#So we have like... clear oppositions going on but don't see them directly affect characters

[somerandomcockroach]

A large burning canvas could be seen in the distance.

The neat fingers, full of small dents from the friction of the sword handle, caught a small flame, which immediately went out from faint pressure.

There was silence, a living silence, one of those that strains with its sound. A warm wind heated his battered, but carefully polished armor.

"You want to say something"

"I want" Blurr answered, turning sharply to the dark silhouette behind him that was quietly watching him until now. He clenched his fist with a grinding sound, where the spark died out, and demonstratively opened it towards the darkness. "And this is how you are paid for making the world freer! This is what remains of your legacy, and you react as if it doesn’t concern you at all!"

"It does not concern me anymore" the figure answered him calmly.

"Shockwave, stop!"

"Is that an order?"

"It's a request” His angry expression made it clear that this request was an obligation. “I just don't recognize you for these few months." His hand shook slightly with anger. Black smoke seeped through the cracks in his armor.

"I don't recognize myself for even longer time." Blurr visibly trembled at these words, realizing where the dialogue was leading. Shockwave slowly approached, his long, deformed fingers, three times longer than one of Blurr's fingers, carefully reached out to his hand and wrapped his palms in his huge paws, kneeling down to be on the same level with him. "Blurr, I-"

Blurr turned his head away so as not to see one piercing, but such a swampy dim light of his terrifying eye, which had become more precious to him than his weekly knightly brigandage. "Shut up. It's too early, we haven't agreed on when exactly to do this"

The dull mass of metal, which was only a tangible casing, after some hope of catching at least a spark of doubt, only lowered its head heavily. The crackling of the fire continued to be heard around. The soot reached them, gifting them with at least some warm light among the shades of cold before dying. Realization, regret, reluctance were not reflected in the knight's optics. His armor, always proudly looking into the face of danger, now reflected only the cowardly lights of the fire from behind. Despite this, he did not remove his hand from the strong lock until the blades themselves parted. Shockwave disappeared. Disappeared as he had done for the past few months.

Blurr turned back to the burning wall. From afar were heard screams, squeals, grinding, clanking. The column of fire did not subside, as if it was fed by fuel from secret reserves. It had been burning like that for hours, as if to show the greatness of this building over others that would have left only a column of smoke long ago.

Shockwave's last school of dark magic was burning out, as was the will of its creator to live.

[lovelyney]

#DATING HEADCANONS, MAIN FOUR. . .

CHARACTERS. . . mark heathcliff, cesar torres, adam murray, jonah marshall

GENRE. . . headcanons

WARNINGS. . . my clear favoritism of Jonah BHAHSHS.

BAKER’s NOTE. . . these aren’t my best work ‹//3 sorry there’s not too much either, LMFAHSJDK. if i think of more, i’ll def add them! ):

#LOWERCASE INTENDED

꩜━━MARK HEATHCLIFF, VICTIM 01. . .

𖠵𝟎𝟏: Mark didn't really initiate the relationship at first, not being all that interested in what relationships had in store.

however, he quickly grew fond of you, and Cesar highly encouraged him to ask you out! and that he did...

𖠵𝟎𝟐: he isn't a very touchy person, but he doesn't reject the idea, either. if you want to cuddle, he'll happily do so, but you have to be the one to initiate it.

𖠵𝟎𝟑: you happened to be a big stress reliever for this man! whenever he feels stressed or overwhelmed, he'll plop himself on top of you and ask if you can rant about something so he can listen to you talk.

𖠵𝟎𝟒: he's always been slightly protective over you regarding getting yourself hurt. when the idea of alternates came out, god, that was multiplied by 100,000.

he would not let you go almost anywhere by yourself. (at least out in public). he'd eye anyone you'd be talking to, trying to figure out if they were an alternate.

𖠵𝟎𝟓: he's a silent lover; he shows he loves you with smaller actions rather than big ones.

𖠵𝟎𝟔: it doesn't take much to make him happy romantically. as long as you're safe and unharmed, that's all that really matters to him.

𖠵𝟎𝟕: isn't much for PDA, but he'll hold your hand everywhere to ensure that you don't wander off anywhere.

𖠵𝟎𝟖: takes really good care of you! especially when you're sick or injured. he'll stress heavily over either one ‹/3 the boy just wants you to be healthy. he doesn't mind either, one of his favorite things to do is take care of you.

𖠵𝟎𝟗: makes sure to check on you regularly to see how you're feeling, physically and mentally; this was heightened after MAD came out.

𖠵𝟏𝟎: has always felt a little awkward around you, given how much he likes you. he sometimes shyly links your pinkies, hoping you'll get the memo that he wants to hold your hand.

for some reason, he won’t directly ask you when he wants affection…

𖠵𝟏𝟏: isn't too big on pet names, but he'll occasionally call you “baby/babe” or “sweetheart.”

𖠵𝟏𝟐: steal all of his hoodies!1!1 i guarantee you he has thousands. he finds you super cute in them anyways, especially if you’re smaller than him so that you drown in them. (he won't admit that, though).

𖠵𝟏𝟑: a really good cook! he always makes sure you’re eating well and enough ‹3

𖠵𝟏𝟒: one of his favorite things to do is run his fingers through your hair or even brush it if you let him ‹//3

꩜━━CESAR TORRES, VICTIM 02. . .

𖠵𝟎𝟏: starting off with alive Cesar. he was more loud with his love! almost the complete opposite of Mark, really.

𖠵𝟎𝟐: a pretty big hopeless romantic, i'd imagine. he loved to take you out on really romantic dates. it doesn't matter if it was a big occasion or not.

𖠵𝟎𝟑: he'd boast on and on about how much he loves you to Mark ‹/3

𖠵𝟎𝟒: a big cuddle bug! he loved to be attached to your hip no matter where you went. he'd hold your hand without meaning to, LMFAO.

𖠵𝟎𝟓: would bring you home the biggest bouquet of flowers he could find and/or afford.

𖠵𝟎𝟔: each and every morning, you'd either wake up to: (A) Cesar literally on top of you or (B) you suffocated in his chest from him pulling you so close.

𖠵𝟎𝟕: Cesar liked to call you “baby,” “mariposa,” and “(my) love!”

𖠵𝟎𝟖: we all know he's a family man ‹/3 he was so excited to start a family and get married. starts crying

𖠵𝟎𝟗: loved to pick clothes out for you and choose your outfits.

𖠵𝟏𝟎: now, let's move on to alternate Cesar...

these apply to the theory/headcanon that any human who gets turned into an alternate still has their original features/personalities from their human self and has at least a silver of their dignity left. (@/hornyforgothdick headcanon.)

𖠵𝟏𝟏: he's a lot more withdrawn because he's scared he's going to hurt you accidentally.

𖠵𝟏𝟐: watches over you very intently while you sleep, making sure nothing (meaning any other alternates/intruders) gets inside your house.

𖠵𝟏𝟑: was very against the idea of affection, being incredibly not used to it (as an alternate). however, you've found out that giving him affection helps calm him down and keep his sanity intact — well... whatever's left of it anyways.

𖠵𝟏𝟒: grimaces at literally anyone else but you, given his nature of being an alternate. for that reason, you prefer he stays at home.

however, he despises the idea of you going out alone because he can't be there to protect you.

𖠵𝟏𝟓: i can't decide whether or not he'd tell Gabriel of you because he wants to make it abundantly clear that you should not, no matter the circumstances, be harmed by his or any other alternates hands or because he fears that Gabriel would purposefully try and target you.

꩜━━ADAM MURRAY, VICTIM 03. . .

𖠵𝟎𝟏: Adam is fairly similar to Mark when it comes to romance. although he more actively sought it out.

𖠵𝟎𝟐: Jonah noticed the way he kept staring at you and kept nagging him to confess because “it’s honestly sickening the way you look at them.”

Jonah was actually the one who gave you Adam’s number, LMFAO.

𖠵𝟎𝟑: he's infatuated with you and doesn't hear the end of it from Jonah and Sarah.

𖠵𝟎𝟒: you catch him staring at you with the most lovesick eyes like 24/7 and when asking why he says, “can’t a guy bask in his lover’s beauty?”

𖠵𝟎𝟓: one to hold your hand or have his on your thigh while he's driving.

𖠵𝟎𝟔: felt horrible he had to stop taking you out in public when he became wanted ‹//3

𖠵𝟎��: protested against the idea of you getting involved with his work because god forbid something happen to you under his control...

you normally stayed in the car with Jonah, while he goes inside the houses. (always glaring at him to not try anything, LMFAO).

𖠵𝟎𝟖: gave you one of his hoodies that he adores seeing you in!!! it's because it's a soft reminder that you're his lover and not someone elses ‹//3

𖠵𝟎𝟗: “baby/babe” and “princess/prince.”

𖠵𝟏𝟎: you were the first one he quite literally ran to after his and Jonah's last mission. he clung to you days afterward.

you, however, didn't know what to make of the situation. how were you supposed to know that this Adam was YOUR Adam?

𖠵𝟏𝟏: keeps you closely knitted at his side whenever you two are out together; he wouldn't know what to do if something happened to you.

𖠵𝟏𝟐: sorry y'all, there's no meeting his (actual) parents ‹//3

𖠵𝟏𝟑: the type to get angry-worried at you if you put yourself in front of harm's way. )):

𖠵𝟏𝟒: he knows he probably doesn't deserve you, which terrifies him. he's scared that you're randomly gonna get up and leave one day or that the alternates are going to target you to get to him; you are his one and only weakness.

꩜━━JONAH MARSHALL, VICTIM 04. . .

𖠵𝟎𝟎: LET'S GOOOO MY MANNNN!!! 👹👹 ‼️‼️‼️

𖠵𝟎𝟏: Jonah is 100% your number one hypeman. he's ready to cheer for you on just about anything.

𖠵𝟎𝟐: he always tried to 'subtly' flirt with you before you started dating, thinking he sounded calm and confident. nine times out of ten, he got nervous and stumbled over his words ‹/3

𖠵𝟎𝟑: would not shut up about you to Adam or Sarah.

𖠵𝟎𝟒: a touchy person! he loves to be holding onto you in one way or another. he's basically a koala.

𖠵𝟎𝟓: likes to drag you along on their ghost-hunting uhhh expeditions; Adam doesn't mind because you normally keep him out of trouble, LMFAO.

𖠵𝟎𝟔: loves whenever you run your fingers through his hair! (and he has a lots of it)!

𖠵𝟎𝟕: whenever he gets scared of like... uncertain of something, he'll always pull you protectively at his side.

𖠵𝟎𝟖: Jonah probably calls you every pet name in the book, but the most common ones are “baby/babe,” “(my) princess/prince,” and “doll.”

𖠵𝟎𝟗: whenever Adam leaves to investigate the houses, most of the time, Jonah takes that time to make out with you ‹//3

𖠵𝟏𝟎: is the person to go "shh!" whenever you're trying to sleep, and people are being too noisy.

𖠵𝟏𝟏: quite the jealous and protective boyfriend. however, he trusts Adam enough not to be around him.

𖠵𝟏𝟐: has like 10,000 Polaroid pictures of you; he keeps one on him at all times.

𖠵𝟏𝟑: kisses your palms before pressing them against his cheeks, relishing in your touch.

𖠵𝟏𝟒: flirts/compliments you juuust to see you smile or blush.

𖠵𝟏𝟓: squeals very loudly whenever he sees you wearing his clothes.

𖠵𝟏𝟔: boasts about you like he's your mom, LMFAOAOS.

𖠵𝟏𝟕: would throw himself in front of danger if it meant protecting you.

© loveloxcked ― please do not reupload or publish my work anywhere else

[sam-glade]

As someone who absolutely loves multi POV stories, I have some thoughts about it. I chose the '6 or more option', however there are stories where I wonder if all the POVs are necessary - sometimes, if it couldn't be a single POV.

I see two main reasons why stories have multiple POVs - looking primarily at epic fantasy, which is what I read most:

The characters are doing their own things in different places and it's impossible for a single POV to know everything that's happening that is necessary to make the plot clear to the reader.

For a similar reason an omniscient narrator is used - the reader needs to know what a given character knows or thinks of the situation, but the character isn't going to reveal them to the rest of the cast.

In both cases multiple POVs can enhance the story or detract from it, there can be too many and too few, and it heavily depends on the individual story and personal tastes of the reader.

For example, in the first case, I have to admit, I start asking why we need so many POVs at the point where each one of them is starting off doing their own thing, going about their lives, and the only thing that connects them is that they're included in the same book. I don't like having too many moments when I need to put a pin in something and switch to a different POV, because it becomes a stressful pressure to read and remember them all simultaneously, and I don't enjoy that.

However, as soon as there's an element in the story that clearly connects them, it works better for me. It can be something thematic, e.g. a bunch of people who roughly at the same time decide they're unhappy with their lives and want to join the resistance. It can also be a piece of news or a legend. A common example is the monarch being assassinated - we get a POV of the heir who's directly affected, of a servant who is more concerned about their work and people being on edge, and someone for whom it seemingly wouldn't make any difference who wears the crown, but by including all three POVs and mentioning the same event in each, the author makes a promise that actually, the consequences of the assassination will somehow connect these three people, and I'm now curious to know how.

One pit fall here is that throughout the story some more connections should be made between the POVs, e.g. they run into each other or the servant and the peasant from my example see the heir from a distance and have Opinions. Without a reminder that they're all going towards the same destination, stories sometimes give the impression of the opposite - that they'll end up in separate places with their own climaxes at the end - at which point I have to ask why these aren't two separate books.

The second case, with the reader needing to know what each character thinks even if they're working together, is a bit more tricky. I've seen it most often in political intrigue where characters scheme together AND against each other at the same time. In my opinion this requires a very fine balance between making the characters' plans clear and over explaining and again, your mileage may vary. If overdone, and too many POVs are used, it becomes tedious. My rule of thumb is that you start giving POV to characters with most agency and most influence over the events, go down the list, and stop when the plot becomes clear.

Tl;dr: It depends very much on execution of the particular story. Sometimes two is too many. Sometimes seven is not enough.

No "other" option. If you don't like multi POV books, please keep scrolling!

[spencer-reids-adventures]

Can we have autistic Reid with dermatillomania and a weirdly bad relationship with food (but not one that really fits into ARFID or another eating disorder, he’s just personally offended that he has to eat). And one of the more fatherly characters trying to discuss it with him and him shutting down.

cw: dermatillomania, eating issues, shutdown

Spencer can tell that Hotch wants to talk to him, and that's why Spencer has been avoiding him. Hotch can tell that something is wrong, and he's going to confront Spencer about it, and there's nothing Spencer can do except stall.

So that's exactly what he does.

He tries not to let himself be alone with Hotch, only interacting with him when the whole team is around. The only time he's forced to interact directly with him is during a case, and then there's no time for confrontation.

He knows what Hotch wants to talk to him about. It's the skin picking and the weight loss, he's sure of it. It hasn't been this bad since before he joined the BAU, and he'd hoped he was doing a better job of hiding it, but there are only so many ways to conceal the red patches on his hand and almost no way to hide the fact that he never, ever eats with the team.

In the end, Hotch tricks him. He ushers the whole team into his office to discuss something, and then as soon as Spencer arrives, everyone else clears out, closing the door on their way out.

And then it's just the two of them.

"Reid, can I talk to you?" Hotch asks.

"I'd rather you didn't," Spencer replies, tapping his fingers frantically against the side of his leg.

"Let me rephrase that," Hotch says with a small huff. "I need to speak with you, Reid. Please have a seat."

"Am I in trouble?" Spencer's voice comes out much smaller than he means it to, aiming for sarcasm and landing somewhere much more timid and afraid.

"Of course not," Hotch says. "Reid, I haven't been trying to get you alone because I'm mad at you, or because you've done something wrong. I'm worried about you."

"You don't need to be," Spencer says quickly. "I'm fine, really. I can take care of myself."

"I know you pick your skin when you're bored or anxious, Reid."

Spencer feels his cheeks burn red.

"Is it a pain thing?" Hotch asks gently.

"What? No!" Spencer sputters. "It's the opposite. It's a-- a comfort thing. A compulsion. I don't know. I'm not trying to hurt myself, Hotch."

"Not eating is hurting you, though," Hotch counters.

Spencer sighs. "I hate eating," he says. "I just wish I didn't have to. I know I should eat more, I just..." He shrugs. "I just hate it."

-

"Reid, you're not in trouble," Aaron promises. "But I need you to agree to see either a Bureau therapist or one of your choosing. These behaviors aren't sustainable for you, and they're going to start affecting your performance in the field."

He hates having to give an ultimatum like this, but it's the only thing he can think to do to help Spencer. He feels like he's watching him slip away.

"Hotch--"

"Do you understand why I'm doing this?" Aaron asks, a little harsher than he'd meant to.

Reid nods vaguely, then looks away and fixes his gaze on a spot on the wall.

"Reid?"

Reid doesn't answer.

"Spencer?"

Still no response, and Aaron realizes that Reid is shutting down, that there's nothing more that he can do right now. That the best he can do is try to make Reid comfortable and be there for him when he comes back.

He stands up and guides Reid over to the couch, sitting him down with a pillow behind his back.

Aaron goes back to work.

Nearly an hour later, Spencer finally moves.

"Welcome back," Aaron says softly.

"Sorry," Spencer says, his voice hoarse. "I'm so sorry, sir."

"You don't have to be sorry," Aaron tells him. "Why don't you go home and get some rest? We can talk more another time."

Spencer nods. "Thank you."

"Think about what we talked about, okay?" Aaron adds. "You don't have to like it and you don't have to make any decisions, but just... think about it."

"I will," Spencer promises on his way out the door. "Thank you," he repeats. "Bye, Hotch."

"Goodbye, Reid. Take care."

[deleteddewewted]

Incel!Shinsou Oneshot: "Why are you acting like that?”

To keep busy I just thought that a oneshot of Shinsou getting self conscious/needy would be cute since we already have his redemption arc rolling in. The next part of the Incel!Shinsou series (Part 3) will have him proving his worth at the Sports Festival. So in thinking of how he will prove himself to you I thought of how will all of those people affect him, especially you. ( This oneshot takes place pre changes, so Shinsou is still his disgusting self but he's figuring out how to woo a woman, especially of your caliber.)

Incel!Shinsou Series:

Part 1: Incel! Shinsou x F!Reader

Part 2: Incel! Shinsou x F!Reader

Incel!Shinsou Headcanons

"I know what you're doin' here. Made your intentions clear. Oh you, you terrible thing, you. Terrible thing, you. Terrible thing, you. Beautiful thing"

TW: Strong Language, Mild Sexism

People were never an obstacle when it came to the things Shinsou wanted. He’s aware that others would do anything for him if he played his cards right. The right words with the right question did wonders for him. So why the fuck couldn’t he have what he wanted when it came to you? You drove him up the wall with the kindness you showed him. He didn’t deserve it and you’re existence almost felt like a punishment from whatever deity that existed out there to make him suffer. You guys were suppose to be studying for your upcoming project that required a poster, a slide show, and one influential person that would help prove your projects point. You left him running circles within his own mind as to how you were so willing to challenge him. He wanted you to obey him not see through his bullshit. It wasn’t like you didn’t listen to him vent, or didn't give him attention, but he wanted to hold you under his control. To be the person you listened to.

In class you where both seated on the extreme ends of the room on opposite sides. You never realized this (you do), but his head would periodically turn towards your direction to look at you, to figure you out (liar). This time, you managed to catch him do it.

“What are you doing?” You asked plainly. You honestly didn’t care that he was staring, everyone does when you dress like you're attending an MCR concert in the middle of autumn.

“You look different....today.”

“Nice.” It was difficult to care. Shinsou was just some guy in your class that you had to deal with. Nothing special really....ok, maybe it wasn’t fully true. You didn’t really know him all that well or anything (Unless it was mocking and belittling everything you did, that was normal behavior for him so it wasn’t surprising to find out he was like that outside of campus.) but he wasn’t all that bad? If he cared for himself a bit more, hygiene wise he would be considered handsome or at least a competent human being (you weren't going to call him a man, men don't act this childish. At least the ones you knew.) Maybe then you would take his opinion seriously, but for now you’ll ignore his...interesting comments he's been throwing towards you today.

“It’s rude to ignore someone when their talking to you, you know?” The neutral face he had now possessed a frown and a furrow to his brows. You still couldn’t process how he took the time to make sure his hair stayed purple but didn’t care for his body odor. (This man dyes his hair purple yet cant bother to shower or use deodorant for once in his life.)

“I’m not ignoring you, I’m just not interested in anything you have to say.” With that you get up and take your things and leave. There was no point in wasting time on someone who couldn’t even look at you directly and had to also sneak glances at you. "Do I really look that unbearable?" you thought to yourself. In the end you didn’t care anymore, everyone was entitled to an opinion and the last thing you need is feeling self conscious because of your out of place classmate.

Shinsou was fuming. How the fuck did you just get up and leave his ass while he was trying to complement you. You should have been more appreciative that he was giving you his attention for once. A bitch like you wasn't even worth it so he doesn't understand why he even tried with you.

He never goes directly home after school but instead to the local theater. It was one of the few places where he could be around others and could genuinely be himself. It was weird, he didn't feel like himself when he was speaking with his "friends", friends that he's never spoken to verbally, never seen, and never would meet. He knew that he didn't deserve this, to have a safe haven when he acts like an ass, yet here he was.

"Good morning Shinsou! How are you? Are you ready for rehearsals? You did remember to read your lines, right?" Shinsou rolls his eyes at his theater mates antics. Monoma never seems to stop but he does know when to tone it down and when it comes to Shinsou he tones it down a bit. (Because Monoma is canonically considerate of others, look back the Sports Festival and the Joint Training Arc.)

"Im good man, yes i did read and memorized the script, dont worry about it." What an odd friendship, the most chaotic gentleman like man out the bunch with the quietist incel in the group. Shinsou should have seen it coming when he was adopted by Monoma but he's running on 2 to 4 hours of sleep so he doesn't really care.

Believe it or not Shinsou does take showers (only for theater) but very quickly and with no care (no shampoo or soap, fucking why man.) Theater means more to him and so making his character look the best they possible can was his first and foremost priority. He puts on his costume, gets to makeup (the minimum, because it's "gay" for him to wear makeup and since the world is unfair and cruel he has perfect skin for a greasy headed asshole.)

"Everyone get a move on! Kodai, Tsuburaba, and Awase! Go to stage left! Light techs, how's it up there?" One of the tech heads shouted out. Shinsou and Monoma got to their positions on the stage and the rehearsals began.

Love, the play was about love. Love that wasn't rejected but also not accepted. He didn't understand the concept fully. Was it romantic? Platonic? Familiar? Admiration? He loved his dad, but he mostly admired him. He worked long hours and middle resents him for not being there for him, yet he realizes that his dad works to give him the world, a home with all the things he wanted. He never had a mother so he never had parental or familiar, again his dad was there but he wanted a parent that would hold him when he came back from school everyday. He didn't have a girlfriend, so he doesn't know romantic. So far all of his characters where villains, or evil in some way. He was starting to get sick of them. Shinsou wanted something more, wanted to play a character that wasn't how everyone saw him as on his day to day life. He wanted a challenge, he wanted....affection. Just to show it. He wanted attraction. Just to abuse it. He wanted...love. To just...maybe...feel...enjoy...understand it.

"You terrible thing you. My love, you're so cold. You've left me hanging on every one of your words. You've made me loose my self, lose my self-control because of you!" He pours everything into his performance, his loneliness, his regrets, his experience. He's been told by his co-performers and directors that he has a great future in the arts, in theater. If he just took care of himself more he would be an amazing actor, not only incredibly talented but also attractive. He would have the world kneeling, bowing to him just from his words alone. He could have anything he wanted just because of his existence.

" You've made me do things i don't want to do...for you." Kodai stands there looking horrified. He's covered in blood, the blood of her lover, the one she left him for.

"No, i-i didn't-"

"YOU MADE ME-MADE DO THIS FOR YOU! You terrible, terrible, terrible thing! You beautiful thing, I've done this for you!...and you still cant and won't love me." He doesn't see Kodai anymore. It's not her face he sees, nor her voice that he hears.

Its you...its your voice. You. You looking back at him while he slowly lowered himself to kneel and crawl towards you. It's you who backs away from him as he starts to cry and hiccup.

"You wreck me, you made me. You leave me in your wake, please let me go!" He sees you and feels you grabbing his wrists back, pushing him into himself.

"Don't you ever let me go...."

You terrible beautiful thing, you.

And here we are again. This was a lot fun to write since it feels more concrete when it comes towards his personality and his full thought process. In many cases people like Shinsou just want attention or some sense of validation, which there is nothing wrong with wanting those things but it's more about the manner you go about it. You shouldn't pressure or force others to spend time with you, but there is always someone out there that will like to give you those things.

Tag list: @blossominglark

[rappaccini]

i found you because of fiveya and the absolutely fantastic tua meta and now I find out you got the donnaburg Vibe too??? Exquisite Taste, my crops are watered, my skin is cleared. (also would LOVE to hear your donnaburg screaming 👀)

ugh yes i did. i swear these ships find me, not the other way around.

but yes. donnaberg. absolute surprise, but damn it has me by the throat. i got into re8 for tall vampire lady, got hyped about heisenberg being gay af for ethan, but somehow ended up here instead. as eloquently as @manic-pixie-dream-dude put it, "i see a pairing with thematic parallels and that can fit my favorite tropes and i go FUCKING INSANE for it."

but this shit stems from noticing how karl hates alcina, is repulsed by sal and pissed off by angie, but he always aims his insults at her and not donna. i blame quill bc when we were dming about why he just doesn't go after her, why she's the only lord he's on a first name basis with, about why donna is the way she is, and about how similar they are, it all kind of clicked. so here the fuck i am.

basically, on the outside they seem like total opposites, who'd have nothing to do with each other.

personality-wise, she hates herself and he's a massive narcissist. she avoids all conflict, and he races towards it. she's a recluse and he's a showman. he hates miranda, she loves her. he'd rather be alone than a part of the family, and she'd rather be a part of the family than alone. her expertise is all psychological and delicate detail, while his is brute force (literally... sewing needle versus fuck-you sized hammer).

because quill and i are feral over this: heisenberg's clearly got some hades woven into the character-- he's the lord of an industrial, subterranean hellhole where he enslaves the dead and has power over metals and electricity. and beneviento, persephone-- she's a smothered young(er) woman from a mountainside with power over flowers and herbs and an unmatched vicious streak, who's surrounded by death. its definitely accidental but i mean, that shit just goes together.

but aside from that, the narrative sets up all these similarities between them:

both command armies they built themselves (complete with signature special followers, angie and sturm) and are highly-skilled craftspeople. donna excels at tiny, intricate but delicate pieces made one by one, karl at mass-production of larger, hardier (but sloppier) weapons.

they're the youngest of the lords physically and chronologically-- they've spent the least amount of time in the family.

both of them were changed as children, whereas alcina was definitely an adult, and moreau likely was as well [there's a rule of two thing going on with the four].

both are part of a set-- donna and moreau (the ugly outsiders who just want affection), alcina and karl (the favored successes who are at each others throats while fighting over power).

and both are a reflection of their same-gendered 'sibling'-- ex: donna is old hereditary nobility like alcina (though of far more modest means), karl's status is directly tied to his family's connection to the town's industry, like moreau.

both of them hold rose in a higher regard than the other lords-- donna seems to care for her, and karl at least sees value in keeping her around. (i'm not sure if we can count it as true affection, given that they split her into pieces, but it's something).

both of them like to play games with their prey and have a sadistic streak, though karl's seems physical and donna's is psychological.

yet, both of them have the smallest body counts and are less dangerous to the villagers as a whole-- while alcina and her daughters actively hunt and torture, and salvatore might pick people off to vent his frustrations, donna seems to keep entirely to herself (she only goes after people who've crossed onto her territory, and she's never experimented with the cadou on anything other than her own dolls), and karl only experiments on corpses. you still don't want to cross paths with them, they'll kill your ass and have a good time doing it, but as long as you're out of their way, you'll probably be left alone.

(they're a lighter shade of black than the others, is what i'm getting at. by no means ~misunderstood~ woobies wanting redemption, but definitely closer to it than the other lords.)

both of them rebel against mother miranda. karl openly in grand fashion, donna in a quiet way that most people miss.

and the biggest one for me is that big central conflict within both of their characters: how they want to respond to mother miranda. aside from their opposite reactions (donna: flee/submit, karl: fight), they're both conflicted.

karl fashions himself as a liberator... while operating a factory run by zombie slave labor and planning to use a baby as a weapon. which begs the question: is his end goal breaking miranda's system, or simply taking her place at the head of it? and more importantly, does he even know what he wants? did he ever think that far in the first place, or was he just letting his rage do the driving? and is the reason why he never thought that far because he (consciously or otherwise) doesn't actually intend to survive that confrontation?

and donna and angie's behavior during the end of their fight with ethan suggests that donna's dealing with her own internal conflict--donna cares for rose and tries to hide from ethan after he beats her basement trap, but angie, who hates rose, practically leads ethan to her so he can kill her. it seems like donna's struggling to figure out if she wants to leave miranda (and go into hiding) or whether she would rather die to avoid incurring her wrath.

both fall prey to their worse impulses, and take opposite approaches to making the same choice (he burns up, she fades away, but they're both choosing to die). even though it seems like both were aware of and considering taking another path, in the end they can't resist the urge to antagonize ethan, which sends them into a death spiral. they're doomed because they doom themselves.

what i'm getting at is, two outwardly opposing people with personalities and arcs that unexpectedly align and compliment one another is something i'm feral about. throw in the tragedy and the gothic elements and i'm obsessed.

[another-delta-lover]

A moot accidentally reminded me about this post, so:

(cw for tf2 comics spoilers xP )

Did I forget to add...

Even If I said many times that he is mysterious but sweet, it's surprising to me how I didn't mention how mentally INSANE HE IS. Which of course, makes him a better character /hj.

The way he laughs so powerfully when shooting his minigun for 12 seconds for the cost of $400,000 is so OQWGHDIAGLJDGLSADJA Everyone always make him look too aggressive, too cold, too sweet, too smart, too dumb, too much of an introvert, but there are many, many people that fail to realize how he's the perfect mix of all of those things. While he's aggressive and really, REALLY powerful on battle, he can still be really calm, mysterious and introverted when around some/all of his teammates, while of course, he's sweet and really friendly when around medic, for example. He isn't one specific category of personality, he's got everything that, for me, make him a great character that's deserving of all my love <3

Going back to the INSANITY this man hides behind all of his other beautiful and unique characteristics, I LOVE AND ADORE the way he's so big and DESTRUCTIVE (idk if that's the right term) in some way. Like, the way he laughs and makes fun of the people he just killed when übercharged, the way he's so MENACING and such a THREAT to the opposite team because he's so goddamn powerful and IT'S QUITE CLEAR HE KNOWS HE IS. HE'S THE BIG MAN YOUNKNOW IDASIDBABDPAWBDAKBKDBALDS AUGHHAKIBDW I LOVE HIM TOO MUCHHH. And again with the "menacing" part. I know this might seems weird but we all know what an A posing 2Fort heavy is. Right?. Well. THOSE HEAVIES ARE SO GODDAMN SCARY?? LIKE DON'T GET ME WRONG I UNDERSTAND IT'S A JOKE AND ALL but even as a joke HE IS SCARY AS HELL. Not only bc of, idk his power or whatever, but how STRONG and POWERFUL his voice is??? How BIG he's compared to the average person??? the way you know if he says "I'm gonna CRUSH YOU" HE WILL BC OF HOW STRONG HIS GODDAMN ARMS ARE??? LIKE. THAT'S NO JOKE. HE'S A MENACE AND I LOVE HIM FOR THAT. I hate how people don't appreciate the scary-ness of him enough. Yeah he sweet but PLEASE ALSO MAKE HIM SCARY!! PLEASE!!!

Also, in the first part of this amazing 🧵, I mentioned how he isn't affected by the "gender norms" of the time, being able to wear dresses and directly say "I love you" to his teammate(s), meaning he doesn't have a fragile masculinity, and well, Something that I also like to think about her as a trans woman sometimes!! I love to see her as a good representation on what maybe could be a closeted trans person from the 60's-70's!!! Heavy is prettiest princess, after all <3 (I LOVE FAT BITCHES!!). I would love if she was indeed a trans woman not only bc of what I said before, but also bc of her body type! I feel like I don't see enough big trans women representation, and I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THAT IN MY GURL HEAVY!! ASHDAGHDASDKSKDJADHK

ANOTHER THING!!! the heavy mains AUUUUGHHHH THE HEAVY MAINS -EXPLODES- YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH I LOVE HEAVY MAINS looks at pootimedes- LIKE. THEY ARE A TOTALLY DIFFERENT TYPE OF PEOPLE. They can be the most MENACING, sCARY, STRONG PEOPLE EVER. To be a heavy main you gotta understand how HARD it is to play as heavy. He very strong but he slow and big. Spy do stabby stab stab. But when they're good MY GOD THEY'RE GOOD. YOU GOTTA BE EXPERIENCED TO UNDERSTAND ALL THAT SHI I STILL CAN'T AKSGDKJAGDASHDA I NEED TO SMOOCH THE SHIT OUTTA THEM

But the other type of heavy main are the ones like a certain person I won't name cutely stares at pootimedes BUT THEY CAN BE THE SWEETEST, NICEST, FUNNIEST MOST CARING PEOPLE IN THE WORLD??? They're SO WHOLESOME??? They're always so helpful and playful and QIUWGIDAGBVGDIASAAAAGHGHGHG

I LOVE HEAVY MAINS!!

AND ALSO. HIS EMOTIONS. HOW STRONG THEY ARE. AND HOW THEY CHANGE AROUND THE PEOPLE HE IS.... YOU DON'T UNDERSTAAAANDDD SOBSCRIES Q0OUWDHIASBDIHBSDKA AAAGHHHHH I LOVE HIM. LIKE. LOOK.

First. LOOK HOW PEACEFUL AND HAPPY HE LOOKS AROUND HIS RELATIVES. LOOK AT HIM WITH HIS FAMILY. HOW HEARTWARMING HE LOOKS. HE'S SO CARING AND AAAAGGHGH He shows love to those he loves in such special ways T_T HE'S SO IDEAL

SECOND. It's clear that he absolutely HATES the idea of his sister being with someone like soldier /lh. Even so, even if he's known for being aggressive and explosive, he still acts maybe grumpy but not violent in any way bc he KNOWS soldier makes zhanna happy. DO YOU REALIZE HOW MUCH THAT MEANS TO ME. HE DOESN'T LET HIS EMOTIONS GET OVER HIM WHEN IT MEANS HIS FAMILY IS HAPPY IM GONNA CRYYY

THIRD. LOOK THE WAY HE DOES LET HIS EMOTIONS GET OVER HIM BC HIS lover FRIEND GOT KILLED BY THIS BASTARD I MEAN CHEAVY. I KNOW THIS ISN'T LIKE. A SURPRISE. He's known to be aggressive ofc he would act like this but do you notice how he could grab sasha and start shooting him?? BUT INSTEAD HE AVENGES THE LIFE OF HIS lover FRIEND WITH HIS OWN HANDS?? HE'S SO PERFECT AND SENTIMENTAL AND EMOTIONAL AND AAAUHGHGGHIAJSBDHIBDASS SOBS CCRIES

THE WAY CHEAVY LITERALLY OFFERS HIM IMMORTALITY AND HE STILL BEATS THE SHIT OUTTA HIM??? HOW OTHERS WELL BEING AND HIS CARE FOR OTHERS GET OVER HIS OWN BENEFIT.- I'M GOING TO THROW UP I LOVE HIM SO MUCH YOU CAN'T COMPREHEND IT

FOURTH (oh BOY this is gonna be LONG) the way he smiles after medic comes back to life <'3 the way he got beaten asf, the way he almost died by cheavy's hands and is in a lot of pain, he still smiles and acts so happy around the person he risked his life for <'3 HE'S SP SWEET!!!! IMMA DIQYWGDVAIOUVBDOUAVSDUAV AAGHHGGHH I NEED TO BREAATTTHHE

the person he fought for is weird asf but I don't judge him EHAGJAGSHEJASE AAAAA I LOVE HIM AND THEM I LOVE THEMMMM

FIFTH. he literally just killed a guy and he's just eating his sandwich i don't even understand where he got that from but he looks so goddamn pretty eating his goddamn sanvich idgaf about what u say he's so pretty

HE'S SO FUCKING PRETTY. HE'S SO BEAUTIFUL SO HANDSOME SOADBIAGBDIGBDIAKSHDADA HE'S SO GORGES,.,.,. GORGEOUS,.,.,. GORGSASD,..,.,.

HE LOOKS SO PRETTY EVEN WHEN HE'S BEATEN UP I SWEARRR AAUUUFHHHHH WHY IS HE SO PERFECT ASIDUGQIWDGBASHBDA DHE LOOKS SO PRETTYTYYYYYY WAAAAAAA ignore the twink dying in the background tho

ANYWAY, one last thing

I LOVE HEAVY. THERE'S NOTHING I CAN DO TO STOP THE LOVE I HAVE FOR HIM. I'M GONNA SOB AND CRY AND SOB THIS HURTS MY SOUL BC HE ISN'T A WELL RECOGNIZED CHARACTER NO ONE LOVES HIM LIKE I DOOOOOOO

except for pootimedes but pootimedes is beyond human understanding he's like perfect

AAUUUUGHHH I LOVE HEAVY QWOUGPBVDUQGV09B 9QV7GF9NQF9YRNEC9QNY0RYQC'9Y30RCY07BYQEWPVB80354NCU28RY807QVTB9'R89YBVG72YF9´3Y40Q2B8RCYN7YN0C9WERMXQZNYE87RYQCNPYQPCVY38BRCY HEAVY SAVE ME HEAVYYYY SAVE ME FROM MY SADNESS BIG STRONG MAN THIS BREAK I'VE TAKEN HAS JUST INCREASED MY LOVE FOR THIS MAN ABOVE HUMAN UNDERSTANDING AND KNOWLEDGE. I NEED TO INVENT NEW WORDS TO DESCRIBE MY LOVE AND DEVOTION FOR HEAVY

I NEED HIM IN EVERY WAY A HUMAN PERSON CAN IMAGINE.

SAVE ME HEAVY WEAPONS GUY SAVE ME

YAP [RANT] TO ME ABT HEAVY!!!!!

HE'S SO FUCKING PERFECT.

I get MAD when people simp for medic bc, I understand, tumblr insane sexy man blabla yadda yadda IDGAF

You all CAN'T SEE HOW MUCH OF A PERFECT PERSON HE IS. He's such a good person, he's such a good son and older brother, doin the dishes for his mama, caring about the absolute safety of his sisters, LITERALLY SAVING EM FROM A THING I FORGOT IT'S NAME WHEN HE WAS LIKE, IDK FUCKIN <20< ??? HE'S SUCH A GOOD FAMILY MEMBER. HE WOULD PROTECT U SO WELL AND ALWAYS CARE ABOUT UR SAFETY. AUGH ES UN HOMBRE Q RESUELVE LO JURO. HE ALSO RISKS HIS LIFE TO HAVE MONEY FOR THEM??? AAAAAAAAAAA. He does enjoy his job a lot (WHICH I LOVE IN SOMEONE. HELL YEAH ENJOY UR JOB AND GET WELL PAID), But the main reason of him working is just for his family and the money to help them. DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT?????

Also HE'S SUCH A GOOD TEAMMATE???? HE WILL PROTECT ALL OF HIS TEAM WITHOUT FEAR AND WIN??? AND ALL HE NEEDS IS SOME CUNTY GAY ASS GERMAN DUDE BEHIND HIM??. He could be such a good grandpa/father figure or even just a really good n close friend to all the mercs, but even so, he acts so cold so quiet and mysterious around em🤭

AND ALSO!!! His masculinity ain't broken by showing love to his teammates??? He can hug em and literally yell to them "I LOVE YOU" from across the map??? Sayin "I LOVE YOU DOKTOR!!" Isn't common between men, even less in that time. If he IS gay, good for him! If he isn't, I'm glad he can express how much he loves someone without the fear of lookin weak is something I admire soso muchhh.

He has a minigun the SIZE OF MY FUCKIN BODY THAT HE CAN CARRY RUNNING WITHOUT ANY KIND OF PROBLEM??? HE COULD CARRY ME AROUND LIKE A STICK AND WOULDN'T EVEN AAHAGAJSHDHAGSH DO YOU REALIZE HE TAKES CARE OF THAT GUN LIKE SHE WAS HIS CHILD??? HE'S A GOOD FUCKING PARENT TOO?? AAAHHHH IM NORMAL

He's a good cook, he cooks really nice meals and doesn't mind to share u some, which I wouldn't do bc I don't share my food. HESO NICE AUGHH. I LOVE IT WHEN MA BOI COOKS😭😭😭 IDK WHY THAT MAKES PEOPLE MORE ATTRACTIVE FOR ME.

Also, HE'S SO FUCKING PRETTY???????? IDGAF HE'S BALD, THAT'S THE BEST PARTY. HIS BLUE EYES ARE SO PRETTY N HIS FACIAL EXPRESSIONS ARE SO SILLYY

LOOK AT HIM!!!! AUGHHH

Also his body is so JAHSLAHDJQHDJALSH he so big so perfect😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔 His arms are the size of my whole body. AND HIS HANDS AAAAAAAAAA. He so FAT I LOVE HIM. I need him to crush me un a hug so badly. U all don't understand how much of a good body that could be in a relationship. U cold? U hug him problems gone. U wanna be cozy at night but the pillow is too small? He's the biggest pillow and he can hug u back that's soNSHSJAVDJSHD. He can carry u in his arms when u tired, u can lay on his chest and everything.... sighhh.... AND ALSO HE CAN FIGHT A BEAR WITH HIS BARE FISTS AND WIN, THEN EAT IT???? DO YOU UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH THAT IS????? LIKE HOLY FUCK THAT'S LIKE THE PEAK OF MANLINESS FOR ME. The question "would u rather be in a forest with a man or with a bear" I'M CHOOSING THIS BEAR HOLY FUCK HE WOULD PROTECT ME FROM THE BEARS.

ALSO HIS VOICE OH GOD HIS VOICE. It's such a loud and strong voice in English 🤭 even tho he isn't the best at it (me neither), HE SPEAKS IN SUCH A WAY IT MAKES ME KICK MY FEET GIGGLE AND CRY. I need him to say nice stuff to me with his cool asf voice. And when IT'S IN RUSSIAN AHHH😩~ I SWEAR He's such an elegant and polite man😭😭😭 he sounds so professional and ajsvqkebalhdmaoevs And IDC what u all say to me, he could sing so perfectly<3 for me his dialogs of him singing are well sung/GEN. I just imagine him singing:

To me.... Ik the song is kinda sad and not very romantic but IDC HE WOULD SOUND SO PERFECTLY.

HE HAS A PHD IN RUSSIAN LITERATURE LIKE....... HE'S SO FUCKING SMART. HE'S ALSO PRETTY FUCKIN RICH??? IT COST 400,000 DOLLARS TO FIRE HIS WEAPON FOR 12 SECONDS???? AND I'M PRETTY SURE THAT IF HE KNOWS THAT HE'S 1. really fucking smart 2. THE ONE WHO PAYS??? Even if he wasn't rich I still love him a lot but I'm poor so that would make it slightly better. AND ALLTHE MONEY TO HIS FAMILY MOSTLY AUGHHH ALSHAKSHAKDHA

Also his COSMETICS. HIS FUCKING COSMETICS ARE SO HOT AAAAAAA. Most of em are normal silly hats but WHEN THEY AREN'T. OHMY GOD THOSE DARK GLOVES GOT MY LEGS SHAKIN. AND HAVE YOU SEEN HIM IN SUITS??? OH GOD AUGHHH. Not into mafia people n stuff BUT.... FOR HIM I MAKE A BIG AHH EXCEPTION. And also, i want to point out the fact that HE WEARS DRESSES. I shouldn't make it a big dear but DO YOU UNDERSTAND IT'S THE 60's-70's???? AND HE'S A BIG RUSSIAN MAN???? He broke the gender dressing codes of the time not only bc he's a man wearing dresses, but a BIG MAN WEARING THEM??? AND A RUSSIAN MAN??? DO YOU UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH THAT MEANS TO ME????💔💔💔💔 Also his hats are cute I like them.

Just to summary:

Medic < HEAVY!!!

Good person I general, son, older brother, teammate, friend, father and possible partner, risking his life for his family.

He doesn't think lovin teammates is weird or GAY. Unless he is, but honestly good for him

STRONG AS HELL. AJGAJAHDJA

GOOD COOK!!!!

PRETTY!!!!!PRETTY REALLY PRETTY!!! HANDSOME

GORGEOUS FREAKING BODY.

FOUGHT WITH A BEAR AND WON

VOICE OF AN ANGEL!!!!

SMART AND RICH??? AND HE DESERVES TO BE RICH.

AMAZING STYLE.

DOESN'T CARE ABOUT GENDER NORMS.

YOU ALL DON'T UNDERSTAND. YOU ALL DON'T UNDERSTAND ME. AAAGHHHHH ILOVEHIM YOU ALL CAN'T UNDERSTAND YOU ALL CAN'T UNDERSTAND YOU DON'T YOU CAN'T YOU YOU ALL CAN'T UNDERSTAND YOU ALL DON'T UNDERSTAND.

[safflora]

If hatred begets hatred is what you get from all the violence what massage does killing eren(people who love him) make? I don't get what isayama is trying to say anymore, if eren is saved it's also lame because what was the point of all of this death

Hi, anon! I’m going to have to split some hairs here, I’m afraid. “Hatred begets hatred” is not necessarily what I got from the violence - it’s what the dude delivering the speech in 134 got from it. The distinction is important.

As for Eren being killed by people who love him… I’m not sure what connection you’re making between that and the idea being expressed in the speech. Are you equating violence to hatred, setting it opposite to love, and saying the actions of the alliance are not the actions of people who love Eren? I think it’s more complicated than that when there are lives in the balance. It loops around and becomes less complicated again when it’s the lives of the entire world in the balance. Hatred is a non-factor in this decision being made out of necessity.

“Necessity”

Huh.

Necessity is a much more interesting motivator than Hatred in my opinion, and one that has driven almost every violent act in this story. If we want to examine what Isayama is trying to say, that’s probably a more fruitful place to start. Was it necessary to:

- send thousands to their deaths after the fall of Maria to ensure social stability and survival of the remaining population?

- break down Wall Maria in an effort to recover the Coordinate and save the world?

- kill Marco?

- let the people of Stohess die?

- snuff out individuals who threatened stability within the walls?

- torture MPs for information?

- kick fellow Eldians off the wall?

- imprison Eldians in internment zones?

- train child soldiers?

- reveal the true history of the Great Titan War to the world and declare war on Paradis?

- orchestrate an attack on Liberio?

- help Eren and Zeke with the attack on Liberio?

- overthrow the old order to restore the Nation of Eldia/ the Eldian Empire?

- etc, etc, etc.

The point of asking these questions is NOT to judge or justify any of these actions. It is NOT to say that they are all equivalent. It is simply to point out that every person who made these choices would, at the time of making them, answer “yes” and believe it to be true. These overlapping themes of fate, choice, regret, and ignorance vs. information just keep popping up! How many times has a character done something they wished they didn’t “have” to do after saying they had no choice? How many times has somebody questioned, “was there another way?” How many times has somebody done something awful, with varying degrees of regret, in the name of beliefs founded on incomplete information or cleverly sold stories? It seems to me that Isayama is making less of a definitive statement and more of an observation as he invites the reader to ask questions of the characters, of themselves, and of the wider world. How do we come by our beliefs? How do our beliefs affect our actions? Which of the evils in the world do we deem “necessary” and why? How free are we in our choices when we “have no choice”?

Eren and Armin are the characters who have most directly embodied these dilemmas recently (with the added element of Future Vision on Eren’s part), and I for one am very much looking forward to seeing how Isayama is going to continue exploring these themes in the final confrontation between them. I think if there’s a direct message that Isayama is trying to convey, that’s when it’s going to come out. But honestly, I expect that the message is likely to come in the form of questions to be examined. I’m down for that, I think. I don’t really want to be spoon-fed a message, and I don’t think Isayama ever intended to do that. Final thoughts pending the conclusion of the story.

Regarding the last part of your ask: “If Eren is saved it’s also lame because what was the point of all this death,”

First of all, I just can’t see Eren being “saved”. Interesting word choice, by the way. Saved from what? Death? Disgrace? Misery? Slavery? If he’s going to be saved from anything, I think that last one is most likely considering the hints we’ve been given that the Attack Titan may have a will of its own. But that could be a series of posts all on its own haha. Your question is: what was the point of all this death?

Does there have to be a point? I don’t think so. Narratively, sure, the point is to compel the characters to action and make them and the readers wrestle with what ends justify what means, and the way it is being depicted (as an absolute HORROR) is meant to convey as clear a message as we’re going to get (what is happening is bad). But in the world of Attack on Titan, unless there is an outcome that Future Vision Eren is aiming for that we don’t know about yet and that for some reason required it, this massive destruction may very well be pointless. And that may actually be the point. Again, final thoughts pending the conclusion of the story. Sorry for the cop-out, but I just don’t feel like I have enough info to call it. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I, uh, hope I actually answered your question. It’s hard to give any straightforward answers for something as twisty as all of this is right now. I’m just playing a ~fun~ (🙃) game of Thought Experiment about it.

[ajw720]

Hi! I don't try to blame you (I am a CC believer) but I want to share my thoughts with you. I think D isn't an A list star to really care about all these PR stuffs,so why does he always justify himself? I mean most of people don't care about his sexual orientation and personal life at all. And I start to think that we really don't know anything about him. What person he is. We have our own theory, M/iarrens have theirs, what if we're both wrong in many ways?

I agree, none of us know Darren and what he is truly like. We can only make assumptions based on perception and the glimpses he allows us to see.

I disagree however that people do not care. They sure do. I have seen it with my own eyes at events and have read it for years, well before I knew the truth, on fan forums, twitter, IG, tumblr.  There is a need by certain fans for him to be straight.

Further, while I do not know D or his true personality. I do know certain facts that cannot be disputed.  His PR life is just that, PR, and it is a complete fabrication.

On his status in Hollywood, no argument, currently he is not an A list star. But make no mistake, that has been the plan since day 1 for him when he was discovered by Fox. They knew immediately that not only does he have the talent but he has the personality and the drive.   This is why they have repressed his sexuality and his relationship for 7 long years. Yes, it was to market him and Glee and sell him as a teenage dream. But it was also in anticipation of his pop prince career and his leading roles in romantic comedies.  This was the career path.  

So I think you are wrong to think he has had any choice. Darren has not had a choice when it comes to the PR aspect of his life since he signed that contract at 23.

But things have shifted and changed. Which is interesting as I think Darren is very much headed towards the illusive A list.

Darren has proven that he will not lay back and continue to engage in the games. And he has made it clear to anyone who is actually paying attention that for his survival, it is critical that he tells his truth. He just is not that person that is willing to hide forever in order to have a successful, predictable career.

First, he did not release the album they wanted for him. And to this day, we still do not have an album or EP.  One we know he has been working on for years.  That is him kicking, screaming,and fighting.

Second, and more important to the contract Post Glee D has had 2 major roles. Hedwig and Andrew. Polar opposites.  With one commonality.  Both characters are queer. This is a deliberate intentional choice. Darren is choosing roles where his sexuality does not matter. And ones that allow him to stay true to himself despite the circus going on around him.

Finally, it appears he has been finally able to convince his oppressors that everyone will win in the end if he is able to come out and live his life in the open.I think this is something that has taken years. And we as fans will never know what he has sacrificed and given up to finally convince them. But i do believe he has and i do believe change is around the corner. So close that he can touch it but still  far enough away as he ends this very toxic, bearding chapter.

Are they taking a gamble? No question. It is not just his career that will be affected, this directly impacts Chris as well (when they come out as a couple).  I honestly think for them the gamble is worth it. Is he terrified? I have to imagine that yes, the potential consequences of the games that have been played must be overwhelming.   

But I don’t think remaining status quo is an option, I just don’t think he would continue to thrive,  So much of the light has been taken from him.  That light that always shined so bright. To the casual observer, it is not clear. But to me, it is glaringly obvious. And the only way to get that light back is to live his truth.

[pryotra]

Ok. It's time to talk about this. I'm going to have to put this under a cut because it's going to get...long.

This is the result into a VERY deep dive into Merlin's personality and role, as well as how she's shown and how we as the audience are encouraged to look at her.

The reason that I think Merlin would have been a villainess aka someething to overcome (though not anything close to Manaka) is all of the reasons I mentioned, but also philosophical.

So, I'm going to one of ProtoMerlin's main quotes.

"Well, well, let's not get all upset. After all, all of you are just fleeting living beings who die, like a flock of birds. Wouldn't it solve all problems if everything just ended well? Well...no you see, I myself don't want to see it. Things that are incomplete...or things that end"

When you actually look at this woman's motive, everything she does is around avoiding an ending. She's Beast VI's irreconcilable enemy because Beast VI represents an end that can't be averted, and that humanity's absolute conclusion has to be an end like this.

Unlike her Fate Counterpart, she doesn't want a 'happy ending' for humanity. She wants 'eternal happiness'. While I honestly think both are actually talking about the same thing (since a happy end is 'no end') Proto Merlin's a lot more clear about it. She has mentioned it multiple times.

For a character like this, Camelot's unfinished, miserable end would be the absolute worst. And we've got hints that she DOES hate it. Which is where this post came from.

Now, add to this that one of Fate's major underline themes is the idea of letting go of the past and focusing on the present. Gil is an antagonist in Fate/Stay Night BECAUSE he wants to interfere with the course of the world. Same with Ozy. Artoria and Arthur are treated like they are in error because they want to do the same. And it's character growth when they give up on Camelot.

However, Proto Merlin wouldn't do that. This is an contradiction of her character, and she wouldn't encourage Arthur do to that. If anything, she'll do the opposite.

Thus, her very goals are directly and fully in conflict with one of the major themes that Fate is trying to impress. This is why the narrative WANTS you to hate her (as well as the fact that she's a female character Who Won't Sleep With You) despite her and her fate counterpart mostly having the same goals and way of talking about them.

There's also the fact that she's a woman. In Nasu's more serious works, a genderswap is actually usually pretty well done in Fate and affects the narrative and the character. We're just...way too used to it in FGO. But I just can't think that Nasu planned on ProtoMerlin being a woman and having absolutely no conflict or reason for it.

Now, I honestly don't think she'd have been a major villain. Just more someone who made Ayaka feel insecure and who Arthur had to shut down because he know suddenly completely disagrees because Ayaka told him "the garden is me" and that somehow broke him out of his depression spiral (I'm not joking).

But yeah, this is why I am certain at this point ProtoMerlin was planned as a minor villainess.

As to your question wtih what would start Gil's issue.

Well, I think you suggested it yourself. The reason woman were supposed to die in childbirth was actually a decree from Sin aka Ishtar's dad. Because before the flood humans populated too fast, and were too darn noisy and he wanted to sleep. So he wanted to kill them all.

The compromise after Enki saved some of them was that women would die in childbirth and some of the kids would die. If Hakuno/Ishtar was actually preventing that, and she's the goddess of Uruk, the Bull might have been sent as a punishment anyways. and Enkidu might have been killed to make an example.

So things could easily have continued as planned without it being that Gil rejected Ishtar's advances.

You know those reborn as a villainess manga/manwha? (that I am shamefully addicted to.) How would GilHaku work if Hakuno gets reincarnated as the villainess? What villainess? Ishtar? Or ProtoMerthur - all I can think is human!Merlin ends up as Guinevere. Also, I was reading your fragments fic, and I gotta say, when I first saw the 'Halloween' chapter title my first thought was 'Gilgamesh is going to absolutely MERC Michael Myers' Lol.

So to be honest, with all of the information I now have with Merlin, I'm 100% sure she was supposed to be a villainess in Prototype. Mostly because

She's a woman who is not the mc in a 90's light novel with a female lead.

She's pretty and clearly proud of it.

She had a prior relationship with the intended male lead.

...you'll see.

Hakuno it would be that she's somehow incarnated as Ishtar. She's somewhat horrified, but honestly tries to make good on...some of the garbage that had been done in the past. She has no idea WHY Gilgmaesh is suddenly VERY interested in that sacred marriage.

Haha. Yeah It's why I would never do a horror cross over. Particulalry with slashers. It's not fair to the killer.

[aurora-slap]

Alright, let's fucking begin.

Steven and Mirabel are two opposite ends of the same vein, both born into an influential family; both are subjected to not knowing about their powers and are seemingly powerless until much later in their lives. [...] They don't realize until much, much later that their real power comes from their love for the people around them, empathy and the need to grow into the person they knew they were destined to be.

Steven's "influential family" is a group of genocidal tyrants whose only reason for not killing him on the spot is that they think he's one of them. His "power" is being able to be in the same room as them and live. Even White Diamond's power to directly control someone is rendered completely useless to Steven's shield. His "empathy" boils down to telling them "what you're doing is evil. Aren't you tired of being evil?" It's Mirabel who has to pay attention to the literal and metaphorical cracks in the Madrigal family, and work to fix them the hard way: by helping her siblings work through their buried insecurities and help her Uncle realize being part of the family means he shouldn't have to hide.

One of these characters dives headfirst into the problem until she finds the root in a down-to-earth setting. The other shouts empty words at his "family" until they decide to listen and stop being evil in a life-or-death setting.

"Both Matriarchs left their respective homes for a better life, both forced to leave behind their homes and come to a new place that wasn't home (yet) so they could live in peace."

Pink Diamond left Homeworld for Earth because playing both sides in the fake war she started against herself was becoming too hard for her to deal with. She faked her own death so she can leave it all behind and live in her neat little paradise, not giving a second thought to how this would affect her fellow Diamonds, the gems still loyal to her, or Spinel (to name a few). She then gave birth to Steven, ensuring he would eventually have to deal with all of this. “Live in peace” for her meant live away from her responsibilities and the consequences of her actions.

One of these characters made a hard decision for the benefit of her family. One of them made the decision for herself.

"At the end of SU, when we're introduced to the diamonds and Steven realizes that the cracks in the family weren't from himself, like he previously thought, we realize it's White Diamond that's to blame. He thought it was his fault that his mother was gone, just as Mirabel thought it was her fault the candle's light was fading, but it wasn't. [...] Steven needed to be separated from his gem for White Diamond to take him serious enough to believe that Pink/Rose was gone. She nearly killed Steven and when the blowback happened and White became flawed, off colored? She changed."

It's really Pink's fault but we'll run with this comparison. White Diamond doesn't take Steven seriously before or after separating him from his gem. If anything, she sees him even more as the child she treated Pink as. She immediately tries to reassert direct control over "her" after trying to gaslight Steven and when that doesn't work she throws a tantrum. Steven cracks a joke at her causing her to blush and have a crisis, but doesn't acknowledge anything she's done. She just starts listening to Steven because it’s the finale and we need to end this story as quickly as possible. Before this, White was condescending and flat-out ignored anything anyone else had to say. Alma at first tries to shut down Mirabel for talking out of turn after having her authority go unquestioned for so long. But as soon as Mirabel makes it perfectly clear that the Encanto is dying because of the immense pressure Alma has been putting on the family, she immediately acknowledges her fault, apologizes, and resolves to do better. There's even a nice moment where Mirabel acknowledges all the good Alma has done despite her flaws, which is more than could be said for White Diamond.

One of these characters realized the actions she took to keep her family together because of her survival's guilt was slowly tearing it apart from the inside. One of these characters just stopped being evil because a child told them to, without actually acknowledging what they’ve done.

"The scene at the end of SU where the diamonds and Steven fix the old shattered, corrupted gems? Directly mirrors the Madrigal family fixing El Casita. They're brought together and things are awkward at first, but when they change and acknowledge their past discretions, things begin to heal."

None of the Diamonds acknowledge their past actions. There's no indication that they're sorry for corrupting the gems that were still on Earth. In fact, when they find out, they're shocked because they were actually trying to obliterate them all, and are merely upset at them being "ruined." Not to mention, Pink inadvertently caused this because she stupidly thought the Diamonds wouldn't retaliate after hearing about her death.

One of these is a physical metaphor for a family coming together to repair the issues in their household and work towards healthier relationships with one another. The other is a bunch of tyrants fixing the damage they caused to people who were loyal to them because a child told them to, without any indication that they're sorry.

These two properties are nothing like each other. One portrays a healthy way to navigate a dysfunctional family in a setting that suits it and the other portrays a sheltered, naive way to navigate a dysfunctional family applied to space tyrants with a body count in the millions.

Please keep them far away from each other. They do not compare.

I've been thinking about how Steven Universe and Encanto are similar in the vein of ending generational trauma and the emotional work that goes into it.

Steven and Mirabel are two opposite ends of the same vein, both born into an influential family; both are subjected to not knowing about their powers and are seemingly powerless until much later in their lives.

Everyone around Them is magical and powerful, a mismatched family woven from a broken Mother's past immigration.

They don't realize until much, much later that their real power comes from their love for the people around them, empathy and the need to grow into the person they knew they were destined to be.

But not without the looming Mother figure that haunts the family, despite all the lovely, uplifting things that were said to first introduce Abuela/Rose.

Mirabel tells us that her Abuela runs the show and when were introduced to Rose, she's told to have been the Fearless Leader of the Crystal gems.

Both Matriarchs left their respective homes for a better life, both forced to leave behind their homes and come to a new place that wasn't home (yet) so they could live in peace.

At the end of SU, when we're introduced to the diamonds and Steven realizes that the cracks in the family weren't from himself, like he previously thought, we realize it's White Diamond that's to blame. He thought it was his fault that his mother was gone, just as Mirabel thought it was her fault the candle's light was fading, but it wasn't.

But when they dug deep, down to the bone of the wound, Steven and Mirabel realized that things could not stay the same: the family could no longer survive if they simply kept doing what was expected of them.

And you know what's sadder? Abuela and White Diamond needed to be knocked down a peg to realize that they weren't perfect.

Mirabel tells her grandmother that SHE'S the reason their home is broken, and when she sees the physical manifestation of their broken home, it changes her.

Steven needed to be separated from his gem for White Diamond to take him serious enough to believe that Pink/Rose was gone. She nearly killed Steven and when the blowback happened and White became flawed, off colored? She changed.

The scene at the end of SU where the diamonds and Steven fix the old shattered, corrupted gems? Directly mirrors the Madrigal family fixing El Casita. They're brought together and things are awkward at first, but when they change and acknowledge their past discretions, things begin to heal.

Thanks for coming to my Ted talk.