Also, all of that stuff is fairly interesting, but I need to note two things:

//First of all, I don't know if I actually said this in the analysis itself, but I think I would have PREFERRED that Nikei be a Survivor despite how much I hate him. Regardless of whether he developed, or if he got the same treatment he did here, he would have made the final chapters a lot more tense than fucking Iroha did.

//And second, hey, I already had to go through losing Kaede. I'm not gonna say losing Sora and having to play the rest of the game as Syobai would have made me happy, but I would have stuck through to see if LINUJ managed to make it work in the end.

//And yeah, of course I wouldn't be happy if Yoruko had turned out to be more deranged. I'm very happy that by the end of the game, she's the only one who comes out the other side as kind of a decent person, but I did honestly think for the longest time that she was going to end up being the secret sixth VOID, and the REAL Mastermind behind the game.

//It's easy to see how that could have been a setup, because it mirrors Yuki's relationship with Akane T. in the first game. Akane was his closest friend, partner, and potential love interest, just as Yoruko was kind of the same for Sora. So it's also a way of giving Taira a taste of her own medicine, albeit indirectly.

//I can't ultimately hold any of this against LINUJ entirely, even though I do think it's no one else's fault here. It does suck that happened, but what I think A2-4 ended up being was okay at the end of the day. It's still better than the two chapters that came before it.

//Also, I'm sorry if this sounds like I'm choking on his dick right now, but let me explain how this is from the perspective of another Fangan creator.

//When creating fan-made works, it’s generally expected and accepted that they will draw heavily from the source material. This is because fan creators pay homage to the original by reimagining its characters, settings, or themes, which is pretty prevelant and evident with Another 1.

//Obviously, with A2-3 and V3-3 being so strikingly similar, I'm not making excuses for that trial ending up like a collosal dumpster fire, but mimicking aspects of the canon work aligns with the essence of fan fiction.

//In contrast, borrowing ideas from another fan-made work can feel more like crossing into someone else’s unique creative territory. Fan creators often strive to bring something personal to their projects, making even unintentional similarities with another fan-made work a sensitive matter.

//Drawing inspiration from canon is natural and inevitable because everyone engaging with the fandom uses the same foundational material. But if a chapter of LINUJ’s work closely resembles another fan-made work, regardless of whether he intended for it to or not, it might appear as though there was deliberate replication, even if there wasn’t. This perception could lead to criticism or misunderstandings about LINUJ’s originality and intent, making him more apprehensive about such parallels.

//Which is also failing to mention that, most of the time, fan creators often feel a sense of camaraderie and mutual respect within the community. Even if they don't know each other personally, it's kind of like working in the same department as somebody in an office, albeit unofficially.

//LINUJ may worry that similarities to another fan work, even accidental, could be interpreted as dismissive of the original creator’s efforts. This concern could be compounded if the other work is especially beloved or if its creator is someone LINUJ admires or interacts with within the community. And as you've said, despite its slow progress, TheAfter is one of the more popular fangans to arise in the early era.

//Also, to make a long story short, it's much more likely for LINUJ to get a set of strong words from Kunoe Pencil and/or their fanbase than they would Kodaka and the fans of the main series.

//And I know this because its happened to me, although I didn't exactly feel too badly affected by it. When I was writing for Danganronpa ReProgrammed, the scene in Chapter 2 where Chihiro reveals his gender is basically the same as how Ayumu did it in Chapter 2 of RebirthVoices. And I wasn't shy about it, nor did I try to hide the direct inspiration, but some people still got on my ass about it, and I don't blame them.

//I was a much more inexperienced writer back then, and if I had the chance to redo it today, I might at least rephrase it differently.

//In fandoms, canon works tend to be vast and widely shared, making overlaps in inspiration or themes with canon feel inconspicuous or unremarkable. On the other hand, the fan community is often much smaller, with prominent fan creators being well-known within it. A resemblance to another fan’s work might stand out more sharply, leading to a greater likelihood of scrutiny or direct comparisons.

//And of course, unlike professional works of canon, fan-made works often aim to carve out a niche within the fandom by offering a fresh perspective or unique twists on the source material.

//LINUJ might feel a strong desire to uphold his reputation for originality and creativity, and I don't blame him, considering what he does do originally are the best parts of the Another series.

//Any resemblance to another fan-made work could feel like a threat to this image, even if such fears are unfounded. This might make him overly cautious and insecure about accidental parallels with other fan creations.

//So in short, I do not approve of LINUJ's actions. But I understand them.

-Mod

[shallowoak]

Design Chatter - MLP East Blue Crew!

>> Link to the art here! <<

I've seen some fellow MLP au artists talk through their design ideas, so I thought I'd share my two cents and ramble a bit! Fair warning this will be long and there will be spoilers!

I kept a few simple guidelines for myself in mind:

Keep it fun and surprising, in the spirit of the original!

I draw in the G4 style, but features from every gen and toy line are fair game

Anypony who appeared in the comics as a cameo is not immune and has been redesigned for my selfish needs

I love back card / blind bag style character blurbs. I live for crumbs of worldbuilding XD

I've purposefully not included cutie marks because I suck at drawing them and I'd never finish a piece if I had to draw them :v (maybe a post for another time?)

🌅 Luffy 🌅

In-universe:

"Friendship isn't so much magic but a mandate for those this pony captain likes! This joyful newbie idolises Shanks, a fellow flightless Pegasus pirate. Though rubber wings are useless for flight, his ultra-lightweight body means he is still adept at aerial combat- falling slower and flinging faster. He passes the time between islands gliding by the mast with the gulls."

Design:

I'll level with you all; I'm not huge on red and black ponies. It's nothing personal to anyone who uses the scheme; it's just not my bag. The contrast is a bit harsh on my eyes. (And that every brony in 2015 slammed ponies with the scheme, forever ingraining that bias into me)

Rather, Luffy's scheme is based on his shorts! Light blue and white evoke the shoreline and sky, two limitless places where he spends a lot of time. A softer scheme allows me to draw his vest and hat without them becoming lost on his fur, and I feel it gels better with his light n' bright attitude to life. There's no way he's edgy enough for red and black-!

The swirls on his wings (and hoof fluff) are from the G3 depiction of Pegasi. It's such a gosh darn cute way to draw wings. It's also a fun little nod to the pattern on his fruit and Gear 5 form later on. Ponies are always skirting around the idea of destiny. For him to be a Pegasus was an easy pick for me, the wings symbolising both freedom of movement and spirit!

💚 Zoro 💚

In-universe:

"This aloof Zebra spends all year saving for Apple cider season, where he promptly blows all his bits in under a week. He often unknowingly intimidates those he meets; a bias unaided by the three swords he wields with magnets embedded into his front hooves."

Design:

I'm weak. I couldn't resist the alliteration of Zebra Zoro. You can blame Zecora for starting that. You can also blame her for the parallel of people misunderstanding Zoro's personality based on first impressions. I Pinkie-promise he's a big softie really.

Before I'm bashed, I'm well aware Zoro is Asian. In this instance, you can view that his being a Zebra just connotes that his ancestry lies outside of the East Blue rather than drawing any real-world correlation.

It's the little things that make this version uniquely Zoro, though. His stripes are sword-shaped, come in threes and neatly avoid his back. Hoof magnets were a popular play feature of G3 ponies before kids kept eating them 😶 But I think it's a fun way for Zoro to retain that Earth Pony-adjacent strength whilst still being able to hold all three swords. His stance has always looked weird, anyway.

🍊 Nami 🍊

In-universe:

"A light-footed, citrus-scented Pegasus who gambles with the best in Klugetown. Nothing escapes her- not even the bits from your purse! After a decade of being on high alert, she's more in tune with the weather than even other Pegasi. The sight of rainbows stretching across the sky makes her think of home."

Design:

Honestly, it's nice that we don't know anything about Nami's birth family. When she was adopted, she was just a baby, even younger than Sanji. Belle-Mere (Mare…) and Nojiko shaped her entire life. To that end, I wanted her design to be free of speculation and to focus on what we know for sure.

Her being a Pegasus was influenced by a few things. In G4, Pegasi often have an affinity for the weather and sky. Like Luffy, her wings symbolise the emphasis on freedom in her story. Farming is traditionally an Earth Pony job, so it also shows the disconnect between her passions and current situation.

In this case, the clipping of her wings doesn't stop her from sailing away any more than it does in canon. But it adds to the feeling of control Arlong holds over her, another physical reminder of her duty and self-sacrifice.

Despite what the timeskip art style wants us to believe, Nami is pretty but also really... normal. Normal proportions, face, hair, profession. She's weird for an OP character in that way. To reflect that, I decided that her coat should reflect the colour of the maps she creates. Unique from the pastels around her, but not super stand out, much like her orange mane. The darkened ends of her fur walk the line between showing hard graft and dirtied hooves 🥲 I expanded her tattoo to be a full leg design- 'cuz why shouldn't she show off the symbol of her life truly beginning!?

🎱 Usopp 🎱

In-universe:

"A young, apprehensive Changeling who often lives disguised as a Pony. He uses his transformations to bring stories to life and dazzle those he meets! When danger arises, he shifts into the form of a smaller animal and hides..."

Design:

The choice to make Usopp a Changeling speaks to his insecurity. Why present yourself as a village foal when you could be a great pony of the sea? Or anyone else you could dream up? It also speaks to my own insecurity as an artist, not touching the idea of drawing his nose on a horse face with a 10-foot pole. It's not happening, nuh-uh. It's a horn now for a reason, trust me!

But it also allows for some very literal metamorphosis as he grows throughout the series. His horns grow larger and change shape as the slingshots he uses evolve. (Yes, he absolutely does use his horns to fire things from!) In Pony form, his cutie mark changes to reflect which part of himself he identifies with -or has the most faith in- at any one moment. As an artist, I bet he has great fun drawing up new marks to use.

Rather than becoming a muscly bug after the skip, his wings literally break out from his shell. It isn't the end of his development, but it signifies his change in outlook and newfound faith in himself. Followers of God Usopp view his Pony form as one they, as "common folk" can easily comprehend, rather than his true nature.

He's the only one I drew as his timeskip design, just because it was the most interesting to me. Hyperfixation does strange things to a man.

🍥 Sanji 🍥

In-universe:

"A hot-headed Unicorn who breaks expectations, he fights rude customers with kicks that match the strength of a true Earth Pony! His unusual tail is a hot topic of speculation for off-duty chefs at the Baratie- but he won't speak a word about his past. Maybe try asking about his specials instead?"

Design:

Classic Unicorns are calm, refined and beautiful. Everything that Sanji is... on the surface. I love how Sanji constantly plays with our expectations; who says a creative can't kick ass? Further to that, Sanji's magic skills are wholly unimpressive, with a grand repertoire of two spells. It helps separate him from Robin, the actual magic scholar on board. As an Earth Pony unable to teach him, Zeff has always felt guilty.

His blue coat reflects the shirts he often wears, sure, but blue feels so appropriate for someone who loves the sea so much. It also allows for his fluffy black socks to stand out, coining his epithet. (If horse Sanji wore pants, would he wear them like this? Or like t h i s?) Not naming any names, Luffy he's the only fighter sensible enough to wear horseshoes to protect his feet and often visits Farriers when they make port.

His tail isn't hairless, but is covered in a thin layer of fur like his body until it reaches the tip. It's useful for working in the kitchen as it's easy to wrestle into a hair net. In the Baratie, he's often seen with a red bow decorating it, warning customers that he'll kick if provoked. This style of tail is a largely lost trait of old Unicorns, now most commonly seen in nobility who care a little too much about bloodlines. It's not a feature he's proud of, especially when it calls into question the nature of his relationship to Zeff- a pony he otherwise closely resembles.

[bthump]

How much do you think authorial intent matters in analyzing Berserk? Because I've seen your post on Charlotte and how you interpret her sex with Griffith as consensual because Miura usually does a good job portraying sexual trauma, and sex scene tropes in media are usually dodgy while being intended to be consensual. I always have a hard time with this way of thinking because it doesn't change what objectively happened in the scene.

I actually differentiate between authorial intent and narrative intent to an extent. To me narrative framing matters the most. What Miura may have intended can be important inasmuch as he successfully conveyed it in the story, but I don't think his word is the final word on the story itself. If he gave an interview where he said he intended X, but I think the story conveyed Y, then Y is more important to my interpretation of the story.

So to use the Charlotte sex scene as an example, the biggest reason I read it as consensual (if psychologically fucked up to an extent) is because that's the narrative function of the sex. A rape scene would have a different impact on the story. The sex scene furthers Charlotte's love for Griffith, to her it's a contrast to her father's subsequent attempted assault, Charlotte has no misgivings about it, and the king doesn't accuse Griffith of rape but of theft from him. If it was intended to be a rape scene, it would be essentially nonsensical as a story beat and a bigger failure of writing imo.

And yeah, in addition to that there's the greater media context where a lot of sex that should be rape is treated as consensual.

But yeah I get what you mean about having a hard time viewing things that way. I find the terms watsonian and doylist helpful when discussing stuff like this in fandom, where watsonian refers to discussing characters and events as though they really exist, as though characters have agency and lives and make decisions, and doylist refers to taking account of the fiction of the universe, the knowledge that it's written by someone who has a point to convey and might have biases and make mistakes.

So on a watsonian level you can't really argue that it isn't rape because Charlotte says no. If it happened in real life, it would be rape, the end.

But on a doylist level it doesn't fit the story, and there are better ways to interpret that scene to suit the overall narrative better, which we can understand based on the various context clues I mentioned above.

When I discuss stuff I'm usually doing it on a doylist level because that's just how I roll lol, I enjoy analysing media as a construct created by people attempting to convey a meaning. To me, characters/setting/plot/etc are first and foremost tools to futher that meaning. But a lot of fandom is really into the watsonian level, which makes sense because that's where headcanons and fanfiction thrives, and it's a lot of fun to explore and speculate about the characters as though they're real people with real psychologies, to explain away plot holes and bad writing with in-universe explanations, etc.

It's totally cool to prefer one over the other imo! But yeah I think it's always good to differentiate between those different types of analysis, because they're trying to accomplish very different things, and to be aware of what level you're interpreting the story on. I find that it's really easy to get into discussions where people just talk past each other because one person is discussing the story as a fictional construct and the other is discussing it as if it's a real event that happened. It's how you get arguments like ''the depiction of this character is sexist because she's naked for no reason except to titilate the het male audience' 'there's totally a reason though, it's because she breathes through her skin!' or whatever lol.

Thanks for the ask! I like getting the opportunity to explain where I'm coming from when it comes to meta.

[theophagie]

A sliiiiiightly late follow-up on this post, with some additional Andrealphus-related Ponderings. Thank you Sinsmas for delivering me juice to pair with my speculations, just like I hoped you would 🙏

-

Sooo. Octavia very clearly isn't used to receiving affection from her mother but ultimately accepts it, I'll take it!!!!!!!!! It feels right, especially when coupled with the fact that she was upset about Stolas shouting at her, but not as upset as she was about him brushing her off. It's about what I expected: Stella can slither in as a guardian to Octavia because evidently things were never bad between them; unlike Stolas, she only has ground to build on...... Still heading strong in the Object Octavia direction on Stella's part, still looking forward to seeing how her backstory will come into play in regards to it

BUT IN LIGHT OF OCTAVIA HAVING AN IMPORTANCE TO STELLA (re: part 1 of linked post), regardless of whether there's an emotional angle in there albeit buried under ten thousand layers/the Goetia-branded generational trauma stifles any chance of it manifesting in a healthy manner/whatever or not.................. Hiii Andyyyyyy

Stella needs Octavia on her side because she's the living, breathing proof and embodiment of her worth. Andrealphus needs Octavia...... to try to steer her mother in the direction that's most useful to him*, to be just a momentary pawn in his ascension to power

*something that he even tried to reverse on Octavia in Sinsmas. Interesting! Coupled with the fact that he's. kind of a huge misogynist, this definitely has a certain quality to it. A very certain je ne sais quoi

Which all begs the question...

What's the long-term plan here, Andy? Because clearly he wants all of Stolas' power to himself, and well. That'll be kind of hard to achieve once Octavia is of age, and even less so when the 100 years will be up

And Octavia certainly hasn't endeared herself to dear uncle Andrealphus, so even the short-term is looking a bit grim for him, huh (and her. oh god her.........)

Plan A was to manipulate Octavia into taking his side, sure. Clearly that won't be as much of an option anymore (yes it worked in the sense that she has distanced herself from her father, but other than that......), and he had to be pushed into attacking Stolas with the intention of killing him, so evidently that part of his scheming is kind of shaky as well, but regardless... Only one person can ultimately wear the crown. Sit on the throne. What you will, so. Much To Think About. What do you want to do, Andy

One of the things to think about: Stella and Andrealphus, and what Octavia is for them. I'm not going to bet on it, but I'd love it so so so much and I'd find it so interesting if their paths of villany diverged, if Octavia becomes a point of contrast between them. An important showpiece for her mother, an hindrance to gaining power for her uncle. Stella and Andrealphus can have fun horrors together, but I want them to become opposite forces sooo bad

[castlebyersafterdark]

I can't really imagine them going further than blowing each other (full on anal sex with probably no prep beforehand and also in the middle of the end of the world? Not happening lol!)

Like it won't be shown onscreen (they literally can't show it because of the shows rating being TV-14, feel like people forget this)

the absolute contrast between this scenario and the one about mike's bare ass! one is like an old school love scene from Titanic or something, classy and mature, and then this description is maybe why people cannot envison byler having sex. Yes, they're teens, but the tone of their storytelling prevails over this mere fact. Will doesnt want to gross Mike out?! That's realistic irl and lovely in fanfic, but that's not at all going to be a major concern of Will Byers in this show once he knows Mike is reciprocating. By the time Will and Mike are together intimately, Will will be in the process of accepting that his sexuality is possibly the purest, most wonderful part of him - and that's why he has such pain and conflict til then, because society tells him its not.

Also full on gay sex in the middle of the apocalypse is exactly the kind of dramatic and overblown shit the duffers are highly capable of, because ST is about the spiritual experience of being queer, not the hyper specifics like a show like heartstopper where they buy lube on screen. ST is about subtle metaphor, not literal didacticism. Mike and Will finally having emotional, intense sex intercut with a horde of witchhunting townsfolk spilling out of a church would be a montage full of symbolism and dramatic irony that i can totally see the duffers doing.

I also cannot fathom thinking that the reason they won't literally show a blowjob in television is because of a rating. Ratings can change - why assume they won't for s5?! - but mostly, that's literally porn and the actors would in no way be asked to do that.

See, even here, we all have such different reads of this show, its fascinating.

Sharing more takes on this from the other day!! I really enjoy reading everyone's ideas of what could potential transpire on screen for a potential love scene between these two. It's the fact that it's suuuuch uncharted territory for the show's story telling and it's incredibly unpredictable what may happen. But oh, how fun is the speculation and interpretation. We can go in circles all day every day about what they might do or not do physically regarding the dirty details, and if there's a sex scene, it probably wouldn't be so hyper specific and we can interpret what's happening. I doubt if this got a TVMA rating it would be for sex, horror more likely. But I change my ideas and mind every time we talk about this topic and I love reading all the different thoughts. 😁

[srarizard]

Back on my Rayman bullshit.

I literally have nowhere to talk about Rayman but the Tumblr tag seems to be popping so here goes. I am probably the only person on planet Earth who cannot stop thinking about Reflux. I will always be critical of Rayman 3 for its very surface level characters and unfunny "humor", but it still has a lot of environmental storytelling if you look for it. For example, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that the Knaaren are bipedal toads.

Artistic liberties were taken, of course, but it's almost a perfect match. It also explains the dot on his forehead, as most toads have warts all over. The warts only become more prominent during the final boss battle, too.

Not to mention, the tunnel system they live in is directly outside of a ravine full of poisoned water. This implies that there might have been a time when they were semi-aquatic. They also have flat teeth, with no canines. I like to think it's because they are herbivores forced to feast on whatever they can find, because they have no plants within miles to feed on. It would explain why they prefer the brain, as it's squishy and easy to chew, as well as the zombie eggs that are the only notable, reliable food source seen in the desert.

Now, what about the way that they evolved? Most of this is speculation, but I can at least tie it together. Knaaren are invincible canonically. Reflux contradicts this in two ways; he has defeated other Knaaren to claim the title of champion, and he dies at the end of Rayman 3. It can only be concluded that he isn't a "normal" Knaaren, and the best way to explain this is to acknowledge the fact that the champion receives the power of the Leptys. Not only is Reflux the only Knaaren to use magic, his boss battle is, quite frankly, insane. I just replayed it yesterday, and it came extremely close. It's possible he used his power to exhaust the other Knaaren to the point where they can no longer fight in order to claim the title of champion using those powers.

In theory, it can also be said that the power of the Leptys creates a weakness. God powers must take a lot of energy to channel no matter what sort of creature you are. So, in theory, Reflux was burning the candle at both ends, pridefully striking down challengers and assuming that he would never be defeated with how much power he has come to earn. He becomes a monster in his thirst for revenge at the end of the game, which ultimately kills him. What this implies about the Leptys is vague, but it certainly has something to do with the deity.

Now, this is my favorite part. Reflux is actually the only character Rayman has ever done wrong. I'd say he's the only one Rayman ever killed, but uh, depends on your view of canon, so I'll be focusing on what is undeniable. Rayman blasts into the desert without warning, and granted it's to save his friend, but he ruins Reflux's life in doing so. He had no choice but to become the champion and shame his opponent. Reflux made his entire identity on being champion, and eagerly accepts when André promises the ability to claim revenge. Rayman was just supposed to be a fun exercise for him, and now Reflux finds himself outcast due to an outsider who doesn't even want to be champion. It's the fault of his pride, but it is still a way that Rayman has made someone's life worse.

It's also interesting to think of them as cultural opposites. Rayman comes from a lovely dream world, and Reflux comes from a hellish nightmare that he had to claw his way to the top. Rayman was born a hero, and Reflux had to earn it. Ubisoft really shot themselves in the foot by not expanding on that, I think. They could have really made something out of the contrast of dreams and nightmares.

Anyway, thank you for coming to my TED talk. If you read this far, please stan Reflux.

[xskyll]

Merry christmas if you celebrate!!💕

It took me a lil but here my promised questions for like comment romance:

1) While reading i was wondering indeed about Izukus "skillsets" ehem👀 like we know he had a previous relationship and theres some air of speculation around him and shouto cosplayers, in stark contrast to his future vision of barely getting to hold his so's hand... i did ask myself quite a bit about izukus innocence haha

2) do you have headcanons or perhaps a whole fic in mind of wedding shenanigans or the disaster of shinkami getting together?

3) Who throws Todoroki a hangover-eske bachelor party and why is it ochako?

4) was soba ever possessive of his catdaddy giving all his attention away? And how did banjo and kazooie warm up to their stepmom?

Please please feel free to throw in any extra tidbits as well, id love to learn🫶🙏

I do celebrate, thank you! Merry Christmas! 🎄🦌☃️

The first question made me laugh out loud. His skillsets. 😂 But okay! Let me tackle these one at a time! Sorry in advance, but I'll probably babble.

1. So. Izuku's skillsets are probably pretty average, lmao. Shouto was very smitten, though, that first time, so Ochako assumed he was some sort of sex god. But Shouto is only the second person Izuku has ever slept with, and the first guy, so it's not like he has a ton of experience. Concerning the Shouto cosplayers, he really did just take pictures with them and go on his merry way. They were probably very disappointed. ^^; He's a romantic, though, and I can't see him sleeping with someone casually. All that being said, despite his limited experience (he and his ex weren't together long), I imagine he is very veeery attentive and giving. With his first relationship, she and Izuku were each other's firsts. They met in college. She broke up with him after being pressured to by her friends, who thought she could do better than a quirkless guy who was also shorter than her. She had a hard time finding dates because of her height (fun fact: she was on the school's basketball team!). After they broke up, she quickly regretted her decision once she tried dating other guys. I imagine she had a weight in her stomach, telling her she messed up, but she tried to ignore it. I think she'll eventually meet other nice guys, but she'll never have a lover as attentive and caring as Izuku was in bed, lol. She learned to be more careful about taking unsolicited advice. For Shouto, this is perfect. His entire life, he craved love and affection, and now he has this person who absolutely showers him with both. Izuku is shy and nervous, so the fact that he gives so much of himself in bed, when he's arguably most vulnerable, is very important to Shouto. Unlike Izuku's ex, Shouto 100% understands what he has and doesn't take it for granted. I can't say I've thought of the *specifics* of their activities, but if I was going to assign them a kink, I'd probably say they both have their worship kink moments.

2. Lots of people requested a Shinkami sequel! I actually have no ideas. OTL I started writing a how-Hitoshi-and-Izuku-met prequel, actually, which probably very few people would have been interested in. I guess that's easier, because I had thought of their backstory already (I'm saying easy, but I only wrote three chapters before I stopped, so...). But as for Shinkami, I can't say I have many ideas as to how it would happen. I'm not even certain of POV. Hitoshi seems the obvious choice, to me, but Ochako's POV might be funnier. I briefly toyed with the idea of writing a wedding oneshot, for Izuku and Shouto. If I did, it would be in Bakugou's POV. So a very grumpy wedding! I did their wedding in my other fic, The Cupid Quirk, though, so for L, C, & R, I decided to just do the proposal. I didn't want to seem like I was writing the same thing, especially since the wedding in The Cupid Quirk is also told from an unconventional character's POV. The tone of L, C, & R is comedical, though, and part of me feels a Bakugou oneshot would be a little melancholy, since his feelings are so complex. At the end, Kirishima would drag him to the dance floor, though, and Bakugou would feel a little at peace with things. ShinKami would already be together at this point, but he and Kiri wouldn't, so Ochako and Kiri would still be roommates.

3. Lmao!!! Realistically, I think Yaoyorozu would stop her, since bachelor party duties would fall to her. Ochako would probably employ hijinks thoughout the night, though. Yaomomo plans for a nice restaurant, and Ochako gives the driver the address to a club. That sort of thing. And naturally something goes wrong—a wrong address maybe—and they get lost and in trouble. When Shouto finally returns home, he finds out for Izuku's bachelor party, Hitoshi took him to an arcade, then Denny's, and then finally took him home and they cooked an entire bag of tater tots, put them in a popcorn bowl, and watched a movie. Shouto is so exhausted and jealous, he buries himself in Izuku's chest and makes him hold him all night, lol.

4. I don't think Soba would be jealous! In my mind, most cats naturally like Izuku for one reason or another. He's very respectful of boundaries, due to his own bad experiences, and that applies to cats too. I think cats naturally feel very safe with him, Soba included. His chest is also a nice pillow. It probably does help though that Izuku likes to sleep on Shouto's right and Soba on the left. Izuku is also gullible, so Soba appreciates that he can sometimes trick him into giving him a second dinner after Shouto already fed him. Eventually they buy one of those "cat has been fed" boards.

As for Banjo and Kazooie, Ochako has a much harder time! It's not that they dislike her, but they miss Izuku, so there's a long sulking period. She feels like they're always disappointed to see her, because when she puts her key in the door, they think it's Izuku. Unlike Izuku, I don't think she's a natural with cats, but she won their affection eventually. It took a lot of treats, lol.

Thanks for the questions! I enjoyed answering these! I hope my answers were satisfying and not just rambling nonsense.

[dateamonster]

how do you think fairy genes work? Cause like Griselda doesn’t have a spot of bark on her? Unless those are clothes

genuinely u are going to open up a whole can of worms here.

so to get this out of the way, idk how much thought good ol george lucasfilms put into any of this. the most likely explanation is that from a design perspective he thought it was funny for the tall lean imposing bog king to have a short squat screechy mom bossing him around in contrast. but because i like to have fun and enjoy myself, i have my own thoughts about their lack of resemblance.

when the fandom, as much as there was one, was active, there was a sorta popular theory about the bog kings father being a fairy or part fairy, which i personally like as well. it would explain why his build resembles the more humanoid fairy build and why he looks so different than many of the other goblins, though to be fair there seems to be a lot more biodiversity among goblinkind. a forbidden romance between griselda and a fairy might also explain why shes so unbothered by the idea of the bog king falling in love with marianne, and it fits with her very classically romantic true-love-conquers-all worldview.

additionally theres a throwaway line at one point where griselda mentions bog king resembling his father, which could support the idea that he gets more of his looks from him, and another similarly jokey line later where griselda mentions being hot in her youth. while goblin beauty standards are demonstrably different from fairy ones, i dont think its impossible that part of the visual difference between her and bog king is due at least in part to her age. im also not sure how fairy/goblin lifespans compare to humans so its entirely possible imo that shes been around for a long time.

if you really want to get into it theres also the question of why some goblins such as bk are more insectoid in appearance while others appear to be reptilian, amphibian, or.... mushrooms. with the exception of the mushrooms who seem to inhabit a specific biological niche of their own, my impression is that none of the goblins are like literally the animals they appear to be in terms of species, but have evolved certain appearances and physical characteristics to suit their environment. so a bug looking goblin and a froggy looking goblin could still have a kid because theyre both. goblin. and the kid would simply develop whichever features were most dominant, or in some cases maybe a combination of both.

so yea i basically just think bk looks more like his dad, whoever he is or was, but i also think its possible griselda looked different in her youth as well and that contributed. i guess its also entirely possible that bog kings just adopted, but i think speculating on weird goblin genetics shit is more fun!