#I’m trying so hard for that redemption arc y’all

[bigtreefest]

Jimmy Dobyne? More like Jimmy Do-bane of my existence

[showtoonzfan]

I’m honestly 80% convinced that when Hazbin comes out, most of the show as a whole and those “character arcs” Viv is always talking about that she has “planned”, will mainly all revolve around drama or relationships, rather than what the actual show is supposed to be about, which is redemption. I know that Viv has said that Hazbin is “story driven”, but with how scrambled Helluva has become and how Viv has proven to me multiple times that she has no idea how to be a storyteller and a proper show runner, I find a hard time believing her. I mean, look at Helluva. It’s clearly a story driven show, especially since the characters themselves never move the plot along and are only written inconsistent or dumbed down to FIT the plot and make it happen. I obviously can tell that Hazbin clearly seems to be gearing towards big events, having villains and all that, but judging by the sneak peak gifs we got, I feel like the show will more be like “The office”, where it’s mainly just the main cast bouncing off one another and getting into shenanigans and relationships drama, rather than Charlie working to rehabilitate them all and the characters actually learning and growing as people. It’s clear she didn’t make this show because she was passionate about the concept of redemption, she made this show to show off her Oc’s and her world. I’m know I’m speaking too early and will just have to wait and see until the show comes out, but y’all can’t blame me for having doubts on everything Viv says regarding Hazbin due to the train wreck that is Helluva Boss. This is the same person who had said that Helluva is a show where the characters aren’t looking for redemption and is more about the relationships between said characters, except it clearly IS or why else would the show call out Blitz and Stolas for their shitty behaviors and then want to make you feel bad for them too. It’s trying so hard to be this deep morality show, everything that Hazbin SHOULD be since it literally revolves around characters trying to redeem themselves, but for some reason Vivzie went “Nah let me make ANOTHER emotional serious story driven show about characters and all even though I just created a show that’s perfect for that!”-

[lunalivvy]

everyone being mad at gwen was funny at first bc she got on my nerves a bit in atsv too but now it’s getting annoying bc i’m starting to realize y’all weren’t just disappointed in her like i was y’all straight up just don’t understand her as a character 😭

it’s annoying when people lack media literacy but it’s even more annoying when y’all r so loud about it

first of all gwen was basically disowned by her dad the only person she had left, and was easily manipulated (obviously) because of the state she was in. she still cared about miles, she was just doing what she thought was right because that’s what she’s been told. not only that, she’s been to all of those universes, she’s seen all of those “canon events” play out (her death being one of them, hence the whole “in every other universe gwen stacy falls for spider man//it doesn’t end well” bit) so of course she’s, i wanna say, nihilistic almost? imagine seeing all of that happen on top of being disowned by your father and leaving your universe, you’re not really gonna try that hard to fight against the inevitable. in gwen’s eyes, it was probably miles’ dad or miles’ whole universe potentially and losing him as well.

and “gwen better redeem herself” etc. are you dumb did you not watch the last like 20 minutes of the movie where gwen realizes she was wrong and goes to help miles ??? wym you “hope” for a redemption arc, it already started ????

[bohemian-nights]

Have you seen the new season 2 stills of dumbmyra where daemon looks like he wants to slap her? 🤣 daemyra is going to be over 🥳 I think that they’re going to ruin dettles as well and go for the narrative that daemon could never love anyone and Rhaenyra will try to protect nettles or some bs to make her look good 🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡 I really hope I’m wrong but I’m not very optimistic

Lol, it doesn’t look too promising for them which is why Dumbnyra stans are only celebrating Netty potentially being cut this season and not their couple's alleged epic romance.

In terms of Dettles, yesterday was not the best, but I have hope. As long as Nettles is included in the show it will be very hard to screw over Dettles.

Yes, they screwed over Daemon and Laena, but it will be harder to screw them over. As much as I hate saying this(and I don't think she's just a plot device), Laena unfortunately is a stepping stone.

Nettles is Daemon’s final arc. She's his redemption.

Daemon choosing to save Nettles is the thing that makes him disobey Miss Maegor's orders and leave Maidenpool to fight Aemond.

She's the reason we get this iconic line:

It would be near impossible to flip this and have Missy Anne end up looking like the good guy when she literally signs Netty’s death warrant.

What will they have him do? Choke Nettles out too then change his mind and say leave🤣 Hire a barely legal young-looking actress and de-age Nettles that way she's 12 so Daemon really looks like he's a pedo. Have Mysaria forge Missy Anne’s signature and frame her for the murder plot(I’m surprised Dumbnyra stans haven’t already come up with something like this; y’all are slipping).

I'd like to see them try any of the above justify it🤷🏽‍♀️Either way Daemon preventing her from being murdered blows everything else out of the water.

And I highly doubt they’ll have Daemon being a nun in s3. If they have him sleeping with random (white) maids to avoid him being intimate with Nettles that will look hella suspicious. (By that I mean it will straight up look racist if they refuse to have Daemon be intimate with a Black woman).

Basically, the only way I can see them screwing over Dettles is if they cut Nettles. Hell, that’s why Dumbnyra stans want her cut. If she’s there canon will canon. We have nothing to fear anon so long as she hasn't been cut.

[j0kers-light]

Hello again, soldier 🫡

Uhhh random question time, who are your top 5 fictional men?AND what’s your hair routine, like what product do you use? Cuz I’m trying to change mine up a bit.

Hey hi Captain 🖤✨

Top five?! Put me on the spot will you. Like of all time? Oof that’s tough. Okay, y’all better not judge a hoe.

1) Ulquiorra “Bamboo” Cifer from Bleach. He’s my first for a reason and I’ll love him unconditionally no questions asked. He can rip out my heart and I’d thank him for it wow I love that man 🖤

2) Zuko from Avatar The Last Airbender. Purely platonic because I’m a Zutara shipper but when I first saw Zuko I knew. “He a good one.” and he hasn’t failed me yet. His redemption arc go crazy and Dante’s rent was due when he voiced Zuko. Just an amazing character all around like all hail Fire Lord Zuko in this house.

3) Joker from the DC Universe. You know him, you love him. What else is there to say? It doesn’t matter what version (yes it does🤭) The Joker is an ionic character that I’m always attracted to. I’ve always loved the villain in a story so Joker, someone who is evil incarnate, just does it for me. 🖤

4) Sesshomaru from Inuyasha. I’m taking it back old school! He’s my brother in law (inside joke and I ship SesshKag) I absolutely love his character in the show and movies. He was the ‘villain’ in the story but overtime we got background stories to prove otherwise plus his redemption arc went bonkers and his fanart is always🔥

5) Undertaker from Kuroshitsuji (Black Butler) I just wanna marry him and suck his dick. I am not ashamed. I haven’t seen not one fanart I didn’t love and his character within the show is 🤤🖤

Now! Onto hair routine 🥴🥴😆

Girl I’m a low maintenance girl with 4c hair. Nine times out of ten, I do a silk press because my hair texture is so annoying. Think of tiny coils compacted into a cotton ball. Ugh I hate it.

If I don’t detangle five minutes after I wash, it mats up automatica. So I use Design Essentials since it does the hard work for me. Black owned and they have all natural products for all natural hair.

I use their Agave and Lavender Blow Dry collection in tandem with their Detangling shampoo and Anti-Itch shampoo. Yes three shampoos, ya girl has needs.

I rinse with the blow dry collection’s conditioner and it’s game time. The clock is ticking and my hair is a beast to detangle. I prime and protect with a thermal serum to each section of my hair and use the products to help detangle with a wide tooth comb before blow drying.

By that time it’s an electrocuted Afro but it’ll revert back to curls if left untouched. So either I’m too tired to continue and I leave it as is or I move onto pressing it.

I use either my TYMO straightener or their flat iron to press my hair or use both if it’s a humid day. 

Other than that I wrap it up and my hair stays under a bonnet majority of the time. I’m not one for elaborate styles and stuff and I only unwrap the silk if I have a work meeting or if I’m leaving the house for longer than an hour.

My silk press on average lasts me a month or longer.

[elfiaa]

12:00 A.M

[sleep is for the weak. How will the twisted boys spend their late nights with you?]

A/N: Established relationships, but can be platonic if you squint 🧍🏻 Just general sleep headcanons :) some are more crack than others though…sorry if you were expecting something more serious 😅 first part of a (maybe..?) series, so first years gotta be..well first! Another A/N at the end <3

A. Trappola

𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗡𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗛𝗖

Ramshackle is a second home for him

And no, I don’t mean it in the sweet way

Man is over here at 11:00 PM knocking on the door bc he was hungry

Y’all can’t catch a break 😭

Whenever you do eventually let him in (instead of letting him succumb to the freezing air outside ☺️) he makes himself comfortable on your bed

He’s probably kicking his feet and getting all comfortable, half guessing you’d just hop in💀

Did he do this on purpose?

Yes

Is this his greatest achievement?

Absolutely

Is def a cuddler, but in the way that in the morning, your sheets are half on and the duvet is nearly off the bed🧍🏻

You guys carelessly skip through children’s channels and the TV to quench the boredom

But then a second later mans is snoring loud af

Grim does not appreciate his bed buddy being stolen

I’m sure he’s sleeping on the floor to prove a point, only bc Ace tried to convince him to sleep in the middle

Ace is not superior 🤨‼️is what grim is probably thinking as his half conscious body is clawing at the sheets

Maybe that’s why they were half on…

Other than the time ace is a breathing rock, he’s relatively chill when awake

If you provide him with some snacks by the bedside, he’ll make sure not to bother you too much

Maybe the occasional 3:AM thoughts

And when he’s ESPECIALLY groggy from staying up late

He’s an angel 😍

————————————

𝗦𝗹𝗲𝗲𝗽𝘆 𝗛𝗖

When sleepy, ace is a completely different person

Def against his own will too

He can’t help it! Even though he’s in a less mediocre bed than in his dorm, he finds your company very soothing

Please just ignore him acting more clingy and mushy

If you tease him in the morning he will ignore you

Until Riddle almost collars him, and he’s back asking for you as Housewarden of Ramshackle to pls give him a pass !!

His pajamas are probably hella atrocious.

Atrocious in the sense he probably never washes them unless he has a stain on it

Greasy af..

If you’re the motherly type or just naturally care for your friends by tucking them in, or humming a soft tune, he’ll tell you to cut it out! But not rlly stop you either..

Indulge him this once!! He promises that he won’t bother you for the rest of the week !

Well…that’s a bluff, but you’d let him get away with it too, wouldn’t you?

Anyways 6/10: he’s a pain to entertain, but you love him so the score had to be above 5 🙄

————————————

D. Spade

𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗡𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗛𝗖

Look, the only reason he’d ever be awake is because of ace 💀

Ever since his redemption arc of becoming a model student, he’s probably been going to bed at like 8:00 sharp. 9:00 if he’s cramping in some late work, but nothing more!

If he is awake and it’s late, it’s just another weekday of him being dragged to do late hw 😔

Like ace, he becomes very groggy. Usually when he was younger, he’d just walk off the drowsiness, but he’s a new person now!

He probably asks you to pinch him awake if you see his eyes start to droop.

Is probably shocked for a few seconds, but it helps keep him awake, and a bit motivated seeing you trying so hard to help him. (He promises your help will not go in vain !!!)

He wants to keep up with you!!

If in the case, he ISNT up because of work, he’s definitely being babied

He’s getting the midnight snacks. He’s getting the random bedtime stories, he’s getting cushioned in all the right pillows, and he even has the classic button up pjs to fit it!

He gave up his dignity a long time ago when he met you

This means he’s totally embracing the pampering 💀

Tuck him in, give his a goodnight smooch before he nocks out, and he’s all yours

But this doesn’t erase the fact that he’s still a little embarrassed

He adores you tho!! So he basically can’t deny you

He’s very grateful for the treatment and makes sure to stay awake as long as you do.

Probably treats you to lunch

His mama raised him well 😭💕

————————————

𝗦𝗹𝗲𝗲𝗽𝘆 𝗛𝗖

Like I said previously, if you pamper him, he’ll love you forever

His mother def approves

When are we scheduling the family reunion???

If YOURE the one who goes to bed before him…woo boy…

He almost cringes at himself for all the cheesy stuff he does

I said almost

Even though he’s turning as bright as a peach, he can’t really hold back his emotions when they’re on overdrive 😭

Hell nuzzle into you, comb your hair, and sometimes, if not mostly, he plays with your fingers

To him: embarrassing

To you: actions of a true jolly good best man

Has sleep ambiance music, and ONLY the ones with rain softly playing in the back

If you ever bought him a matching set of Jammie’s, he’s in love

Warm soothing drinks will get this boy to melt into your arms!!

He just wants to be held for a bit 😭 then he’ll get excited and want to hug you too

Goofy little Deucy TuT <3

10/10: I don’t make the rules around here. He’s the goodest man in this group (next to Jack ofc, we’ll get into that in a sec)

J. Howl

𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗡𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗛𝗖

Is conflicted between keeping up his routine, and helping you

Then again, it’s you…

He’s running to ramshackle as we speak 🥰

If it’s homework your having trouble with, it’s no problem! He’ll grab some pillows and stay up as long as you need him to

If it’s the lack of sleep you’re struggling with.. I’m afraid he’s not very skilled in the matter

Will definitely do some research for you though. He’s dedicated to keeping you healthy and cared for despite your heavy workload.

Almost ends up being your pillow ( and Ik u know what pillows I’m talking abt🤭)

On the weekends, he’s less strict about his schedule. After he had gotten rid of his lone wolf attitude, he almost found it difficult to not stay up and goof with his buddies :)

You are no exception to this. He’s definitely more lax and is more likely to goof off with you as the evening gets later and later 😌

Will watch movies and shows from your world like Up, Over the Garden Wall, etc.

Definitely cries when carls wife dies. Firmly denies that ever happening to this day.

Is still a provider, so if you’re in need, he’ll help!

Getting cold? Gives you his biggest, warmest jacket (that you DEF didn’t steal from him :))

Getting bored? Let’s switch the channel. How about a bit of video games?

Feeling hungry? Is unboxing the brownie mix that was hidden behind the pounds of protein powder he keeps in ramshackle. Even then, he insists on doing the work for you. He wants you to be as comfortable as physically possible <3

As you chew on your freshly baked brownies, Jack is definitely contemplating how much space he has in his schedule to do this again

But when you lean into his collarbone and tell him he’s beautiful, he kind of just…reboots.

He’s definitely making more time for these sleepovers.

Nighty night Jack 😁

———————————

𝗦𝗹𝗲𝗲𝗽𝘆 𝗛𝗖

Don’t even get me started

I know he sleeps in only shorts cause it’s hot af in savanaclaw 😔

That being said, when he goes to ramshackle, he’s your own personal heater.

No need for a generator ☺️ you alr got one purring next to u (or snoozing? He’s not a cat…..but he sure acts like one when he’s tired)

Is against the idea of sleeping in his wolf form until you asked him.

The first time he did it, he was deep in the crush department with you, so how could he say no when you asked to nicely??He reluctantly transformed, and in came you, flooding into his soft fur. In jacks brain, he could keep his wolf form up until the next morning. No biggie !!

.

.

.

That was a lie

The next morning you were cuddling into this man’s deliciously defined Hawaiian bread style 6 pack

(Can’t even control yourself when ur asleep prefect 🤨??)

Thought he committed a sin or something

He just got tired and couldn’t keep his magic up long enough to stay fluffy 💔

Pls reassure him that it’s not his fault, tell him u had a nice nap, he’ll get over his mortification soon enough.

And that’s how me and ur father met 😄!!

All jokes aside, he’s for sure very affectionate with you when drowsy

As a beastman, he has a lot of siblings, and with younger siblings comes the hugs, and the bedtime stories, and sweet kisses goodnight!

Well he’s gotten so used to doing it for his siblings, that he’s gotten into the habit of doing the same to you :)

He’s overall a very caring lover when it comes time to sleep

He’s holding you, whispering affirmations into your ear, rubbing that one sore spot on your back

How’d you hit the jack-pot ?? (Pun intended)

Don’t feel like you have to repay him for the back rubs and hugs though, to him you’ve repaid enough !

Every hug, kiss, and smile you send his way has his tail wagging so hard he starts flying.

Also denies that, but whether or not he admits it is no concern of yours.

Overall you guys are just over here chilling

8/10 : 2 points off because he probably smells like protein powder…

E. Felmier

𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗡𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗛𝗖

He is a grown ass kid acting like he’s 13

YEA he’s still a man…now stfu and lets sing California Girls 😡

So yea

He ISSSS technically breaking Vils bedtime regimen, but he can’t really be punished if he’s over at ramshackle 😄

Was and probably is still an avid Avril Lavigne fan, so expect to have yet another night of rest griped from u as you wordlessly mumble the lyrics to Sk8er Boi with a hyper Epel and a hair comb microphone :)

He rlly wanted to be her skater boy..

Anyhow, makes you go through the battle that is his skin care routine (bc rook would snitch in the shadows if he didn’t 🤨)

And you (un) surprisingly…enjoyed it?

😟

…

You must be a strong soldier…

Epel salutes to you

Other then the impromptu concert in the middle of the night, he’s pretty chill when he’s staying up.

Grim is kind of regretting giving you his consent to date Epel-

He’s probably wearing the ugliest set of pjs you’ve ever seen

He brought dad joke T-Shirts into a silk and satin pj fight 🙄

You and vil are perplexed at how he snuck out without the fine ass jamies Vil bought him.

Ig being in the dorm with the hottest dorm leader will do something to you 😔 (sorry, I’m projecting )

Will try and bake for you to show how independent he is, and almost sets the house on fire for the second time this week

Will watch some analog horror to set the mood, and manz has lost his sense of sight, hearing, taste, touch & smell after the shit he just watched 😟

Believe me!! He wants to be strong for you

Meanwhile you’re coming through his hair, calmly reassuring our wheat eating southern peach that no one’s under your bed that isn’t already grim or the ghosts.

Going back to the pjs..

The ugliest thing I’ve ever seen

Probably had someone print his favorite meme onto a shirt he never washes 😭

Or on the off chance, he may or may not be wearing matching onesies w/ you out of his own free will

In that case, cherish the moment while it lasts, cause it won’t ever get this good again ☺️

———————————

𝗦𝗹𝗲𝗲𝗽𝘆 𝗛𝗖

Snores loud af

Is a blanket hogger, so if you’re planning to sleep together, you have a better chance at sleeping in a freezer than suffering the cold next to him ☺️

Is also a bed hogger, and not by choice 😔

He’s trying so hard, believe me. He loves cuddling (& is always big spoon, you have no say in the matter), but you are guaranteed to meet the floor in the morning

I swear he’s trying not to 😭

Other then that, he’s a real sweet hugger, and an even sweeter partner :)

He says he doesn’t like doing all that skin care or hair care stuff, but will proudly wash your hair and scrub your face because he likes seeing you well :)

Definitely likes to pamper you by doing the little things

Brings you home goods from his family farm as you guys just giggle abt silly things. Is telling the whole family tree of how the sleepover went :))

Sooner or later you’ll get a call (unbeknownst to Epel) inviting you to his family’s next gathering. That’s how you know they’re already planning the wedding 😭

You will both brush or braid each others hair. I don’t make the rules

He loves threading his hands through your hair. To him, it’s more intimate than a kiss could ever be (not saying they he doesn’t love them tho, pls don’t take his kiss privileges away)

Will, and ik it sounds crazy, jump on ur roof to look at the stars.

He knows that u both know it looks clique or a bit cringe, but the experience is sweet and something he’ll never forget

Remembers eating the baked goods he almost burnt with you, talking about whatever comes to mind. Is very fond of the memory :)

In the morning, he has you swear that everything that happened at ramshackle will not be heard by Vil or Rook

He’s just trying to survive y/n 😔

7/10: he’s better than ace, but he put you under a lot of pressure memorizing those Avril Lavigne lyrics

S. Zigvolt

𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗡𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗛𝗖

He doesn’t sleep

Is too busy dusting his malleus painting :)

Feeling like he also has dragon or bolt pj’s?

If not any of the two, he wears a traditional night gown

I see we’re getting studious up in here 🤨‼️

I imagine sebek being extremely embarrassed when you proposed a sleepover

He thinks it’s marriage y’all, give him a sec.

Sees you do sleepovers with the others and gets sad ):(

Now he’s the one inviting you

Is super giddy but doesn’t want to seem to excited

(I thought we were dating, what’s with the reactions bae 😟)

At first he finds it inappropriate to even sleep in the same bed, but like I said, he gets lonely man </3

So a minute later he’s staring at your rolled up side hoping you get the memo T_T

Ofc you do, and he can get the attention he deserves 💪☺️(yes white boy, yess!!)

Being half fae half human, he understands the idea of a sleepover, but not much of what to do in one, so you’re gonna have to lead this one y/n :/

While he’s bound by his own set of rules and limitations, he’s surprisingly open to trying out new things with you !

So here comes you, introducing him to the classic sob story movies from your world, making rainbow loom bracelets to pass the time while your homemade pizza is cooking

When you get over the whole Malleus fixation, he’s actually very domestic :)

Takes care of his room to make you as comfortable as possible.

Also a pamperer, but in the more reserved embarrassed way

Will cry while watching the Notebook

*Blows aesthetically into a lace handkerchief*

Rages at the Titanic

(S: There was room for both of them on that raft?!

y/n: yes- but that’s just how the story goes seb-

S:??!?!.@$! )

Has never touched a spatula in his life

All the cooking and baking is helped out tremendously by you

Enjoys it quite a bit! (Don’t let Lils find out, he’ll get depressed 😔)

Is tuckered out after all of the fun though

After dark, he turns into mush in your hands. Practically a cat from how he rubs his head and thumb over you

———————————

𝗦𝗹𝗲𝗲𝗽𝘆 𝗛𝗖

Is a stiff hugger in bed

He’s not the best in affection, but you best believe he’s trying his best 😭

Tbh, his cuddles are more protective than comfortable

I’m sure he’s caging you between the mattress to make sure you don’t get stolen or something 💔

He has good intentions tho, I swear ToT!!

Literally scrambles out of the bed when you twirl your fingers through his hair

Thought you were trying to mess with him, but the situation quickly comes to one of learning when you reveal your true intentions of the endearing act

Tries it for himself. Is infatuated with it.

He’s playing with your hair in the shower, when you study, when you need to fall asleep faster. He’s gotten addicted to the affection. That being said, he becomes shy, and a bit defiant once you start doing it. He’s too prideful to let you see this soft side of him (were you not cuddling to my side in the last paragraph seb 😔??)

You just have to rub a certain spot on his head to earn a blush. I’m telling you, cat behavior !!

He’ll sleep calmly, and ever so softly whispers a thank you into your ear.

We all know he’s a man of huge stature, so he’s practically cradling you into his chest

As he’s sleeping, you can make out some words from his sleep talking, as well as the soft and warm breaths he takes near the nape of your neck

Rub his back. He’s fast asleep.

Is rolling with joy at the affection he is receiving.

Will he tell you that? No, but at this point in time you fully understand what he’s feeling, so hess. not going to try to

The aftermath has you waking up on top of the green eyed boy (nice Sebek!), but your awoken by that Briar Valley Anthem (boy what)

Thank god it’s the weekend! He’s definitely not letting go of his grasp on you

As we speak, he’s glaring at his phone, alarm still blaring through the room.

(Soft seb supremacy whaaaat😭‼️‼️)

Anyways 9/10: point taken off because he has the Briar Vally anthem as his morning alarm 😭

☆*:.｡. .｡.:*☆*:.。.☆*:.｡. ☆*:.｡. ☆*:.｡. ☆*:.｡. ☆*:.｡.

A/N: Aaaah. As I’m posting this, it is 10:20, so don’t cancel me 😔

I’m hoping to make more of these, but seeing how long they took me to write, I’m not too sure if it’ll be consistent😅

And before some of you come after me, I’m sorry to all you Ace and Deuce fans out there,

ik I made theirs extremely short and brainrotted on the rest. Forgive me!!

If there are any grammar or spelling mistakes, or just things you think I should add, feel free to tell me :)

Have a wonderful day readers <3

[juniperhillpatient]

I can only speak for myself but for me I think azula should have a healing arc but not a redemption arc because I want her to get away from everyone who’s hurt her. she doesn’t owe anyone shit after the comics

Hm okay thank you for explaining! I think we are defining words differently & that’s part of where my confusion came in. @queenofthefaces explained it more concisely than I can in the replies. I’m guessing this is what you mean?

To me, healing would mean that Azula learns that the way she grew up - emotionally & mentally manipulated & taught to idolize her father & turn against her brother - was wrong. This also means she would/should learn that the way she grew up - with the mindset that being Fire Nation & royalty makes her better than everyone else & that people from other nations are below her, & with imperialist ideals - was wrong. If you’d like to stop there, & never have her reconcile with anyone, that’s fine (& imo would count as both redemption & healing), we just disagree on what would make a good story. I’m not satisfied with that ending because it completely separates Azula from the story & the rest of the cast which just isn’t, for me personally, a fulfilling character arc within the context of the show I love so much.

I’m not a fan of the way the comics were written, they were out of character & narratively did not follow up the show well in my opinion & as such they never factor into my analysis. That said, you CAN have a satisfying fan fiction or alternate universe story where Azula separates herself entirely from the cast we know & love & that’s fine - as a lover of alternate universes I have no leg to stand on in terms of being against this, do go & have fun with that idea - but I do think it’s narratively illogical (again, discarding the garbage comics) to do so in the context of canon. If you disagree that’s okay. But my personal opinion is that it would narratively make sense for Azula to reconcile with other characters, especially with Zuko & Ursa as well as Ty Lee & Mai. In a story about friendship, healing & forgiveness where a central theme is the new generation being better than their ancestors, why would you not want the fire siblings to reconcile? It’s the logical follow up in a story where the royal family has always been toxic & feuding & Ozai (& Iroh!) pitted the siblings against each other. It would give Azula a chance at the normalcy she craves & a family that isn’t hateful & toxic. It would wrap up Zuko’s arc of self confidence & healing to recognize that his sister was a victim too. They could find Ursa together & solve that mystery as well as having Ursa tell Azula that she was never a monster. That’s the obvious narratively satisfying ending right there & I’m forever bitter we didn’t get it 😤

Azula forgiving Mai & Ty Lee for their betrayals & understanding why they did what they did to me would make sense as a part of her arc toward recognizing her wrongs in the war. And I don’t see any reason Mai & Ty Lee wouldn’t reconcile with Azula. You could argue she was ready to kill Mai & that’s hard to forgive but idk it was war many of the characters were in deadly altercations including ZUKO VS THE GAANG & MAI & TY LEE VS THE GAANG.

I also think Azula should be friends with the gaang as well - especially / specially Katara, her narrative foil & the one to defeat her. It just makes sense for Azula to learn from Katara, a character with so many parallels to her. And also I think she should reconcile with Aang because he is the Avatar & the one trying to bring peace & balance to the world. Plus a healed & redeemed Azula would be horrified that she almost killed Aang, you can’t change my mind. As for the others, if Azula went on this huge arc & is now friends with Zuko & Katara & Aang why wouldn’t she also get along with Sokka & Toph & Suki? The show itself (let’s not forget it’s a kids show too y’all friendship is in fact at the heart of the story & it’s not a bad thing to have everyone as friends at the end especially if the bad guys have recognized their wrongs) has Ty Lee & Mai as besties with the gaang post war despite them having fought on opposite sides until the Boiling Rock.

In conclusion I don’t know why you wouldn’t want Azula to be redeemed AND healed AND reconcile with her friends & family + make new friends! Unless you count the comics & in that case I just can’t help you sorry

[musclesandhammering]

Supernatural Opinions That’ll Have Me Burned At The Stake Pt 1.

• John Winchester is more sympathetic than Dean.

• Literally every single angel in the series (except maybe Ishim) had 100% justifiable and understandable motives, and none of them were genuinely evil.

• The demons deserved 97% more sympathy than they got (yes, all of them) because they were literally tortured into being the way they are.

• The hunters on the show are the real villains. The supernatural creatures were just existing as they instinctually should have.

• There was absolutely no reason to bring Mary back at all, and they 100% only did it to provide Dean specifically with more personal Angst. Because everything’s about Dean.

• They did Bela so so dirty and there was no reason at all that 432 other boring ass characters got storyline after storyline and resurrection after resurrection when she didn’t even get mentioned post-death #1.

• Anything to do with Ben/Lisa/Dean was legit just the most boring thing I’ve ever seen, like I literally skipped past those parts cause I cared 0% about any of that.

• Claire was cool at first but they put everything into making her a mini-Dean and she ended up being a whiny annoying rude trying-too-hard-to-look-badass mess (surprise surprise).

• Alex was way more likeable and interesting than Claire, she should’ve gotten the lead storyline in that arc.

• The whole Claire/Kaia thing was nice from a representation standpoint I guess but there was zero chemistry and only like 2 scenes of lead-up and the entire time I was just thinking “what in the hell are they supposedly falling in love for, this feels so forced” lmao.

• Metatron was my fav even before his big redemptive scene, I stanned one petty weirdo full-stop all the way through his dicking around with Cas and everything, y’all simply do not have Taste.

• Same with Amara. Loved her even when she wanted to destroy the known universe. Stanned her. Supported her, even. And also she had an incredibly heartbreaking and sympathetic and dynamic storyline, but some of y’all couldn’t see the substance in her cause you were too busy being pissed that she flirted with your trash monster (Dean).

• I’m very sorry, but Charlie was annoying as all shit.

• Not only did Dean abuse Cas, but Dean abused Sam literally throughout the entire show, from the very first scene.

• Speaking of Sam, he’s probably the most caring, kind, empathetic, genuinely good person on the entire show. He’s an actual cinnamon roll, and every single person that holds him even 1% accountable for the leaving for college thing, or the demon blood thing, or the not looking for Dean in purgatory thing… y’all can eat my shorts.

• Cas was better friends with Sam than he ever was with Dean. They have more of a profound bond too. He was ordered to rescue Dean from Hell and had an army of other angels with him, but he chose to rescue Sam and went in completely alone. If that’s not more profound idk what is.

• I like Balthazar better than Gabriel, fight me on it.

• Hannah and Cas were actually hella cute together. And so were Cas and Meg.

• The Winchesters did not deserve Crowley. They also didn’t deserve Rowena.

• Sam and Dean aren’t actually heroes at all tbh because 75% of all the major apocalyptic problems that have happened on the show was literally their fault. And they almost never solved said problems themselves. They coerced supernatural beings into doing it for them.

• I liked the angels way better in season 4, when they were terrifying mythical beings of eldritch proportions that even the demons were scared of. Held more gravity, I think.

• After Bobby was killed off, the whole vibe of the show kinda fell apart. Like the team/family feeling was just never quite there after that, and it sorta killed it for me tbh.

• Chuck being a mega douche wasn’t the mind blowing plot twist they thought it was. Like that was predictable. It would’ve been more meta and more unsettling and more profound if, instead of being a raging narcissist, he had been portrayed as they described him in season 4/5- an actual father/creator that was jaded with his creation. He still could’ve been absent and all, just not a total heartless jerk.

• I didn’t even watch half of seasons 7-8 like wow that was not interesting in the slightest.

• Season 2 was also dull as hell, but it gets bonus points for the gritty midwestern horror aesthetic. 10/10 immaculate vibes.

• Anything past season 10 I just picked out the Cas episodes to watch and I didn’t even really love those :/.

• I don’t like how the storylines started getting too big for their britches around season 11 or so. Like purgatory and heaven and hell and the apocalypse, ok sure. But alternate dimensions? Heavenly extinction? God’s literal sister? Babe you’re just a cute lil country show from the CW go back to drunks killing vampires.

• This whole series actually started being trash less than halfway through, and the only reason it stayed on so long was because die-hard fans were invested enough to subject themselves to mental and emotional torture week after week just to stay loyal to their old favourite show.

[ladyelain]

I feel like some people need to hear and accept that it’s very reasonable for casual readers to dislike Elain and Nesta after the og trilogy (and later on, but especially pre-acosf).

It’s a writer’s job to give their readers a better understanding of the characters they’re creating. If they don’t, there might be reasons, it might be due to lazy writing. Anyway, it’s only natural people have a hard time relating to one-dimensional characters. As a reader, I’m not obligated to create headcanons for each underdeveloped side character. I do it for fun, if I feel like it. I’m also not obligated to agree with other people’s headcanons.

Personally, I wasn’t a big Nesta fan prior to acosf. I felt like she was overhyped, I knew she was going to get that big, relatable redemption arc, but I couldn’t imagine it would explain her attitude. What can I say, Nesta Archeron owns me today and I’m completely fine with that. Opinions change, characters evolve, it’s the whole point.

I just can’t stand the way it has now become a thing to pull the uno reverse card and hate on the popular, less polarizing characters without valid arguments.

Feyre is bathing in her mate’s money and Gwyn has no story / isn’t involved with the IC whatsoever…?

Do y’all realize how pathetic that sounds? People will defend Nesta or Elain until their last breath, yet dare make up such things about other female protagonists. It’s so cringe, I can’t even. Those same exact accusations have been made against Elain and Nesta for years and now people are channeling their anger and try to shoot back, just, it misses the point because Feyre is the one carrying this whole entire series since book one and Gwyn has never done a thing wrong in her life.

You don’t need a reason to dislike a character, but if you don’t have one, stop making rants with no substance. It’s only backfiring on you.

Not everybody needs to see potential in your fave. People are absolutely right to question Elain’s purpose in the Night Court and the series in general because we haven’t gotten much to read about her yet. And people are right to think Nesta is a viper before getting into acosf. Stop taking everything on here personal… it’s literally just opinions, most people really don’t put that much thought into what they’re saying.

[luckyqueenreign]

major 🤡 alert!

Hey, HELP A GIRL OUT PLEASE i’m stuck in the love triangle with Suresh and Alfie. I KNOW! I’M DOWN BAD BUT hear me out. I actually really liked Alfie in the beginning and wasn’t even thinking about Suresh (hated him to be exact) but we all know what happened how the season progressed. Plus i’ve been reading y’all’s theories and everything on here and yeah that resulted in this. I literally tried to make myself hate Suresh over the past two months so bad but god dammit i just can’t do it 😭Every damn time when i was finally like okay there’s no way i’m taking him back (especially after i found out about Gabi coming in, their relationship and him switching to Lulu from the scripts) i open tumblr AND IT’S BACK AGAIN. Alfie looked like a way better option to me even after kissing Kat but recoupling with Meera after Casa was my last straw. Suresh on the other hand… we know damn well what was happening in the last 2 months. We all figured that in this season we simply gotta pick the least bad option so i feel like they’re both as bad as each other and i just don’t know who to go for. Plus their routes are literally 👏mirroring👏.These theories about them feeling like they don’t deserve MC break my heart even though they did her well dirty. Final recoupling is probably about to be next week and i’m over here on the biggest fence ever. I know it’s probably not a good idea asking this here (where a lot of Suresh stans are) but i would be beyond grateful if you could look at it objectively and try to find some advice 😭coz i’m dying over here. Thank you so much for reading this, have a nice day! <3

OK girly i'm going to try soooo hard to be impartial but I'm so not an Alfie girl so this may prove difficult for me 😩😬.

I also want to preface this by saying that when I was coupled with Alfie I took full advantage of that coupling to make Suresh jealous and I actually did start to like him. I found him super endearing and I felt bad that I was going to break his little heart...that is until he Cherrygated me 😡. And look did I kiss Suresh? Yeah I absolutely did! But Alfie wouldn't even wait two seconds to hear me out. And I've seen other girls post on here who did NOT kiss Suresh and when you didn't kiss him you had an option to tell Alfie nothing happened and he still didn't hear you out. BOO!!! I just also feel like with Alfie some of his words and actions don't line up. He tells you one day he wants to take things slow and the very next day is asking to do bits? He tells you two days in row he wants to end the summer with you, you're his only girl but then he kisses Kat and 2 days after that brings Meera back and is suddenly all about Meera. IDK for me... There just hasn't been enough of a redemption arc for Alfie like there has been for Suresh. And I'll get into his misgivings now. Suresh comes into the villa incredibly unapologetic and extremely cocky. It's clear he thinks that he's got this in the bag and he's going to win MC back, that these guys have absolutely no chance. But MC proves to be a bigger challenge than he originally anticipated and he's forced to deal with ALL of his demons. Suresh thinks he's changed before Arlo comes in but he obviously hasn't hes still acting the exact same way he was before. MC kisses/flirts with Alfie? He does the same with Arlo. He flirts with MC while with Arlo, which in it of itself is a dick move to both women (I mean I loved it...but im being impartial here It was a dick move) Then the whole casa speech. We all loved it but then NOTHING. We were all left scratching our heads confused like WTF happened to this man?? We all came up with theories to explain his odd behavior after Casa but then this week he confirmed our suspicions that he was hurting, he was struggling hard, but most of all he was SORRY. This man has never been this apologetic, this self-loathing without wanting anything in return. this man has properly changed, there's been growth and character development (I mean as much as there can be for a pixel game). I just dont feel like we see the same for Alfie.

But again take this info knowing I am not an Alfie girly. You may find an Alfie girly out there who will give you 845 reasons why he's redeemable and has had growth. 💖

[plan-d-to-i]

When people try to give Jiang Cheng a redemption arc it just feels so cringe. They always choose to redeem him when he’s already done a lot of problematic shit and I’m just like why can’t y’all choose to develop him when he’s 15 and at the Cloud Recesses or something as long as he’s not around/not near his mother. That’s probably the only time (for me at least) where I could see and put up with any sort of redemption arc for JC happening. I still have mixed feelings on that though but do you think JC could’ve been redeemed back at Cloud Recesses?

No. I don't think jc could've been redeemed back at cloud recesses. I elaborated here before. He's already snide and self absorbed. He lets WWX get punished by himself then berates him for not behaving. jc isn't different in the Cloud Recesses he just hasn't been truly tested yet by hard times. Everything jc became was already there in his nature. At the archery competition (pre indoctrination camp) he's annoyed WWX is helping Wen Ning and berates him even though WWX is the best archer in YunmengJiang. By the time the indoctrination camp rolls around jc tries to stop WWX from offering help to LWJ or Mianmian. I mean he was nine and he told an orphaned, traumatized kid he was going to send dogs chasing after him bc he knew that was his biggest fear. He doesn't "become" like YZY because he's raised by YZY, he just is like YZY from the start. She died and he still lived his life the same way and repeated everything she said and embraced all her world views and ignored everything his father had tried to teach him. Some characters, like some people, are just assholes. Some characters are fun! assholes. So I get the drive to give them some sort of happy ending. But jc is an annoying little shitbag. The only way he'd be slightly less irritating is if he had died in the end. Like this he's just somone w power and privilege skating by with minimal consequences for the shit he pulled.

[haleigh-sloth]

I’m convinced that people are actually just so mad that the villains are being set up for saving/redemption and now are grasping at any straw they can to make Endeavor not that bad, and Touya as bad as possible. And quite frankly try to make the heroes not seem bad either.

Everything that has needed to happen in order for the villains to be saved and NOT be in prison by the end (why are y’all so obsessed with prison, it doesn’t even work in real life) has ALREADY HAPPENED:

Exhibit A: the villains are viewed as people who need help

Shigaraki:

Toga:

Touya:

Exhibit B: Society is falling apart, and the villains were pretty much right about many pro heroes.

Exhibit C: The prison system has failed. And oh it’s okay, the heroes will help put the villains back in prison! Oh WAIT!

Can’t put villains in prison if there is no reliable prison. Also can’t put villains in prison when there’s nobody TO put them in prison. ALSO can’t put villains in prison when the rest of society is about to basically hit reset and start over, to an extent, and everybody—and I mean EVERYBODY—will need to pitch in and help build a better hero society. I mean, the set up is there. It’s here, it’s happening. Idk why people are mad about it, just go with it. Anybody who truly believes this is simply a “heroes defeat the villains and the villains DIE AND ROT IN JAIL” kind of story is ignoring a HUUUUGE underlying message that’s being told here—save everybody, even if it’s hard. I’m not ruling out the possible redemptive deaths of the main three villains, but given that Deku wants to save everybody, and dead does NOT equal “safe”, I’d like to say that it’s very unlikely that they will die. EsPECIALLY Touya, since he was already “dead” once, and it would be repetitive to kill him again. You don’t have to hate the villains if you like the heroes. The heroes are always going to win in the end, they’ve won every time in this story (except the war arc which was more of a stalemate). Your precious class 1A kids aren’t going to die, this isn’t that kind of story. It’s hopeful, optimistic, and it’s about SAVING EVERYBODY—as stated many times by our main character.

Like, why do y’all hate redemption? Why do you not want them to be saved? Is this your first shonen manga? Get with the program. Redeeming murderers is par for the course!

Anyway goodnight y’all.

[ellesliterarycorner]

What Should You Outline?

Ah, good ole outlining, people either love it or they hate it. As y’all know, I love outlining. Even though I am learning a little more how to let my outline go, there’s no way I would ever be able to start a project without an outline. But, for all the pantsers out there and even for us plotters, outlining can be a real pain in the ass. It takes forever, especially if you’re someone like me who tends to plot way too many little details. Sometimes, though, you don’t want to outline the full story, and that’s completely okay! Honestly, it might be better that way! If you’re trying to figure out what you need to outline and what you can just come up with, I recommend starting with these four things!

The Beginning. Believe me, having a starting point makes writing everything after so much easier. The beginning needs to hook your reader and inform them about your world without having too many info-dumps. It’s hard to write, and from my personal experience, I’ve spent so much time trying to get the beginning of my story just right. Having the beginning outlined can help you so much!

The Ending. Just like having the starting point makes writing everything after easier, having the ending makes writing everything before easier as well! With the beginning and the end you have the beginning of the tunnel and the light at the end of the tunnel. Knowing how your story ends and what becomes of your characters can help inform any choices you make and help you sow the seeds of any plot twists. Even if you don’t plot anything else, I highly recommend plotting the ending! 

The Climax. The Climax is probably one of the most important moments in your story and you want it to feel that way. Everything builds up to the climax and knowing exactly what happens or even just having a vague idea of it, can help you so much when you’re writing. I’ve found that knowing what my climax is has helped me not have a sagging middle and helped me cut word count a little bit because everything is building up to one particular point, so I’m not just rambling on about nothing for five pages.! 

Character Development Arcs. Honestly, this might should be number one! Character development informs so much of your story. If you’re going to have a corruption arc, a redemption arc, or any kind of major character heavy plot arc, you probably need to plot that out. Even if you don’t want to plot out every single detail of your character arcs, which does boring and sometimes tedious, I would recommend plotting out the middle and the end, just like with your story. Knowing who your character starts out as and who they become are two of the most important things to know about your characters!

[killsandthrills]

i’ve said it before and i’ll say it again: this website has a huge problem when it comes to morally grey characters. like i’m not sure if you people just have a hard time with black and white thinking or are just not familiar with archetypes in storytelling, but i’m really frustrated by the way so many of you treat characters that aren’t coded as good™ when you consume media.

this is mostly about john walker, but like... y’all understand that walker didn’t get a redemption arc, right? he tried stopping the van from going over because that’s what a good soldier does. he’s working with val because he needs a job and she offered him one. the man is easily manipulated, by the government and by val, because he has an innate need to be useful and have a purpose, but unfortunately for him they’ve repeatedly kept him in the dark about what’s actually going on... therefore he has no idea what he’s getting himself into by working with val. and if you think walker killing nico was bad, oh honey, you’ve got a big storm coming. besides, do you think the government actually gives a damn that he killed nico? hell no. they just care that it was broadcast to the world. going forward as us agent he’s going to do the things that sam (and bucky, let’s be honest) won’t do because sam is a good™ guy. that’s his character archetype... he’s the hero. walker, on the other hand, was never meant to be the hero... if anything, he’s the anti hero. so once in a blue moon he’ll do heroic things (like trying to save a truck from going over the edge) because that’s the right thing to do at that moment, but make no mistake about it... his character morally lives in the grey and he’s been there since they first introduced him. that’s why they gave him a wife for fuck’s sake... to humanize his character and to show he wasn’t 100% a villain. he was the antagonist, clearly, but never the villain and frankly, i’m not convinced many of you even understand what a villain is either.

hell, this post isn’t even in defense of john walker... it’s just a rant about how frustrated i am looking through the tags and seeing how many of you are getting it completely wrong.

[destiniesfic]

Okay, y’all. Let’s talk about the role the Starless One played in Rule of Wolves. Spoilers follow:

To start off, as a disclaimer, this was written with people who already like the Darkling in mind. (I’m not up for litigating whether you should or shouldn’t like him; he’s a very fun, very bad man and I make no apologies.) I was talking to a couple of people in a Discord who said that they wished he’d never been brought back in the first place, and I disagree! But to explain why, we’ll have to dive into...

~*~his arc~*~

Now, an appropriate reaction to that is really, well, “What arc?” The Darkling is extremely static from the time we meet him in The Grisha Trilogy through his resurrection—in fact, the only time we see him make any major change is when he drops his pretense of seduction, and that’s just the removal of a mask. His goals and his methods are always consistent, they escalate, and then he dies for it. There is no arc, because this story isn’t his, it’s Alina’s. Alina has an arc, and it’s tied up very neatly at the end of Ruin and Rising.

Rule of Wolves gives him a little more to chew on, because Rule of Wolves, for a brief moment, realizes a fear that Aleksander has had for a very long time. It’s one of the first things that he says to Alina in Shadow and Bone: “The age of Grisha Power is coming to an end.” And finally, he sees that it’s happened. He gathers his followers, goes to the battlefield, and plans to stage his grand return, only to find that, as he predicted, the day has come when technology has outpaced him and he is powerless.

Except! That actually doesn’t mean the age of Grisha Power is at an end. It is a Grisha who saves everyone, just a different one. He ends up throwing his weight behind the people who can ensure that Grisha Power will be feared and respected, even though they’re from the band of plucky heroes that assembled to defeat him, and that’s gross. But a Grisha queen now sits on the throne of Ravka. Aleksander fought a war for that. It isn’t him, but, shockingly, that doesn’t matter. He is very old and it’s hard to move the needle with him, but it has moved very, very slightly—enough for him to take that macro win without sabotaging it because he’s not the one in charge. 

And then because he absolutely must remain the center of attention, he saves the world.

During their conversation, Alina tells him, “It’s not too late for you.” He dismisses her out of hand, not just once, but again in his POV chapter. And although he has no interest in making amends on a personal level, although he is acting in a way that he claims is internally consistent with his ideology, although he is trying to preserve his legacy, although he won’t be saved, he does something we haven’t seen him do.

He steps aside, so everyone else can live.

(And it is the funniest non-redemption arc I’ve ever seen, so I’m into keeping it for peak comedy alone. Imagine being dragged to your own redemption screaming that you’re not sorry.)

[davids-cartoon-corkboard]

Here’s the final part of the “Raph is a system” theory compilation post! It’s the last of what I can scrape up from canon; while I still have ideas on how it might loop back into character interactions and plot and so on, they’re much more speculative in nature. (Part 1 is here) (Part 2 is here) (You’re reading Part 3)

---

"Red” is the alter with the least screen time, so it took a while for me to connect the dots on when and why he formed.

His shadowed face, the dramatic background music when he speaks, and his seriousness are reminiscent of the “brooding on rooftops in the rain while gloomily staring off into the distance” thing that Raphs throughout the franchise will do sometimes. That’s easy to poke fun at on a superficial level because most of us look back on our edgy phases with self-deprecation, but it’s a lot less funny in the context of the life he lives. Being a normal human teenager in normal human society is a fucking nightmare; being a mutant teenager who has no idea what to expect in terms of development or lifespan, only five people he can safely interact with ever, and a very limited future hiding from everyone else for as long as he lives has got to be just awful.

RR’s few lines in “Pizza Puffs” tell us a lot. “It’s the only way they’ll learn” and “this is for their own good” suggest that he formed when the turtles started exploring more of the sewers and going aboveground, and Being The Leader became more of a responsibility. A thousand new ways for them to get in trouble meant a thousand new ways Raph would have to bail them out, and that got old fast- especially since they didn’t have April’s knowledge to help them in the beginning. I doubt they met her the very first time they left the sewers. The wiki says April knew the boys for five years as of “Mystic Mayhem”, so they would have been nearly eight at the time, perhaps the mental equivalent of a ten- or eleven-year-old human.

A while back I sifted through all the eps with Raph in them in the vague hopes that “Pizza Puffs” wasn’t the only episode featuring RR... and lo and behold, I found something! The shadowed face and dramatic background music are also present in “Minotaur Maze”!

“I can’t do it. I got no mystic mojo. I’m useless.”

“Hey, that’s not true, brother. You just gotta believe in yourself, and know this: If I die in this maze, I will haunt you for the rest of your life.”

(I know that’s only two data points, but y’all canonically cannot scoff at me.) RR shows up when HR is no longer able to tolerate the bullshit at hand. “I’m not going to baby you Leo, get your shit together before your ego kills us all” was a reasonable response to nearly being shish-kebab’d.

“Pizza Puffs”, on the other hand... LDM pulled through in the end, but that RR got HR to stay behind added an unnecessary level of risk. Getting his brothers to learn a lesson should have waited until after the giant mutant cannibal had been dealt with and they were no longer poisoned.

This hands-off “figure it out on your own” approach probably came from Splinter. I swear to Pizza Supreme In The Sky I’m not trying to shit-talk him, but his lack of involvement with his sons was a major flaw. Before all that character development he was terrible at things like “emotional support” and “life lessons”, leaving Raph without the blueprints to deal with a lot of problems. HR would respond by rushing in and figuring things out as he went, but sometimes RR would have to say “No, we’re maxed out and can’t deal with this, we’ve gotta step back”. As we’ve seen in other iterations, when Raph is maxed out and doesn’t step back...

...he goes too far. Plenty of folks have commented on how rarely the Rise turtles smack each other around compared to other versions; it’s telling that RR spoke up just a moment after HR smacked Mikey in “Pizza Puffs”.

Raph is much bigger and stronger than his brothers this time around, meaning such an outburst would have a much higher risk of Genuine Grievous Injury. And while his size and strength also mean a measure of gentleness has been baked into him since day one, there would still be times HR would feel himself boiling over and RR would head off somewhere quiet for fear of the above situation; which was potentially alluded to in “Hot Soup: The Game”.

“You went out on your own when you were his age.”

The context of “Man vs. Sewer” suggests Raph isn’t going to go off on his own without very good reason- such as cooling down before he does something he regrets. That this detail shows up in Casey’s debut episode suggests it is how they will properly meet and bond, since befriending Casey and doing vigilante shit with him is what usually gives Raph a way to blow off steam while having someone nearby to keep him in check. But that probably won’t happen until partway through season 3, since I doubt we can cram the rest of Casey’s redemption arc into the movie alongside the invasion and time travel trauma shenanigans and leader drama. So in the meantime RR will continue to brood on rooftops in bad weather and listen to Ephemerality songs and monologue to himself because he knows nobody’s going to hear him over the incessant background noise that makes up the cities above and below.

I was a bit stumped about how that meeting would take place- the events of the finale (and possibly also the movie) would no doubt have both the human and yokai populations on high alert, making it dangerous for RR to slip away for some peace and quiet. But the events of the finale also gave us some insight on Raph’s powers; he has a way to leave without actually leaving!

Hardlight Clone Jutsu, baby!

So whenever HR finds himself in a particularly sour mood, a wisp of power winds its way up through the open-air portion of the lair and forms into a clone aboveground. HR doesn’t have to leave for a while to cool down before coming back and dealing with the situation calmly, because RR is already on a rooftop somewhere dissipating those bad feelings by listening to the rain and/or yeeting trash cans.

But mutants can’t freely walk the streets of New York, and the Hidden City Police probably still have it out for Raph. And someone, hero or villain, will eventually realize that Raph has a gloomy stray clone running around and ask questions that can’t be answered without cracking open the can of worms that is This Whole Situation. RR needs to get creative. That we’ve seen clones have both full color and the basic red/white palette suggests their color could be altered in other ways; and that the holo-form grew extra arms in the lair fight vs. the Shredder suggests their shape could also be changed further.

So what will he choose to look like, if not his body?

Obviously he’ll use a red and black color palette because it slaps, leaning more towards black since I compared him to Batman back in Part 1. A low-detail design makes it hard to identify him, giving onlookers the impression that they just couldn't see him well in the dark. Mentally filing down his spikes and decreasing the curve of his shell are easy enough, but it takes him a while to figure out five fingers instead of three, and there’s not much he can do about his voice other than lowering the pitch so he just opts to not talk much within earshot of others. A cape further disguises his silhouette and again, it slaps. The impression of a mask means he doesn’t need a face and it lets peoples’ assumptions work for him. Humans are more likely to think he’s human than a Very Human-Shaped Mutant, and yokai come in so many shapes as is that he could be anything from a witch to a dehydrated googlyschmootz.

(You know how it is with franchises. Old patterns repeating in new ways.)

New York City never sleeps, and I doubt the Hidden City does either. He’ll run into Casey eventually, but in the interim he stumbles across and intervenes in some attempted purse-snatchings and kidnappings and the like. Most of the would-be victims use his arrival as their chance to escape, but one of them is too frozen with fear to move until their attackers are chased off into the dark. He escorts them home, and it’s only once they’re at their doorstep that they work up the courage to ask him who he is.

It’s... a difficult question, in more ways than one. “Raph” is out of the question. “Red” isn’t quite right, and neither is “Angel”- they’re a tad too identifying still, and the R.A.P.H. thing was HR’s idea anyway. So he shrugs, and melts away into the shadows.

“Don’t worry about it. I’m Nobody.”