#The whole point is that he's influencing her from the shadows - he doesn't want his fingerprints to overshadow hers

[sysig]

TVAU Outfit, coming someday (Patreon)

[rotshi]

sonadow brainrot yappings

Sonadow Twitter/Tiktok Takover:

I asked some questions to test my luck but ah well. at least i dont have to look both ways ten times the next time i cross the street. BUT oml what the hell was their problem? The amount of times my jaw dropped ??? Like Ayooo? "Go off king"???? Are you his queen???? "run laps around you"??? You keep it 'clean cut' to woo him????? "shopping partner"?????? You mean a fucking date???? Drawing each other unprompted????? Are you fucking kidding me?????? What the hell am i listening to? These fuckers got me exhausted. Like I woke up, listened to just 3 answers and was ready for a nap. Coffee flavored Ice cream MY HEARTTT!!!!!! (i wonder if i can get some coffee ice cream too) Sonic being like 'of course' when there's a mention of Shadow's caffeine addiction like he doesnt have a chilidog problem. They really are perfect for each other. Im surprised Shadow didn't say anything about it. Nah they did all this fruity shit on their OWN ACCORD! THEY DID IT THEMSELVES they did it themselves they did it themselves. Them influencing each other to the point where their opinions change on a FUCKING DIME: sonic: I dont have an opinion on orbot shadow: he sucks sonic: he sucks shadow: hes the best sonic: hes the best They really are so obsessed with each other it's concerning. If it were up to them they would spend their whole lives 'competing'. And these 'Competitions' 'Races' or whatever feel a lot like excuses to just be around each other. Oooooooooh their endless excuses. what is sonic's problem too? shadow opens up a smidge and the little blue bitch giggles. but i understand things had to be kept light for what theyre doing... i dont think sonic means to be... a little blue bitch. If they were alone i'd like to think sonic would be much more understanding and hear him out. But with possible kiddos listening in they couldn't get too deep into things. If it wasn't a 'Q&A Twitter/Tiktok' thing, and it was just them, I feel like they would talk all day and night. But they were getting to know each other and ahhh if was amazing. Hearing Shadow talk about himself and Sonic wanting to get to know him is the best and sweetest thing and all I was REALLY hoping for. Them just actually just sitting down and talking.

Deep thoughts:

Though I have been wondering what Shadow's beef with Sonic really boils down to. I highly doubt it but maybe Sonic reminds him more of Maria than he even wants to believe? Maybe at times he even sounds like her? Idk ??? How carefree and enthusiastic she was, helping shadow come out of his shell. IDK im a sonic noob !! He probably feels like this about a lot of people!

I can understand that there's more parallels with Maria and Amy than with Sonic and Amy. Putting myself in Shadow's shoes; I have a sister, I love like Shadow loves Maria. We are the best fucking friends. I can talk to her about ANYTHING. We're a team. But when it comes to finding a romantic partner, I dont want to look at my partner and just think of my sister lmao. But I would like a similar feeling. Comfortable, understanding, to have that team work, and able to talk about anything to them. And I think Sonic and Shadow have that if things were different I guess. Although Sonic doesn't always talk Shadow down from a decision, it does seem like they both can come to an agreement. "Two sides of the same coin". Like yeah, Sonic might've not been able to change Shadow's mind on going back to the Ark BUT I feel like Sonic probably wouldn't even try. I feel like he would probably even offer to join him for back up. IDK IDK IDK !!!! IM NEW TO SONIC STILL and all i've really seen of the two is some Game clips, some IDW stuff, and of course Sonic X and Sonic Prime. And some of the things my sister has told me. I got most of my IDW knowledge from her and pintrest ghhghg LiSTEN LISTEN LISTEN LISTEN LISTEN I know sonadow will never be canon, I KNOW !!!! i accept that. Sonamy runs this bitch and Im not even mad and I dont even care. honest to god i do not care. I just like Sonadow and will die on this stupid hill SO HAPPILY. But also it would be so funny if they were to be canon one day. I would lose my fucking mind and throw up. so for my own sanity and health, im glad that theyre never gonna be a thing. im sorry, but im already half way to calling my doctor. i dont think i can handle an official kiss. It's just pure brainrot thinking about how their complicated relationship would work. Love isn't just as simple as 1+1 , this shit has the whole alphabet and the whole fuckin pi in there and it could all add up to 0. I'm solving a math problem for fun BECAUSE IM STUPID AND LIKE TO SUFFER ‼‼‼‼‼‼ But they said the same thing about Bubbline and Korra/Asami and look how that turned out. It would be funny but at the same time reality would probably shatter and sonadow would have to save it again- like my profile says, Im gay and like gay things. let me perish.

I'm honestly the biggest yapper. I go quiet, think about shit, and open up like a shaken up soda can.

TLDR; sonadow takeover made me explode

[brokehorrorfan]

6 Things I Learned from the Lisa Frankenstein Commentary

We don’t get movies like Lisa Franeknstein often, which is a shame because it’s endlessly charming yet delightfully twisted. While it disappointed at the box office, it has "cult classic" written all over it.

The coming-of-age horror-comedy is out today on Blu-ray and DVD. Among the special features is an audio commentary by Zelda Williams. Here are 6 things I learned…

1. Catch Me If You Can inspired the opening credit sequence.

The opening credit sequence, which briefly depicts the Creature's love story from his previous life in the style of Victorian shadow box art, was inspired by Catch Me If You Can.

"We wanted to do something interesting with the credits in this bit. I was really inspired by Catch Me If You Can, which I thought the opening credits were particularly interesting and helped establish the story before we ever got to it. And because Creature doesn't speak this whole movie, I wanted an opportunity to show what his life would have been like."

2. The film was originally intended to be rated R.

Although Lisa Frankenstein pushes the PG-13 rating as far as it can go, it was originally intended to be a hard R. Williams cites the party scene, in which Lisa originally smoked a laced joint rather than drinking a PCP cocktail, as a difficult revision.

"This is where stuff got a little complicated when we were going from R-rated to PG-13. Originally there was a coated joint they were passing around. This is one of the only scenes that I'm not sure I'm as fond of in comparison to the joint stuff. Most of the rest of the changes were fine, but this one I find very strange. It's just a very different reaction and interaction than what used to be there. However, these are the things that happen when making a movie."

3. Creature is an homage to Day of the Dead's Bub.

Not only Lisa is seen watching George A. Romero's Day of the Dead in the film, but the Creature is an homage to its iconic zombie, Bub.

"Creature for me is definitely an homage to Buster Keaton, but he's also an homage to the zombie you just saw on screen, Bub, who was in Day of the Dead, a Romero movie that I'm very fond of. It was an incredibly emotive and a very intelligent zombie and ended up getting revenge against the asshole in the movie. It was one of my favorite monsters ever made, so when I could put that on screen during the movie, it made me very happy."

4. Zelda hid a tribute to her father, Robin Williams.

Williams is the daughter of Robin Williams, and she included his 1983 comedy album, Throbbing Python of Love, among the records scattered on the floor in Lisa's living room.

"Oh, there's Dad! We used one of Dad's vinyl albums because we had to scatter some across the floor." She refers to it as "a little, mini Easter Egg for me."

5. The police officers are named after John Waters.

The police officers in the film are Officer John (played by Walker Babington) and Officer Waters (Sylvia Grace Crim) — named on a whim in honor of cult filmmaker, John Waters.

"They asked me to name the cops, because obviously they needed to have name tags, so I named them Officer John and Officer Waters." She thought no one would notice since they're so small, but a viewer pointed it out at a test screening.

6. The film is sprinkled with movie references.

Williams wore her influences on her sleeve with her directorial debut, and she pointed out several references on the commentary:

A Trip to the Moon (clip featured in Lisa's surreal dream sequence)

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (stylistic inspiration on the dream sequence)

Weird Science (the party scene)

Suspiria (red lighting during drug sequence)

My Boyfriend's Back (camera shot from inside a grave looking up at characters)

Kill Bill (weapon point-of-view shot)

E.T. (a boy on a bike — played by Diablo Cody's son — at the end)

Notting Hill (reading together on a bench at the end)

Lisa Frankenstein is available now on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital via Universal.

[cotl-flower-crown]

So @oneofthosenightbees brought a fanfic idea to me and we both agreed that it would fit well in gang au, so here we go, meet gang au Monch! I'm just gonna copy and paste what I wrote in discord and hope it makes sense. (Let me know if I should put up some content warnings)

Mmmm let's see, Monch would probably be one of the citizens of the Faith City who grew up in there her whole life. She used to love the city and she wanted to help it get better the best way she could, so she joined the police forces and eventually was promoted to the position of a detective. Not long after gaining that position Shamura and their siblings started to thrive in their domains and Monch picked up on that. They appear suddenly and begin to shape the city for the better and at the same time a mysterious organisation let itself known to do a bunch of shady business in the city. Monch managed to discover that Shamura and the rest are behind the organisation and she confronts them. Heket and Leshy are ready to kill her, but Shamura pulls her into a discussion. Yes, they are very deep into the organised crime in the city, but at the same time the Faith City have never been doing this well, so is it really something that should be stopped? Doesn't that justifies the means if it's for the better? Whatever Shamura tells Monch, it really messes with her perception of good and evil, but she doesn't back out. She attempts to bring this to the chief police, but they tell her to drop it. In fact if she won't, then they will make her drop it. The best next solution is to take it even higher, outside of the city, but then she's sent a message. A very brutal message. I'm not sure about specifics, but I'm thinking that she was framed into murder by Shamura's goons together with the police, which completely ruined her reputation and she had to hide. With ruined name and a wanted poster nobody would believe her, so dejected, bitter and hopeless she decided to stay in hiding, developing an alcohol addiction in the process. Until a few years later she's sent a message from Lambert, who "hopes" that she might help him "get rid of the evil corrupting the city" and "bring justice for his late family and people like him".

Her and Lambert meet and at this point it's not really a common knowledge that Lambert as a CEO and "owner" of his cleaning company has anything to do with the Red Crowns outside of the gang. So she doesn't really have a reason to not believe Lambert when he tells her how much this city "means" to him and how much he wishes to be able to get rid of the crime infestation, so he and many others can walk the streets feeling safe. But he's just a businessman, he doesn't know how to fight the crime. But maybe she can help him? She was a detective once after all... She sees a little bit of herself in Lambert's act and it sparks a little bit of hope in her once more, to be able to clear her name and bring the city back to it's original glory (which probably never was to begin with). They figured out that the best way to lessen Shamura's influence, is by cutting off their business partners (looking at gRenn rn) and later expose their crimes. Lambert allows her to help him get out the good word for him to the people of interest by working from the shadows. Meanwhile she also does her own research on what's really going on in the city and she warns Lambert about the Red Crowns and how he should stay away from them. She would find all the evidence needed to get police's attention and bring it straight to Lambert, because he's a good man with influence, right? The police will listen to him for sure! While that's going on, she find some loose ends that don't seem to make sense with what Lambert is telling her. Which means that there's either some miscommunications on her part, or Lambert is lying to her. But why Lambert would lie to her? He's a good man, there's no way that he would lie to her, right? They're partners, friends even! It's probably something she got wrong, she tends to do that lately with her issues...

And then she finally sees it. Lambert interacting with Narinder, whom she discovered is the leader of the Red Crowns. Hell, it's almost like they're lovers... but that can't be right! Maybe he doesn't know that Narinder is their enemy? Maybe Narinder manipulated him? So she finally confronts Lambert. And Lambert's mask finally cracks. He laughs, as he was wondering just how long it would take her to figure this out. But it doesn't click with her just yet, huh? Damn, for a detective in her past, she's really shitty at connecting the dots. And the loose ends finally tie together in a fine knot. She wasn't wrong all this time. He was lying to her after all. She wanted to believe so hard in good in people that she didn't notice the blatant snake that was right in front of her. She wanted to believe in the good cause so badly that she didn't realise that she's been working with a wolf in sheep's clothing all this time. He never cared for the good of the city, he's just... He's just like them. And she helped him. It all feels like a nightmare. Except this is worse, because she cannot wake up from it. She couldn't believe how naive she was, how stupid and useless she was to trust Lambert. It is all useless, isn't it? There is no way to save this city. There will always appear another Shamura, another Lambert, who will turn this place into a deeper and deeper pit full of vipers. There is no hope for this place. There is no hope for her... "So what is going to happen now?" she asks "Will you try to kill me? To ruin my reputation once more, like they did? Do whatever you can to assure that your position is safe?" Lambert smiles. "No, I think the damage was already done. Wouldn't you agree?" he says in a silky soft voice that cuts her deeply, as she silently glares at him "No, you've been a great asset to my team and I think it's only fair that you're compensated accordingly for your hard work"

A praise and a reward cut somehow so, so much deeper than if he just stabbed her in the heart right then and there. Because that meant that he treated her as an ally. She did help him after all. How does that make her any better than him? She silently got up and left Lambert behind. The last words he spoke to her was "I appreciate your help, bestie. I'll see you around." with a stiffed giggle. She almost puked at those words. And that was the last time Lambert have heard from her. Who knows what happened, maybe she left the city, maybe she locked herself away, maybe something worse... Lambert wouldn't know or care either way.

The End.

[sokkastyles]

Hi.

Hope you are doing well.

Thank you for your answer on the previous question on Aang.

I saw your reblog of the post on TSR, where the anon says that Zuko wanted Katara to murder Yon Rah, and I legit thought, no where did Zuko say he wanted Katara to do that. He simply said that he could help her find the man who killed her mother and helped her when she needed it. I know this has been discussed, but does this idea come from Aang saying it's about revenge?

Also, on the comic panel where Mai says she cannot fathom betraying her father, I think it actually adds to Zuko's bravery to face Ozai and call him out. I think Zuko should have broken his relationship with Mai because if she couldn't tell him this vital information that he had every right to know, then he cannot trust her and it's better to leave the relationship.

I would like your thoughts on this.

Yeah, it's based on what Aang says. It's just so crazy to me that people would rather listen to Aang's definition of Katara's experience instead of listening to what she actually says.

Making it about what Zuko wants is also another way of decentering Katara and her experience. Maybe Zuko did want Katara to murder that man, but he doesn't attempt to influence Katara other than enabling her to make a decision. Aang didn't want her to have the choice to begin with. Most importantly, he doesn't assume he knows what she will do and what's good for, which is why even him admitting he was wrong at the end makes him come out the better person.

And absolutely, that part in Smoke and Shadow is so bizarre because the whole POINT of Zuko's narrative is that he stopped enabling his father's evil. That literally changes everything about it. It's also doubly hypocritical for Mai because her response to learning that Zuko was talking to Ozai is to immediately blame him for it, even though Zuko was hurting no one but himself and NEVER ONCE allowed Ozai to influence his behavior, even though the comic makes us think that that is what is going to happen.

And the thing is, yes the comics are bad, but this is consistent with how Mai is characterized in the show, as someone who would break up with her boyfriend but not allow him to break up with her, as someone who would dismiss his emotions but then get extremely angry when she isn't catered to. As someone who can't deal with her boyfriend's issues but can't spout anything but negativity and hatred and just expects him to put up with it. As someone who likes her boyfriend to put more work into the relationship than she's willing to.

[aleksanderscult]

What kind of "Alina" did Aleksander want?

I've seen so many different people in this fandom give their own opinion about how did the Darkling wanted Alina to be.

Did he wanted her meek, weak and obedient?

Did he wanted her strong and powerful?

So I took the liberty of creating this post to analyze this issue through his own words, thoughts and actions.

I know how popular the "Aleksander wanted her submissive by the way he put that collar around her" theory is but it doesn't really stand because:

A) we will never know how things would turn out if Baghra didn't approach Alina that particular night but it actually seems that he wanted to take her with him to the north.

“The key to the Shadow Fold is finally within our grasp, and right now, I should be in the war room, hearing their report. I should be planning our trip north. But I’m not, am I?”

He couldn't keep the truth from her forever so at some point of that journey he would definitely spill the beans to her.

B) he forcefully put the collar around her throat because she showed resistance at the worst possible moment. The Darkling had already set the wheels in motion: the King was slowly getting sick and the whole country (and most importantly, their enemies) would know it (so he had to work fast before anybody got any ideas of siege, rebellion or war) and he himself would have to show his true colors and plans. By having Alina slip away and act all dramatically with Mal was a blow to his plan and stomach since not only he had Alina as an enemy now but he fell for her so her rejection hurt him on a personal level.

(that weekend MUST have been the worst of his life)

He didn't want her to take that power unwillingly:

Or steal her powers in a violent manner:

He had little time and little patience. He worked his ass off for centuries and tolerated so much bullshit from the monarchs. He wouldn't allow her to foil his schemes. But it's also interesting how his feelings got in the way too and, therefore, acted impulsively.

But! How did he want her?

Well, the very fact that he grew up around a very strong, powerful and stubborn woman is an answer by itself. Baghra's influence definitely played its part if you look at this from a psychological point of view.

“It seems that most men are after a significant other that will essentially replace their mum.

A recent study by eHarmony has found that 64 percent of men are in a relationship with someone who shares significant personality traits with their mother. Fortunately, it’s totally normal from an evolutionary, psychological standpoint.”

Many studies have shown that plenty of men and women search a partner that resembles their mother and father respectively.

It wouldn't be surprising if Aleksander was the same given how many centuries he spent with his own mother and how much of an influence the latter was to her son in his childhood.

There is an abundant amount of proof in the books that Aleksander wanted Alina to be strong, powerful, to embrace her true self and believed that there was more to her.

He thought of her as someone like him and could see himself in her, no matter how much Alina denied it.

Baghra raised him to value power, so seeing Alina shy away from it is strange and peculiar to him. She has the chance to change everything and she seeks things that are beneath her. Aleksander can't fathom that because he doesn't believe that she's meant for something as simple and pathetic as this.

He chastises her for the choices she makes and the wishes she has. She was destined to shine and be seen and here we are watching a girl trying to hide her potential.

If Aleksander wanted her submissive he would be glad to see her state in the beginning of S&S. She's weak, right? So a perfect victim to have that can't fight him back. But, in fact, he's furious, disappointed and unsurprised with her state.

Aleksander never wanted her meek or weak. He even admired her stubborness:

(there is a sense of admiration and annoyance here)

BUT he never wanted that stubborness and ferocity to be directed against him:

He even thought of her better than the men that surrounded her and believed that they couldn't measure up to her power:

The aftermath of their battle in the chapel is extremely interesting because we see the Darkling showing a genuine admiration for her powers and how quickly she (sort of) mastered them:

It also seemed that he showed understanding for the fact that she wanted to keep her freedom. Now that was a very good reason to fight him in his eyes. Since the Darkling himself believed in freedom and fought for it.

And, of course, he offered her a throne at his side. He didn't mind sharing power as long as she wasn't an obstacle to his plans.

He strongly believed in equality between them and according to the author he envisioned a future with her:

In order to have someone to keep your power under control then that person needs to be as powerful as you.

And then we have him at his most vulnerable state confess that he didn't lie about equality after all:

He talked about equality again and again. His disgust and anger every time he saw her weak from not using her powers was prevalent as well as his admiration every time she used her powers to their fullest.

The only thing in which he found her inferior to him was her knowledge of power. Which is understandable since Aleksander had much more time to understand it, study it and use it.

In RoW, his anger and disappointment for her state continues.

So:

1) He believed that she could rule as Queen and her life in hiding is not right for her.

2) He believed that she was meant to be powerful and strong and stood by that statement many times.

3) Didn't consider her life a worthy life at all.

The only character in the Grishaverse, the one that people keep saying that she wanted her weak, was the only one that wanted the opposite for her and considered her fate disgusting, wrong and tragic.

His plan of having Alina on an equal stand beside him continued in this book as well:

Which means that he wasn't lying when he said that he didn't intend to make a slave of her.

And of course her stubborness was a trait that he found annoying and admiring at the same time. It showcased how strong-willed she really was:

So according to his own thoughts and words, I would say that Aleksander actually admired her fierceness and determination. It showed strength and he found it attractive. In fact, it probably even enhanced his conviction that she was the right partner for him.

But he didn't want that hostility to be directed against him and his plans. Which is not weird at all because what kind of person would like someone to screw up his goals.

In conclusion: Aleksander was actually the biggest fan of "powerful Alina".

[artificialchaoscola]

i think another interesting anti-shadow concept would be playing with his fear factor? like we see in shadow generations, maria ir scared of black doom and clearly appalled that they are connected by blood.

in shadow 05, i believe its shown that a younger commander towers saw the moment where both gerald and black doom are looking over shadow while in his pod; maybe it could have been maria instead and as she connects the dots she cant help but develop a fear of shadow. she wouldn't have interacted or known him at that point to know he has a good heart, so i dont think its too unbelievable.

just imagine what affects it would have on shadow to still want that connection with maria but her being to scared to reciprocate. maybe he would internalize it and relish in being seen as scary; or maybe his whole view of humanity would be even worse, considering maria never would have shown him the good in it.

this is such an interesting concept so sorry if i rambled!

NO RAMBLE MORE!!!

It's very much true that Maria was a positive influence on Shadow, allowing him to see himself more as a person rather than just another "heartless" alien or weapon. So if you made Anti-Shadow's Maria afraid of him, unable to connect on a personal level, his early years would've been full of drowning in self-loathing. That could then be turned into a coping mechanism where he pretends to not care about how others see him, leading him down a path where the worst actions are taken to protect his feelings, or he ends up relishing in fear because he knows nothing else. I imagine the Black Arms in Moebius' world would not be a race that thrived on devouring other species either since Archie liked to flip things on their head, so there could be something there as well. Like, perhaps the Anti-Shadow was made to only be a cure from a peaceful Black Doom and Gerald, but Maria feared Shadow anyway. And despite BD, Gerald, and G.U.N. being "better" on Moebius, no one provided Shadow with a stable environment to grow emotionally. Every child growing up in the world needs someone as a source of comfort. You could also parallel him to Scourge in this way as well, as emotional neglect was prominent in his backstory too.

Also, random, but I think that Anti-Shadow should probably smile a lot. Not in the Sonic way, confident and welcoming, but more in a way that puts people on edge by how unnatural it looks. Where our Shadow simply doesn't emote a ton, Anti-Shadow being expressive in an off-putting way would be cool!

[crumbazaar]

I rewatched Trolls Band Together, the movie still holds up really well, it's a nicely constructed story without too many clunker jokes and the character beats are all amazing imo.

Branch: Literally never takes off the vest.

The Better Place Whistles start kicking in when the team finds Bruce's postcard sunset!

Not a huge fan of the pink eye visual, but I love the design of these chars and seeing Bruce's kids touch their eyes setting up the ending joke.

Uh oh, don't rub your eye buddy!

What did I say!?

Not you too!

Save yourself, Bruce!

Velvet's instant button mash when Crimp reveals the shoulder pads kills me!

Bruce: Oh, my kids love these guys we're a total Veneer household! JD: They're the ones who have Floyd! Bruce: Ahh, it's gonna be hard to separate the art from the artist.

Viva time! Her design is awesome and they really do a nice job threading the characterization of her (and Poppy) so that they come off endearing rather than overbearing.

Poppy instant bond!

Poppy: Is this how people feel when they meet me? Branch: Yes.

This song slaps, Camila and Anna's voices mesh together so nicely and the Brozone brodown breakdown is a good changeup (while foreshadowing John Dory's overbearing nature coming back).

Viva's reveal of not wanting to let Poppy (or any trolls) leave is handled really delicately here. She doesn't even lock Poppy in anywhere, or try to keep her from anyone, she just tells her she can't leave and shuts the gate. She doesn't even physically restrain her when she goes even though as a char she does a lot of physical feats. It's nice because it doesn't overshadow the character moment of how traumatized she is from the Bergen attack. And Poppy ends the scene still trying to reach out emotionally (this will be important later!)

She literally starts panicking after taking 3 steps out of the gate. Nice shot with the shadow creating the border between the outer world and Viva's sanctuary.

Rageous cutaway. Love their designs btw. Pictured above is Vaneer resisting his Spider-Man origin moment. Also there's some theming with Floyd relaying some advice for dealing with overbearing siblings.

Cutting back to the Broz! This is my favourite bit of the whole movie outside of the finale. Everything comes to a head, the other brothers' resentment of John Dory, how they all treat Branch like he's still a baby, his bunker (which is a direct influence on why he turned out how he did). It's genuinely sad how Branch is rejected by his family, and how he tries to shut out Poppy because of how low it brings him. Basically, he tries to revert back to his loner status of the first movie (WOW!) But Poppy reaches out to him, engages genuinely with his emotional state and reassures him that she's there for him. It's really sweet!

The Brozone argument also contrasts really well with the Viva scene where she instantly assumed she was going to be with her sister for life while the brothers are all waiting to return to their regular lives without each other.

Floyd immediately recognizes how much Branch has grown unlike his brothers. It's a really cathartic moment after how much his other brothers belittle him. It's especially touching because Floyd gave it to Branch as a memento that has kind of become a security blanket. But he doesn't belittle him for caring about the vest or still wearing it.

Best Bros!

That's all I really wanted to point out. The ending is still super impressive, but I think I posted about that sequence before. Branch leading Brozone into a song with Poppy and Viva forming the perfect family harmony first with Branch and then his band is the perfect way to end this film and encapsulate the relationships that drive the franchise.

[lightwing-s]

Just realized one thing, Tim responding Jason only to realise he's food!vlogger reader's bf and accept it in the most calmest way is so accurate, but what more accurate is that he will be freaking out in the most calmest way too. Like... pouring coffee in his cup and stop it the moment it almost full, like perfectly stop. having his book upside down yet still able to read out the original content like it doesn't bother him when the batkids point out (probably duke). having the idea of wanting to bake cookies but immediately oppose against the idea himself and disgust by it cos he knows well he has only mastered the coffee but not the food... and eventually, one day when steph or the other batkids swap out the newest video, the first thing that completely broke Tim (and cause him to laugh out while the others trying to figure out what's wrong with him) is when he finally come in term that Jason and reader dating and he immediately sabotage Jason like...

Tim: So, you're the boyfriend😏

Jay: ...

Jay: ...

Jay: ...Don't tell me the reason why even demon brat called me to check in you is because of this

Tim: THAT SON OF A BIT——

Tim: Well, the moment you figure out you're not the only one who dated normal civilian

Tim: You WOULD freak out

Tim: Even though your gf is an influencer

Tim: A good one

Tim: Say, can I come visit? Alfie knows and definitely trying hard not to brag, so you must let have someone for him to brag along

Tim: 🤓

Jay: ...

Jay: Fine. Come along.

Jay: But no coffee for 2 days before.

Tim: Deal.

Tim was having breakfast at lunch time after pulling an all nighter, sleep bags evident under his eyes and a large cup of coffee on the table. The steam emanating from it filled the entire kitchen with its strong smell, making Jason, who just entered the room, nearly beg his brother for a sip of the beverage.

Sitting down in front of him with his hard earned drink, Tim watched his brother’s arms crossing on his chest, the muscles well defined (a feat Tim was slightly jealous off) and bringing out a memory, an impression he had seen it before, but not on his brother.

Looking at Y/n’s latest cooking video, he watched as she assembled the plate and placed it in front of her boyfriend, whose muscular biceps popped off just like his brother’s.

Just like his brother’s. No way!

This realization shadowed Tim’s mind for the whole week. He wasn’t 100%, dead set on it being true, but it looked so much like him. So, he took upon himself to watch all of Y/n’s videos and analyze each and everyone of the mysterious boyfriend’s appearances until he found enough evidence to support his claim he was none other than Jason Todd.

The whole family got worried, though. Tim was quiet, aloof, had his mind elsewhere and they didn’t know where to point to. They even called Jason to check on him too, worry flooding their minds over their brother’s sudden weird behavior.

“Hey buddy, you’re alright?” Jason’s voice broke through the phone. “Everyone’s been saying you’ve been off lately, so I just want to make sure. Cass even said you poured coffee out of your cup! So you got us all worried and shit…”

“So, you are the boyfriend?’

Tim’s sudden inquisition left the line silent, not even Jason’s breath being heard through the line. It took him a while, but when sound came on the phone again, Jason’s voice was covered in what Tim suspected was joy and mockery.

“Don't tell me the reason why even demon brat called me to check in on you is because of this.” he asked, incredulous.

That little son of a bit- “Well, the moment you figure out not only that you're not the only one in the family dating a normal civilian, albeit somewhat famous herself, but also that this information was hidden right under your nose, you’d freak out yourself.”

Jason couldn’t help but let out a breathy laugh, admiring his brother’s insane detective abilities (that he managed to challenge even if for just a while.

“Say…” Tim restarted. “Can I come visit?”

Hearing a quick denial, Tim still insisted. “I know Alfred knows, and he’s definitely trying hard not to brag about it, so you need to let him have someone to brag about it to.”

Another moment of silence followed, and Tim had to bite his nails to control his anxiousness.

“Fine.” Jason decided. “Come along.”

Almost throwing his arms up, Tim imagined all the food he would finally be able to try personally. 

“But no coffee for at least 2 days before you meet her.” Jason added. “I don’t want you acting all weird in front of her.”

“Can I have a Red Bull?”

“Not even those.”

Pretending to think for a while, Tim then replied. “Deal.”

It was only two days, anyway. Two day caffeine free to get a taste of Y/n’s heavenly food. It wouldn’t be that bad.

[beautifulterriblequeen]

Multiple Choice - a Callum and Aaravos theory

Not to be all Han Solo or anything, but when it comes to Aaravos and magic in Xadia, I Have A Bad Feeling About This.

If there's one thing I love more than corrupt systems, it's breaking them, so let's get to it: please enjoy yet another way that Callum's pursuit of magic could potentially go very wrong for him - and how he can still fix it.

The system, in this case, isn't a monarchy (on either side of the border), wartime tensions reaching forward from the cycle, or a Xadia-wide racial hierarchy.

It's magic itself.

We don't know where it came from, magic. Was deep magic always here? Did one of the Star Touch elves create it, or perhaps choose to make it his bailiwick while others chose things like Justice and Mercy?

Aaravos, I mean Aaravos. If he's basically the god of magic (feel free to view him through a Loki-esque lens here, I am), then of course he's an archmage, and of course he's the only one among the Star Touch elves. Magic is His Thing.

And according to Zubeia, the Dragon Queen, its mages are his prey. We don't know yet what his full intent has been. We only have her millennia-long view from the surface of the planet. There's definitely more to the story, but which direction that story takes us is anyone's guess at this point. However, it seems clear that Aaravos's history during his time in Xadia does show a pattern of him targeting and influencing mages. He certainly has been during the years the show has covered.

What all he did with these mages, besides the manipulation, is also still unknown. But even if all he ever did was pull their strings, he's still choosing magic-imbued beings as his favorite puppets. The most likely explanation for this is that mages and Aaravos have something in common, making them easier for him to work with. Is it just magic? Does their ambition count too? Is there more to it?

I think there's more. I feel there is some deep dangerous secret Aaravos has managed to hide from everyone so far - including us. But just because it's dangerous doesn't mean it's evil, or even ill-intentioned. Do we consider the threat to anthills when we begin construction on a new apartment complex? Usually no. We're busy doing human-level tasks. The ants' welfare is truly not our concern. And most of them will probably be fine... right?

So. What's Aaravos really up to, and what does it have to do with Callum?

Something Rayla believes about Callum made me wonder: in the short story Chasing Shadows, she believes that he, and all humans, can change their destiny (and it's super annoying!). Why is that a human thing only, though?

Arcanums, perhaps. We've all seen the elven peoples get uptight about their own rules and the options they can choose for themselves. It's not just the Moonshadows. Sunfire elves can absolutely be sticklers for tradition - look at my disaster boy Karim over here, willing to go to war against his own people because his sister wants to marry a human.

Bruh.

So here's part one of the theory:

Having an arcanum in you forces your destiny into a certain path.

If you're born with it, you know the path of your whole life - and I don't just mean "serve your people" or "be a warrior" or "be one with nature." There is a very dark side to being locked into your destiny. It means you cannot escape it even if you desperately want to.

*wordlessly points to Runaan and his overly honorbound decisions*

*wordlessly points to Rayla and her overly sacrificial decisions*

*wordlessly points to Finnegrin and his overly fear-driven decisions*

*wordlessly points to Janai and her overly dutybound decisions*

*wordlessly points to Karim and his overly traditional decisions*

I don't need to say anything here, do I? Thought not.

But it's one thing to be born with an arcanum - maybe they know and accept this part of their destiny already. Maybe it's just a subconscious thing they... know.

It's another thing entirely to opt into an arcanum as a free choice. And here's where we get to part two:

Callum thinks he chose his destiny. He doesn't know he just gave it away.

If he just handed his fate to Aaravos by embracing an arcanum (and then one more), his destiny isn't currently in his hands at all. It's in Aaravos's. And the archmage has proven that he, at least, knows that, since he's been pulling at Callum's strings and toying with him for a while now. He wouldn't flex like that unless he was supremely confident - which he is, he always is - he wouldn't show that hand early on like this unless he knew Callum didn't understand what he'd done or how to reverse it.

This theory is about more than dark magic. It's about all magic. Even if Callum could cleanse himself from dark magic and never let Aaravos puppet him again, is he really free? He still has an arcanum. Where did that come from? He's walking around with a couple of magical bona fides stamped on his brain, and I just want to know...

Who crafted the stamps?

If all Xadian magic is some kind of... creation, or spill, or experiment... and Aaravos needs that power back for himself in order to be who he used to be and/or re-ascend to the stars, he's got more than one way to harness it again:

dark magic consumes primal magic - but matter and energy are never destroyed, so... where does that power go? Aaravos has a very convenient black hole symbol right on his chest. Maybe every spell dark mages have ever cast sends him some of his precious primal magic again. It would be a very convenient way of getting desperate humans to do his cleanup for him. And he has all the time in the world.

primal magic won't save anyone from his will - it just harnesses the elves to Aaravos's magic rules and binds their destiny to a predetermined outcome. They've become, in a word... predictable.

There's no way to beat a Star Touch Archmage at his own game. He literally wrote its rules. So what's a bright young kid like Callum to do?

To quote War Games, "the only way to win is not to play."

Callum's in a unique position, in that he knows who he was before he had an arcanum. Back when he could choose his destiny every day, without binding him to some powerful force he doesn't fully understand yet. This might lead him to a very difficult and dangerous choice, and it could break the game, and the world, wide open.

If Callum can choose to learn an arcanum, maybe he can choose to forget one.

If he can un-know the things that bound him to that magic destiny, he'd be free again, of Aaravos's reach and of his influence.

And that's just for him, but if everyone else is trapped too, how can he help them and hurt Aaravos's power grab at the same time? No idea, beyond "someone hand him a powerful magical artifact and wait," at this point, but I'm sure he'll find a way to break something important eventually! Something vital to the structure and distribution of magic itself, preferably.

If he manages to find a way to destroy magic itself, then everyone would be free. There would be no rules binding anyone to Aaravos. There would be no dark magic feeding off its fumes, either. It's theoretically possible that destroying primal magic would undo the taint of dark magic, all in one go.

And we all know how Callum loves to go around ruining ancient and powerful magical objects. Kid's got quite a track record by now!

Maybe he's not done yet. Maybe Callum's true destiny will be both Savior and Destroyer. But he'll have to play his own game to do it - he can't play Aaravos's game and win. He'll have to fight outside of magic itself. And if he's going to put down his most powerful weapon, forged by someone else - by the mastermind himself - and try without it, then he'll need help, just like always.

[egg-emperor]

I saw this toss in about the whole "Eggdad" thing: Even if Eggman never lays a hand on Sage; that doesn't necessarily mean this stops for the rest of his creations. And Sage has to bear witness to that. (A parent showing blatant favoritism towards certain kids isn't wholesome by any means and hardly ever leads to anything good for every kid involved; including the ones that sucks up all the attention. It's silly to think that this wouldn't affect Sage in some way. Gamma wasn't an AI, and yet the actions Eggman had him do [and Amy's words] had him think twice. Omega was tossed away, and now seeks revenge. Even Metal Sonic rebelled, which ultimately resulted in him being reset. *With Sonic's influence changing how she calculated outcomes, what's stopping her from having her "canon event" later?)

*Note: This doesn't really mean yet another rebellion from an Eggman invention. (In anything, I'm more intrigued about the opposite happening. Like Sage struggling with perfectionism to NOT wind up like previous creations did. Constant approval seeking.)

Yeah exactly. I think a lot of the people who didn't wanna hear me out were missing the point of my analysis, hc, and fic about this. They were acting like I'm predicting that Eggman will be depicted smacking Sage around or something but I don't think he will because well- he literally can't. At least I don't think so because Sage is an AI program and his hands should just phase right through her if he were to try anyway.

Instead I was actually highlighting how terribly he treats all his other creations of Metal Sonic, the E Series, and Orbot and Cubot and how he's even manipulated those who were created/worked on by his grandfather with Emerl and Shadow. It'd make a lot of sense if he manipulated Sage in various ways and one way can actually be through treating her better than his other creations that he still treats terribly.

It's highly likely for him to at least be manipulative towards her, in fact he pretty much is in the Frontiers' story. Because he'll yell at her one moment when she doesn't do exactly what he wants but highly praises her the next when she does. He'll raise his voice and thump things that he can hit when he's angry at her, just as he does his other creations. Only difference is that he can't actually hit her like them.

But hitting them physically isn't the only way he can be a bad father and show concerning traits that support that. It's all throughout Frontiers for the above, which is present in multiple cutscenes. And also the way his value of Sage is solely rooted in what she can do for him and how great and impressive of a genius she makes him look as her creator in the first place, as he makes very clear in the memos.

That's already a lot of pressure put on Sage. She's expected to meet these expectations in loyalty and efficiency that Eggman brags about in the memos, otherwise she isn't reflective of his genius and doesn't bring him the selfish gain he desires, which will lose what gives her value and use to him in his own words! And not just that, but also the point you've raised about how he treats his other creations.

I've seen a lot of people acting like the way Eggman treated his other creations suddenly doesn't matter or just ignore it. But let's not pretend that Eggman isn't awfully cruel to Orbot and Cubot all the time in the games, which I explored in depth in my "proof that Eggman is a bad father" video. He has been verbally and physically abusive towards them and there's no other word for it or any excuses to make against it.

That isn't suddenly erased just because he sees more value in Sage (for very selfish conceited self serving reasons at that) and half-heartedly entertains the idea of Orbot and Cubot being like her brothers. It actually makes it worse that he's willing to see them that way with the way he treats them. It just means he's canonically both verbally and physically abusive to "kids" of his already, regardless of if he is to Sage.

I've seen it depicted in cutesy funny ways to have Eggman treat Sage better in front of the others, but the blatant favoritism of some creations over others, that's based on who is the most impressive and useful to him at the time, would have harmful effects on all involved in reality. Sage has to keep living up to that and he can use her as an example to get the others to fight harder for the same praise.

The Murder of Sonic had Eggman do this intentionally by having them compete against to serve him well to impress him and get praise and "rewards" and I really like that. He programs them with feelings just to take advantage of them like that and that's just so Eggman. I can see him doing more of the exact same thing in the main games with how their worth is determined by their use there too.

Sage, Metal Sonic, and Orbot and Cubot would all be affected badly by this when they realize Eggman's affection and praise is conditional, shallow, and manipulative in these ways. When they realize that it's really all determined by what is the most beneficial to him personally, while buttering them up to keep them loyal and efficient, set an example and act as a measuring stick to the others but tosses them if they fail.

And Gamma was also a victim of this as a top example of what shows how harmful it is when Eggman picks a favorite! Eggman praised Gamma highly and said he was proud of him in the exact same way he did to Sage and say that he knew he'd be of use (again proving that their value is determined by their use to him), to butter him up and keep him performing well- even though he clearly had doubts in him prior.

It was very manipulative of Eggman to that just like it appears to me with Sage too. It's even similar to TMoS in a way, with how he pit Gamma against Beta in a fight and all the E Series had to search for Froggy and he punished the failures cruelly by breaking them down, disassembling them and putting them back together, which disturbed Gamma so much that he was willing to kill his brothers to set them all free.

And Omega was shut away by Eggman and he hated being sealed in that room, not even the important duty of guarding the real Shadow and ensuring that he didn't escape was enough to feel valued and be happy. Just because he can be useful to him, it doesn't change that Eggman is still cruel and uncaring and will lock him away and not care if he wants it or not. His value and praise is a performance and only for his gain.

And Metal Sonic is also another of the top examples of what it's like to be treated badly by Eggman to the point that he tries to rebel twice but not be so lucky to escape like the E Series and Omega because he's trapped being reprogrammed again and again and kept under his control to ensure that he's not going anywhere. No matter how useful a creation is to him at one point or another, they all suffer in some way.

There are many ways Eggman could be cruel or harmful to Sage. I think he's already shown signs of how and used some tactics on her in Frontiers, going by his track record and the known intentions and reasons behind it confirmed by Ian Flynn. Maybe they'll decide to expand on it blatantly, maybe they won't. But I think it's there subtly already and those conditions are very accurate to his character.

Then you have the extras of Eggman calling Sage "ugly/unseemly" before he gave her shoes in the Sonic Channel art (what was seen as a sweet cute gift by fans still had him being a jerk in it like lol wtf Eggman) and in Murder of Sonic, he's still yelling at Orbot in front of her, so she has witnessed Eggman still very much being terrible to his other creations/her brothers and in front of her in official media already!

And yeah I don't see Sage betraying Eggman with the stuff she witnessed both from how he treats her and Sonic and co and how she still stuck by his side and stayed genuinely loyal and willing to protect and serve. Even after all that and how she also revealed that she doubted he even cared about her, as she asked Sonic if he thinks Eggman does (to which Sonic could only mutter "sure... in his own way" lol)

Eggman doesn't even have to give her much to keep her loyal and efficient as it's what he created her to do and it was a success, she's devoted and willing regardless of how he treats her. She was like that even before he gave her an ounce of praise and even after he yelled at her. But the manipulation of her emotions by buttering her up with that praise, albeit conditional, helps further ensure it will stay that way.

And when his other creations see the praise and approval Sage gets, they'll wish they could get that too and will work harder to try to please him, which is exactly what he wants. But he has and continues to treat his other creations terribly even in front of her when they don't, which puts even more pressure on her having to continue living up to that standard to keep him pleased and avoid ending up like them.

So yeah, regardless of how Eggman treats Sage on the surface, there's always those dark undertones, the bad signs that have shown in their interactions, and the toxic basis of their dynamic on Eggman's side as officially confirmed. It's supposed to be unsettling as Flynn said for a reason. And he still treats his other creations blatantly terribly in front of her which also isn't pleasant and can have harmful effects.

They're not the picture perfect family that people find cute and ideal and that's actually the point. And it will definitely be interesting to see how Sage remains loyal and devoted but will have to deal with her father doing things like this to her brothers and what she thinks and he feels about it. It will probably be like how she took a liking to Sonic and co but Eggman just wants them dead but still she stayed by him despite that.

[phoenixesse]

Reread the Fast Friends Forever description of Shadow and I just could not hold back anymore, so have a rant on why Sega Does Not Know How to Write Shadow.

I hate the way they characterized Shadow, which sucks because most of his section is right (especially the first part). However, the entire middle chunk in the second is just plain wrong, and a blatant rewrite and dismissal of games like Shadow '05.

It's false to say he has no love for any part of the world when it's established that his love for the world is through his own lens and moral compass, which just means that he isn't just a standard good guy who will save everyone just because that's what he should do to fit into the definition of 'good'. He doesn't even do it for Maria anymore. While it's plausible he cherishes her impact on him, the whole point at the end of his game is that he moves away from his past and being influenced by anything from it. Again, how he cares for the world isn't for someone else, and he sees it his own way. He knows his enemies and his allies not based on someone else's judgement.

I'm glad they included how much he cares for the other members of Team Dark though. I've missed their dynamic. However, it's such a shame that whoever wrote this didn't do the proper research. If you really wanted a shortcut timeline of his arc, you could see the lore of SA2, the first part of Heroes, bits of Shadow '05, and watch Prime. Shadow has been arguably characterized the best he has been in so long in that show, and yet, that characterization completely contradicts what's been written about him. The entire premise of the show is that the world he and Sonic loved is completely gone, and now he'll do anything to fix it. Maria is not mentioned once, because he's already moved on from her. Yet, he still cares for it so much that he'll do anything to get it back. Why would that be the case? Because he's gone through the character development to get to that point. He got to that point 18 years ago.

I just don't understand how they could just forgo their own lore like that. In contrast, I'm so happy Amy is getting the proper characterization she deserves, and it's proof of how she's developed over the years. But why is that never the same for Shadow? Why do they keep miswriting him where it counts? Why does his past solidify in his current character, when it's already been written that he lives for the sake of moving onward and developing beyond it? It's honestly just such a shame. Maybe one day Sega will finally go through his lore and straighten it out.

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

Kyuubi from Puella Magi Madoka Magica crawls into Edward's window.

"Contract with me and I'll grant your wish," says the incubator. (If he questions too much, Kyuubi will cheerfully non-explain that it's vital Edward make a wish to help stave off the end of the universe.)

What's Edward wishing for, and whats his fate look like as a magical boy?

It depends on how much power level we're willing to ascribe to Edward here. The amount you can change with your wish is dependent on your karmic destiny and how much you influence the lives of those around you and in the future.

The biggies we see in canon are Madoka (who turns out to be the focal point of several realities), Homura (who rewrites several realities), Kyoko (whose father founded a religious doctrine), Cleopatra (queen of a nation immortalized in defeat), Jeanne D'Arc (a canonized saint), and basically, well, legendary fgures.

Edward may have turned out to be more important than he should have been (the people in Seattle dying inadvertently because of his decisions, having a confrontation with the Volturi, all the people he ate personally, etc.) but he's really not that big of a deal and at least what we see of canon as now he doesn't affect that many people on a global scale.

In other words he might have more juice than Sayaka who was leading a very ordinary life but he's probably not going to be a truly heavy hitter who can change things on a global scale.

The Wish

Edward's wish is obvious: he wants to eradicate the world of vampirism. His family, all vampires (especially Bella and Renesmee), will turn back into humans.

Kyuubey feels very awkward because ah, the thing is Edward, you aren't quite powerful enough for that.

You could turn yourself back into a human, perhaps even your whole family, but all the vampires in the world is just too much.

Edward's very upset at this as if he's being offered a miraculous wish then there shouldn't be a limit to the miracle he can perform (but it is still a miracle, Kyuubey points out, not that Edward appreciates this much)

Edward now has a decision.

Of course he'll turn his family back into humans but if there are still vampires out there can he risk turning himself back too?

He ultimately decides against it (especially if post-canon the Volturi are out there).

The family doesn't react like Edward expects them to. They're not all joyous, Bella especially is imploding, and Renesmee is not functioning well with this at all.

Edward feels hurt and betrayed that they don't understand what he sacrificed for them.

It then gets worse when Edward realizes he can't live with them. He's a vampire, they're humans, he himself is the greatest risk to their existence.

He tragically goes to stalk them from the shadows, promising to watch over their existence.

And for a few weeks, this is fine.

Edward fights witches, everything's great, and his family are living blessed human lives.

Then Bella asks Edward to be a vampire again.

She points out he made this decision once before already and that they're back where they started. Bella will die, Edward will be alone again, and Bella wants to be a vampire with Edward forever.

Edward, has a dawning realization that Bella... doesn't get it. She's now been a vampire, she's felt the thirst, become this inhuman creature and she'd still throw her humanity away.

Edward realizes that he doesn't know Bella as he had always assumed that when she turned (when she turned despite everything) she would get it.

He rejects her and tries not to think about it.

Then Renesmee dies. Renesmee, having never been human or known human limitations, likely gets into an accident somehow which leads to a lethal injury.

(Jacob, of course, likely kills himself at this point now that his gravity is gone. Bella can't stop it.)

Bella, having been rejected and emotionally devestated, blames Edward. His daughter was immortal, his family was perfect, and he fucked it up for no reason. They weren't even eating people! No one was hurt by their existence! Now look at what's happened?!

Bella likely has a mental breakdown with Renesmee and Jacob dead and Edward essentially out of reach.

Edward is reminded by Kyuubey that this is what mortality is.

Edward now has no wife and no daughter. He's devestated, but tries to pull through. Kyuubey's right, this is what mortality is, AND IT'S BEAUTIFUL DAMMIT.

Then the rest of the Cullens get cancer.

See, turning back into humans wasn't a natural process for their cells to take. This left them vulnerable and prone to cell mutation.

Carlisle decides to get the Denali to turn him again. He doesn't mind being a vampire and has no wish to waste away from cancer. He'll go by fire, thanks.

Esme also agrees to be a vampire because of this, as then Edward can rejoin the family.

Emmett gives Rosalie a look.

A long look.

Rosalie, who was so eager to try for children again (which turned out not to be possible because infinite despair) now has only a human future where her family is fractured and she will not survive to old age.

But she can't become a vampire again.

Rosalie chooses chemo and to hope for the best. Emmett chooses to stay with her though tries to convince her to just turn already and increasingly despairs over what looks like it will be his own death.

Edward's despair is when he realizes his family resents him, he destroyed what he loved most, they turned into vampires anyway or else died horribly, and his life has only brought despair to those around him.

[crookedorel]

zinnia : how has the loss of fallen comrades and/or loved ones affected your muse ? has it taught them anything or given them any new perspectives ? >:)

Okay let's talk about loss, actually. Loss is such an important theme in Shadows of Valentia, and in the character arcs of its entire cast. If I were feeling ambitious I'd argue that loss and the way that it's handled is The Theme, which shaped the forming of the nations, to kicking off the plot, and the negative space of each of the cast's loss is so visible and apparent in every action they take, like an embrace of those they don't want to or can't forget. 

But that's an essay for another time. 

Berkut being one of the major antagonists, and foil to the two protagonists, his losses affect the plot just as heavily. There is of course the obvious, and we'll discuss those in a minute, but I actually want to discuss a loss that doesn't get brought up in-game but has such clear and disastrous ramifications for Valentia as a whole. 

Because you see, when Berkut was a boy, his father died. 

(Cut for length. You know how it goes. SOV spoilers as well)

Now, I know what you're thinking. "Oh, boo hoo, this is Dead Father the Series, and you don't see anyone else letting themselves get possessed by a war god and sacrificing their loved ones' souls for greater power." And you're right! But bear with me, because there's more to it than that. 

To start putting this into context, I'm going to pull from Valentia Accordion (the Berkut entry in which was translated by our very own Ree, here's your crown regent 👑). We learn from Berkut's section that before his father's passing, Berkut was a timid boy, to the point that even riding horseback made him cry - and after his father's passing, his mother raised him quite strictly, to harden him up so that none could tease him for growing up without a father. 

As with most things Valentia, this is such a dense sentence, so let's unpack it a bit.  

Obviously that's a fucked up thing to expect, that your child will be harassed for having lost a parent, but kids are cruel, and from this sentence we learn that Rigel values patrilineal lines, and to an extreme extent. Since they're the imperial family with very few heirs, it seems incredibly unlikely that Berkut's father married below his station (bordering on impossible – this is no Meghan Markle situation) - and since Berkut obviously ended up the crown prince, the heir to the empire barring any usurpers, his mother clearly retained influence within the imperial court during her time there, as noble and mother to the future Emperor. 

And yet, a single mother, even widowed, still casts a shameful shadow in Rigel. We do not learn how Berkut's father died, but I'm of the opinion it was illness, for a couple of reasons: first, we have historical precedent. Generally in monarchical families that have multiple sons, the first (the heir) learns military affairs and politics, the better to ascend the throne or position when the time comes – the second (the spare) would then learn ecclesiastical affairs and gain a position in the religious affairs of the state, the better to support his brother further down the line. 

Secondly, his death is implied to be something to be ashamed of, something that children would tease Berkut for. Though misogyny runs strong in many cultures, it doesn't seem enough that his mother would be concerned that his father dying on its own would be enough that Berkut would need to toughen up. Given that Rigel has such a strong martial culture, and the hard turn that Berkut's mother imposed upon him after her husband's death, it would follow that for men, there is one acceptable death: battle. 

As we know, I don't put a lot of stock into Heroes' characterization, but occasionally they give us nice little nuggets, such as this one, from A Splendid Soiree level 40: 

Unlike his older brother the emperor, my father was a kind, gentle man. He passed ere I was 10 years old. My mother smiled often when I was small.  

If nothing else, it seemed, Berkut's mother was determined to ensure that, for better or worse, Berkut did not end up like his father. 

And he didn't. Kind and gentle are not words that I would associate with Berkut, except specifically when he's interacting with Rinea – but even with that influence, we see that he is definitely a young man shaped by his upbringing, and by the culture around him. He's eager to fight, even to the point of what I would consider emotional immaturity – he's unable to see human lives for what they are, and when he first meets Alm he refers to the battle as practice, as sport, as exercise, like it's just a game that he's playing. 

I think it's this disconnect that he has, this inability or the inexperience to actively practice empathy (decidedly not a value in Rigel), that makes him so susceptible to outside influences: be that Rigelian people or culture as a whole, or Rudolf's or his mother's, Duma's or Nuibaba's, or even Fernand's. 

Yes, Fernand's. Despite the fact that Fernand is a political prisoner, it is undeniable that he has more worldly experience (in and out of wartime) than Berkut by the simple fact of his age. We don't have an official age for him, but we can get a good guestimate based on Clive and Mathilda's ages – 27 and 28, respectively. A full decade, at the very least, older than Berkut.  

Now, this is not to say, of course, that Fernand knowingly exerted any influence over Berkut, or manipulated him – but it is to say that teenagers of Berkut's general disposition are eager to show off, and will adjust the behaviors they display in order to impress the people around them, especially those who are older or more experienced. And with Fernand himself leaning so idealistic, wanting to see something specific, it seems clear to me that natural showman Berkut was eager to mold himself into that, and to show it off at any opportunity. 

Which, by the way, is something that Berkut is shown doing throughout the game, in each of his appearances – mirroring the expectations presented to him, molding himself to fit into whatever those opposite him have decided he should be, and being so proud that he gets a good grade in being manipulated. 

Now, I know it seems like we're getting off topic, and that I'm trying to avoid the elephant in the room, but I promise I'm not – this is all incredibly important context for what comes next, which of course that he, under the influence of Duma's possession, sacrifices Rinea. 

 By this point, he has lost to Alm multiple times – with an audience, no less – he has called upon the magic pushed on him by breaking the mirror Nuibaba gave him, and he has learned that this stranger who has been defeating him all over the country is actually the one who is supposed to be the emperor's heir. Not only has Alm beaten him in battle in front of someone Berkut wanted to impress, but he has, seemingly without any of the effort Berkut has been putting in over the last several years to gain Rudolf's favor, jumped the line of succession, and is coming to take not just Rigel, but Berkut's father figure. 

The second father he has lost. 

Watching the scene wherein Duma fully possesses Berkut, or even just reading the script, you can feel that the ground ready to open under his feet, and his grip over his own mental autonomy is tenuous at best. He is paranoid, he lashes out, and most importantly, he's confused. The scene begins by explicitly telling us that he does not know how he arrived at Duma Temple, and he is immediately beset by Duma's presence, the voice of a god offering the power that Berkut has felt slipping from his fingers. 

Whether he explicitly accepted Duma, or whether Duma forced his way in, we do not know. What we do know, however, is that the change in his personality is immediate and obvious. Both Rinea and Fernand clock that whoever is speaking, it isn't the Berkut they know – by this point, though, it's too late, and he attacks and heavily injures both of them, with Fernand making it far enough to warn Alm, and with Rinea being sacrificed to Duma. 

However much of Berkut remained during his battle of Alm, it's clear from his battle quote that all of these losses, one right after another, lined up in a perfect queue of dominoes, and gripped him until his death: 

You… You took…everything from me. You will SUFFER for what you’ve done! 

Then, after his defeat: 

Alm: Why, Berkut? To have finally found family after all this time… Why did it come to this?!  Berkut: Heh… I have no family…nor do I want for one. 

To put a bow on the series of tragedies that shaped Berkut into a man he didn't want to be, the family and companionship that he so desperately needed had arrived, had knocked the sense back into him just in time for him to die. 

But not before one final chastisement, from the one person who had never asked him to be anything except himself: 

Rinea: Dear, proud Berkut… Even without crown or throne or castle… You were ever my emperor. A just, right, and noble man…  Berkut: Rinea…  Rinea: You were born to lead… This just wasn’t your empire. So come with me now. Let us find our empire together. If you’ll still take me for your empress?  Berkut: You’re right… You were always right. The moment I turned to a power beyond myself, the man you loved was dead. Rinea, forgive me… If you’ll have me, I’d be honored to…set out with you… 

For better or worse, from his mother's influence, Berkut had not ended up like his father in his death – but, in the matter of the woman he loved, perhaps he wasn't so different. 

[number-1-kuaidul-fanboy]

I think Declan was always intending to have Moon Shadow duel in place of Riley

Believe me, I don't think this because I'm trying to make what he did less awful. None of what I'm about to say is me trying to justify or apologise his actions. No matter what Declan's goals were, there is no excuse for trying to force a child into war. All I'm doing is considering his perspective.

In case you don't remember the scene, here's a quick run down (going off the dub because... I prefer it): Declan entered Riley in the turbo duel tournament, Riley runs away and trembles while clinging to Yuya, Yuya yells at Declan for entering Riley in the tournament, Declan (who's seemingly never seen Riley run from a duel at this point) asks why Riley doesn't want to duel, and after some prodding, Riley answers that it's because her opponent, Shinji, gave her a donut.

So first of all, this is a pretty... well, for lack of a better term, childish reason. And yet Declan accepts that answer with no hesitation. Which is, on the surface, of out of character for him at this point I'd argue. Still, Declan asked multiple times for a reason in this scene and the moment he was given one, he backed off and instantly told Moon Shadow to take Riley's place. The speed at which he does this really does feel like it was at least a backup plan the whole time.

Also, as I once said in another post, there's really only one way I can interpret that "Riley I am asking YOU the question." line: Declan wants Riley to speak and act for herself and is annoyed that Yuya is speaking for her/making decisions for her, from Declan's perspective at least. Remember, he watched his mother brainwash Riley who was and at this point, still unable to make decisions thanks to Declan's mother's influence. Declan is pretty clearly pushing against what his mother did. He wants Riley to have her own identity/make her own choices and Yuya from his point of view, was getting in the way of that.

The more I think about it, the more it feels like this whole "forcing Riley to duel in the Friendship Cup" thing was all some setup to make Riley protest and thus make her own decision, since, as he states later, doing so would make Riley a more powerful duelist. It's all for self-serving purposes and yet...

A part of me still can't help but feel like he does genuinely care about Riley.

He's expressing it absolutely terribly at this point in the series, of course, but hey it's leagues better than what his mother is doing.

So yeah, that's my theory: Declan entered Riley in the turbo duel tournament because he wanted her to object.

I mean, come on, if we want to get into the technicals of this situation, it doesn't matter how good of a duelist Riley is if she can't even reach the pedals of the bike. I feel like all that "Riley needs to sharpen her skills part" was all bullshit. Or, at the very least, he didn't want Riley to sharpen her skills by turbo duelling, he wanted her to sharpen her skills by standing up for herself.

Edit: Okay I just rewatched the following episode (Shinji vs Moon Shadow) and Declan at the very end straight up says "So now Moon Shadow goes to the waste refinery, just as I planned." So... yeah. Dub wise at least, he fully intended for Moon Shadow to be in the tournament instead of Riley.

[narhinafan]

Hello, sorry for my bad English translation. I wanted to ask if you could make a long post on what made you like Boruto x Sumire, like when did you start liking and what are your favorite moments. I'm also a huge fan of Bsu so it would be nice to hear from another fan what made them like it. Thanks in advance.

I won't be making a long post, but what made me start liking Sumire, aesthetically liked how she looked at the start and soon after it shows her worrying about her classmates and that she doesn't like fighting. Another to note is that why she isn't very outspoken she still became class rep and is quite serious about it and her responsibilities. Overall she is just the kind of character you have no reason to dislike and only gives reasons to like her. She also remined me a lot of Hinata in different ways so a lot of traits I liked Hinata for she also has.

She then has also been shown to be attentive like noting how Boruto seemed to be striving to make a name for himself outside of being the Hokage's son. This show she can be really sympatric she instantly noticed a big character trait of Boruto's that not many people pick on let alone that quickly. Since the Boruto movie Boruto not wanting too live in Naruto's shadow has been a big part of his character so Sumire picking up on that goes a long way and shows she really pays attention and tries to understand others.

Also how others teased her concern for Boruto was cute and the thought of them being a couple just seemed worked that I could imagine a lot of cute and wholesome moments between the two.

Then however it reveals that her character is lot more complicated as her background and hidden side is revealed. We find out she had a harsh upbringing and lost her mother which only makes you emphasise with her, her father being a former root and raising her for revenge and treating her as a weapon. From a story prospective it was well down the character arc for Sumire was one of the best and really flushed out new sides to her character, yet kept true to who she has been shown to be at the academy, but also having conflict between the two sides.

You then have the whole interactions between her and Boruto and how he saves her she really pulled off the heroine role in that arc. It was just hard to not ship them together after that. That will forever remain one of my favourite moments in Boruto it was just pulled off so well and so emotional.

Another point though is that Sumire was secretly a badass even before she became a genin she was outdoing veteran ninja. Her actual skill level would have easily put her in the top three of their year. Then Nue has so much potential that I can imagine a lot of ways for Sumire to develop more and become even stronger. I found the whole concept behind Nue interesting and wish we saw more of him.

You then have when she shows up in the manga she ends up showing how well she understands Boruto again, she helps him get over his misgivings of scientific ninja tools. She really picked Boruto up and it reminded me of Hinata's proud failure speech. Also though in the anime it goes into depth of why she joined the scientific ninja team and what influenced her everything just came together.

Not much more I can say overall I just found myself liking her cause her arc and development was so satisfying while also having no reason to personally dislike her character.