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optiwashere · 1 year ago

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Please write your thoughts about the importance of Shadowheart for Shar/Selûne :D

I FEED on character analysis.

SO!!!! This got long as fuck and also morphed into what you asked + a general character interpretation.

I relied on a combination of 2nd, 3rd, and 5th edition D&D lore, R.A. Salvatore novels, and of course BG3 as sources. Shadowheart's characterization adds up the most coherently on the purely romance / "get her away from Shar" path, and that is what I'm using as a basis for this post. Even when you're playing an "evil" route, she behaves in ways that betray a lot of what I get into under the break. This post, however, is biased towards the "good" path of her personal quest for the sake of my sanity and a somewhat reasonable word count.

First, a preamble for people that are maybe less knowledgeable about Forgotten Realms lore.

One of the biggest characterizations of Shar and Selûne in the Forgotten Realms is that they are twin sides of the same thing: night. Night as an aesthetic is symbolic of, among other things: mysteries, being lost without guidance (such as in faith or purpose), and finding oneself when one reaches for the truth. I.e., reaching light from the moon, stars, or daybreak (which is itself a symbol as the natural conclusion of darkness being light for redemption following suffering, goodness defeating evil, finding faith, etc.)

Shar and Selûne are sisters that also share the Night domain in 3e, a sort of fulcrum they both work around — Shar as the "malevolent" darkness with Selûne as the "benevolent" night. There is even a recognized heresy called the Dark Moon heresy in both cults/religions that Shar and Selûne are actually the same goddess playing one gigantic trick on Faerûn (this comes from a 3.5e splatbook called Power of Faerûn) but it's been pushed time and time again that the two sisters are, in fact, two separate entities. But duality of divinity, and how worshipers interpret their god, is a theme we see played up a ton in BG3.

What we know about Shar is that she despises her sister. Loathes her. Not only does she loathe her, she tricked Selûne's followers during the Time of Troubles, about 140 years before BG3, into worshiping her instead of the Moonmaiden. The Time of Troubles was a period when gods walked the Realms, rather than tossing avatars around everywhere. This lead to the formation of a fanatical group of cultists that followed the real Selûne, called the Lunatics (I'm still proud of managing to reference them in a goddamn Explicit PWP fic)

Meanwhile, Selûne is seen as a calming force. She wars with her sister every single night, and does not like her one bit, but she does it as a means to protect others from her sister rather than as a spiteful game. She's not as omnipresent in people's lives, she is just a natural force to a lot of her followers.

How does any of this relate to Shadowheart? Spoiler stuff and the actual character analysis under the break.

We know that Shadowheart was a "chosen" of Selûne as a child, per her parents' dialogue under the House of Grief. However, it's important to note that most religions in Faerûn name potential clerics as "chosen" ones of gods and goddesses.

We know that, throughout the game, Shadowheart learns that she is being manipulated by the Lady of Loss to do acts that go against some sort of internalized moral code that Shadowheart has. We see her approval go up when you do good acts (as long as you ask for compensation, or if it's to help helpless people/animals) and we see her disapprove when you press her boundaries or act unjustly cruel. "Unjust" is left so vague because she does not behave at all according to how the vast majority of Sharrans behave. There are numerous other flags for approval/disapproval such as her enjoying playful chaos, or disliking when you're too trusting of other companions when you first meet them, but we'll focus on the first set I mentioned.

We also know that Shadowheart was continually subjected to memory erasure via the cult of Shar in Baldur's Gate. This gets mildly restored here and there via the tadpoles and Dame Aylin, but her memory is mostly gone. So this moral code is something ingrained in her somehow, because Sharrans don't have kindness training. There's another entire character analysis to be written about Viconia's role in this as it relates to her own character in Baldur's Gate 2, but let's ignore that for now.

In the cloister under the House of Grief, there is a note you can find that outlines the squad sent to find the artifact that protects everyone from the Absolute's domination. The squad has a leader, and it is not Shadowheart. She is listed as "healer" and the text before this explicitly states that the entire squad is expendable. None of them matter to Shar.

BUT!

Divine visitation by a goddess is incredibly rare. It usually only happens to high level clerics, which Shadowheart isn't really even at 12th-level, and to those that the goddess has an extreme, vested interest in. If you free the Nightsong/Dame Aylin instead of killing her, Shadowheart is wrenched out of the Material Plane and made to suffer for an indeterminate amount of time. That, plus literally meeting Shar in the conclusion to her personal question, is very odd given what we know about Shadowheart.

If we presume that Larian did their jobs, and I'm going to because I trust them, then there is an immediate dilemma presented here. Either Shadowheart matters to Shar (she is not expendable), or she is just another zealot (she is expendable.) There is no half-truth in that logic table that really works for Shar, she's an absurdly dogmatic goddess. See: literally any Sharran you encounter in BG3 that isn't Shadowheart. It's possible that the writer of the note didn't know what they were talking about, but I think that's a lazy out that doesn't hold water with the rest of the evidence.

So, which is it? This being the part where I'm mostly in interpretation territory, Shar views Shadowheart as the perfect puppet, a toy to needle at her sister, not because she is important at all as a person, but because she's a representation of Selûne that Shar can mold to suit her image as she did in the Time of Troubles. We hear that in the game when Shadowheart basically says that she was just a thing for Shar to use. She's beaten into (what Shar believes will be) submission for not becoming a Dark Justiciar, but it only serves to sever the tie between cleric and goddess.

Shadowheart is Shar's answering play to Selûne beating that trick from the Time of Troubles, and there will be another Shadowheart after her eventual death. Shadowheart is both incredibly important and utterly worthless to Shar in the same way that an abuser uses affection and trust to hurt their victims. Love bombs in the form of divine power, sending her on this important mission, and offering the title of Dark Justiciar are followed by pain when Shadowheart displeases her. As if, on a whim, all that supposed mutual respect could turn into non-consensual, extreme violence.

Shadowheart is an objectified opportunity for Shar to fuck with Selûne for the entirety of a single half-elf's lifespan (anywhere from 150-200 years) and nothing more. A plaything to discard when all is said and done after a microcosm of time where a goddess is concerned. Whatever Shadowheart thinks she's benefiting from with Shar, it's all a trick. It's a massive delusion with which she's been brainwashed into participating.

And deep down, deep deep way deep down, Shadowheart knows this even in Act One. She spouts random sayings and the sorts of 2edgy4me one-liners that you would expect from a somewhat goth-y, slightly sassy Stock Evil Cleric in a fantasy RPG. For a good portion of Act One, you wouldn't be wrong to assume she's extremely one note and a total zealot. That is, unless you know two things:

That Shar is a fucking menace in Faerûn, and nothing good ever comes naturally from her cult. Anyone that knows FR lore was probably like me when they first interacted with Shadowheart. I know I basically said, "What the fuck, you're not a Sharran lmao. Either Larian goofed hard, or something's fishy here."

That extraordinarily devout people tend not to babble in verse, prayer, and all that unless they are also trying to convince themselves to have more faith in a set of beliefs that they're not entirely sold on. This isn't 100% of the time, but it's something you see in people whose faith is not very strong. People who have ironclad faiths and hold consistent ideologies tend to rely more on personal interpretation of faith, for good or ill. You see this all over BG3 in the people that are more confident in their beliefs, as well. Isobel, Orin, and Z'rell are three wildly different angles on that, for example. It's really all over the game in the NPCs.

That second point is the more important one here. Shadowheart, in Act One, is constantly talking about her goddess. If she's not hiding the artifact from you, she's couching an event in concern over what Shar would think of how she behaved. Like she's still a scared child who doesn't know how to handle what's happening around her despite being completely capable in scenarios as hectic as melee combat with ogres. The difference shines bright as day if you play a follower of Selûne and push back on her beliefs, though you do of course get a lot of vitriol in the beginning. Even so, it's clear that Shadowheart knows something is off about Shar whenever confronted with actual Sharran activity/belief, but she's been brainwashed and abused so horrendously that she constantly tries to "correct" herself to appease her abuser.

Selûne, however, isn't really a "part" of Shadowheart's quest in the same way as Shar. The Moonmaiden is not an active participant, she is not a guiding hand or even a faint idea in Shadowheart's thought processes because of how intense the memory blending got for her. The most we ever really get of Selûne's opinion comes from external sources (pretty much entirely from Shadowheart's parents, Isobel, and Aylin when she's not PROCLAIMING DIVINE RIGHTS.) To the Moonmaiden, Shadowheart is really just another of her many, many children spread throughout the Realms. Yet, Shadowheart retains that sense of inherent goodness that Selûne instils in her followers.

Unlike the Lady of Loss, Selûne's indifference isn't hateful or spiteful at all. For Selûne, the ultimate goal of any of her followers is to find themselves. To illuminate who they are meant to be by moonlight. Two of her domains in 3rd edition are Protection and Travel, and in 5e she has Knowledge as well, while one of her "mantles" (the domain equivalent for psionics) is Freedom. She wants to give her followers the ability to freely tread whichever road will lead to self-actualization.

Selûne demands almost nothing of her own followers so long as they act according to the basic tenets of a traditionally Chaotic Good deity. She accepts flaws, faults, and failures in her clerics as much as she rewards strengths, virtues, and victories. There is no divine intervention from Selûne because she accepts Shadowheart intrinsically as long as Shadowheart finds herself. All it took for Selûne to take Shadowheart back after forty years of being a fanatical Sharran was saving one person, and trusting one of two people that we know she's let in for that forty years (the PC, as well as possibly Nocturne) — Selûne sees that she's an abuse victim at the heart of it all.

Side-note: Selûne's primary holy symbol is two eyes surrounded by stars. She is always a passive witness to her clerics' deeds. I don't think I need to get into that symbolism.

Whenever given the chance, Shadowheart values freedom incredibly highly. Even in someone she can take the entire game to warm up to, such as Lae'zel. Her dialogue after Lae'zel denounces Vlaakith speaks directly to this. It's seen repeatedly in her comments on other characters' personal quests such as Astarion, or Karlach, and with Lorroakan's intent on imprisoning Aylin in Act 3.

Once Shadowheart is pulled away from Shar's influence in the end of Act 2/early Act 3, she is... not a completely different person, but she is absolutely a calmer individual that also allows her emotions to surface more intensely. If you're romancing her by Act 2, she confesses that she wants to be with the PC (forever) IMMEDIATELY after being punished horrifically by Shar; she progresses the romance far faster once Shar is out of her brain; she cries, alone, in front of the PC if she chooses to listen to her parents and spare herself from Shar while also killing them. She's known this entire time that she's purposefully holding parts of herself back, and this is her immediate reaction to being set free.

Of course, it's a video game and things aren't always perfectly paced, especially considering the implementation of the Long Rest system. Much of this interpretation requires you to accept that.

After the small dialogue about Shar's intervention after the Gauntlet, the narrator comments that you're not sure if telling Shadowheart where her divine power now comes from will break her spirit forever. That's interesting, and it makes her almost manic change to "I have to be with this person forever" in the romance so utterly sad. Shadowheart is an almost textbook depiction of someone who struggles immensely with vulnerability and emotional openness due to childhood neglect and abuse. Even worse, she's been suffering that neglect and abuse for forty-plus years and she cannot remember what life was like before the time when she constantly yearned for the approval of her abuser. When she's set free and given the appropriate space to manage her feelings (all of the times she asks to be given space/asks the PC to respect her boundaries), support from friends and loved ones in the way Larian handled the camp crew's reactions to everyone's personal quests, and a purpose in life that extends beyond her abuser, she flourishes almost immediately.

To Selûne, Shadowheart is simply another person finding themselves in a world that's incredibly difficult to navigate. Under Shar's domination, Shadowheart will never be anything more than a useful puppet that dances happily whenever her goddess asks, pleased to be what she thinks is useful as she wears the false title of Dark Justiciar. With Selûne watching but not pushing, Shadowheart can be free of everything but her own choices, her own mistakes and victories. Her own person, freed from expectation.

P.S. "Breaking out of toxic thought patterns" is a common thread in the companion romances and quests. In a similar way to how Astarion uses sexuality to mask a part of himself in his romance, Shadowheart sees all this time she's spent holding herself back as an excuse to reverse course and accelerate ridiculously fast by comparison.

My point is, she is a U-Haul Lesbian.

#hey you can ask me things!#shadowheart #bg3 spoilers #shadowheart analysis by yours truly #shadowheart's romance has some interesting mirrors to viconia's from bg2 #there is a phenotype for unsure sharrans and it comes back to “why do I trust this person so much?” and battling with that #also shar should absolutely share the Twilight domain in 5e

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redundare · 2 years ago

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me!! it's me, the person who wants to know the lore!

as a frequent PC and occasional DM, it absolutely kills me that Arthur hasn't read the books in his possession. are those two books from the island burning a hole in your narrative pocket? why does arthur, a literal investigator, not just read them already??

Makes a boring ass show. Who TF wants to listen to a podcast where Arthur reads from a book

#sorry to all my DMs #dnd #a game we play with a malevolent entity

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alchemicaladarna · 1 year ago

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Just to clarify, I am obviously talking about the characters and the QSMP as a story. I am simply an avid viewer that had too much coffee and time on their hands so I basically wrote an essay. What is it about? I have no idea. So, read it if you want, but beware that nothing at the end of this should make sense.

In my opinion, morally ambigious characters are interesting, but UNPREDICTABLE morally ambigious characters are even more fun to analyze because they take more risks and play more dangerous games. If a character was labeled as a "hero" and played on the "good" side they are guaranteed a safe spot within the group. Regardless of whether they kill or hurt others, they are on the good side because they are fighting against the corporation that is keeping them and their friends trapped in a place that is a nightmarish paradise. If they had done actions that worked against the islanders' favor, by, for example nearly getting everyone killed by explosives at a party they are justifiably labelled a villian. But what if a character played in the middle? What if they were neutral? What if they simply wanted to let things play out- sticking to the sidelines and only becoming involved when the situation benifits their entertainment?

So, pardon me for the long intro, but here's the gist folks: q!Foolish arrested q!Pac e q!Mike and unknowingly put them through loads of emotional trauma that I don't think they'll be recovering from any time soon, for fun. To a person with a normal moral compass, that's obviously fucked up.

"Friends don't send friends to prison."

In q!Foolish's perspective, he REALLY didn't think the consequences of his actions through, but he wouldn't have arrested q!Pac e q!Mike for no reason. Mr. Mustard is missing and the Federation told q!Foolish that q!Pac e q!Mike were responsible for his disappearance. At this point, I think enough time has passed that we the audience know q!Foolish is being manipulated by the Federation. Even Foolish himself knows he's being manipulated by them, yet he still partakes in this precarious game because it's simply more entertaining than just sitting on the good side and letting things play out.

Q!Foolish has never actively gone out of his way to hurt people on purpose. Does he lack some emotional maturity and the appropriate response to some situations? Yes he does; but he doesn't have malicious intentions. He's there to have fun. Where others see a dire situation- at the mercy of the inescapable claws of a malevolent corporate entity, q!Foolish sees fun and exciting opportunities. The others might not want to admit it, but aside from the tragedies and kidnappings that have occured on the island, this nightmarish paradise has provided the characters with more excitement and enjoyment, than what is worth.

But, not everyone understands q!Foolish's perspective, and that's good! That's ok! But what I'm perplexed about is their constant unjust treatment of him- the exclusion, threats, torture, many many pointless accusations disguised as interrogations, etc- simply because he did one task for the Federation. One task that affected the lives of two people, but in the end both parties communicated and forgave each other anyways. One task that required q!Foolish, and by extension, q!Jaiden to harmlessly investigate around q!Pac and q!Mike's base for a considerably long time before finding nothing that would incriminate the duo. Throughout q!Foolish's endeavour, working with the Federation cost him most of his friends' trust and gave him no benifits, but he still reluctantly chooses to carry out another task because it's entertaining. But like q!Foolish said to q!Cellbit the other day, he may be stupid, but he's certainly not an idiot, and he has limits. A lot of people, specifically q!Max don't seem to understand the concept of a neutral party. If you work for the Federation, you are a villain- and honestly, that's a fair assumption considering their reputation. But what about people like q!Jaiden? Q!Jaiden, one of the kindest people on the island, who is compassionate to everyone, even Cucurucho, who is always perceived as a malicious entity?

What exactly defines a villain in this story? In my opinion, everyone on the island has a skewed sense of morality. Everyone except Elquackity knew of his first assasination and simply watched as he lost his first life, then celebrated when he lost the other with no regards to the repurcussions of their actions or how Elq felt about all this. And while we can justify their actions because Elq hurt people before, and either brainwashed or replaced q!Quackity, how do we justify their treatment of q!Foolish even after he communicated honestly to q!Pac e q!Mike and done nothing to deserve their maltreatment of him. Maybe I'm a bit impatient, but at this point, q!Foolish's arrest, has had the same value and impact as q!Bad giving people the survey for the Federation; I'm even more willing to believe that q!Cellbit's accidental "employee of the month" investigations benifitted the Federation more than whatever measly and repititive tasks they're giving out to q!Foolish.

So, what warrants all this hate and injustice towards q!Foolish then if he's not harming anyone? Why is he the punching bag? Why is he the butt if the joke Every Single Time? What warranted all the cruel jokes and malicious beatings after the Nether event? Is it because they know he won't exact revenge upon them? Is it because, in their eyes, they only value him as a court jester and nothing more? Q!Foolish even said the Nether, an obsolete dimension of fire and brimstone, offered more compassion and comfort than a world where the sun shone and the air was less polluted because the inhabitants, his "friends" treated him with more malevolence than literal souless monsters from hell itself.

Think about q!Jaiden- a person whose compassion broke through Cucurucho's souless programming and gave it a home, a sense of safety, and relaxation. Jaiden works (and apparently worked???) with the Federation, yet she has more kindness within her than an entire group of people, on the "good" side, fighting against evil.

The truth is, there is no bad side among the islanders. The admins (meta) wrote the Federation (and codes?) as entities that the collective group should be against- a common enemy. But once you "ally" yourself with the Federation and do tasks for them does that make you the common enemy as well, or do you need to commit more heinious acts to be considered a villain?

And what about the islanders? At what point do the rest of the players begin to consider a character on the wrong side of things? At what point do they begin to abandon compassion in favor of searching for the truth? How far will they go in pursuit of the truth?

In my opinion, there are no villains in the story because everyone is capable of becoming an antagonist in one way or another. Basically, EVERYONE is morally ambiqious because they have all been antagonists to each other at some point in the tale, and as the story keeps unfolding, who knows what could happen? A character might say they are a good person, but as the story changes, so do their values, their morals, their limits. How thin can someone's patience be before it inevitably snaps?

#qsmp #qsmp analysis #qsmp character analysis #qsmp thoughts #qsmp foolish #qsmp jaiden #qsmp cucurucho #qsmp pac #qsmp mike #qsmp bbh #qsmp max #qsmp cellbit #me: writes an essay to justify the chaotic neutrality of Foolish's character Also me: realizes that by justifying chaotic neutrality #im completely missing the point of being chaotic and neutral #also also me: writes it anyway and confuses myself in the process

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d0ds6 · 7 months ago

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in this FRP game I'm playing my character went through something that is very playfully similar to the plot of malevolent (an entity started to use her eyes) i asked the DM if he knew what malevolent was but my question got lost in the conversation so I assumed it was a no, and proceeded to name the entity John for my own entertainment. Weeks later I found out we were both in fact fans of malevolent when I saw it on his fuckin TV display.

We had been roleplaying John and Arthur for weeks all the while assuming the other one didn't even know what malevolent was apparently?

Anyways I might finally draw some stuff for it now that I feel inspired enough to go beyond season one

#malevolent #podcast #rambles

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shitpostingkats · 2 years ago

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Yu-Gi-Oh Review Roundup: GX!

Favorite main character: Chazz Princeton

The Chazz. The yugioh rival who, barely five episodes into the first season, gets fed up with being in the show, sails away on a yacht, shipwrecks, is rescued by card game playing russians, gets adopted by said russians after beating all of them back to back in a 50 man gauntlet, and returns to the main plot triumphantly riding a submarine with an entire crowd of slavs chanting his name.

In, uh... *checks watch* episode 25.

Chazz is one of those yugioh characters who’s just always doing the most he possibly can, and you gotta love him for it. And unlike some prideful anime rivals, he actually has the skills to back it up. Skills you actually get to watch him build himself, from the ground up, after having his fall from grace/russian sabbatical. Which just makes it even more satisfying to see him tear into duels, because his archetype of choice, and his whole arc in general, is about using the most unintimidating, unwanted, and least powerful monsters. It’s like the pokemon trainers who threaten to beat you into next week, and then bring out. A magikarp.

Except he then absolutely trashes you with said magikarp. And clomps away in his big goth platforms, loudly proclaiming that magikarp are annoying, and stupid, and he definitely doesn’t like them. Nu-uh. Ignore the maxed out friendship stat.

Up until the heavier plot kicks in in season three, Chazz has hands down the best character arcs of GX. His fight to break free of his abusive brothers’ control, his crabby assimilation into the Slifer Squad, his brief stint and subsequent escape from a Literal Cult (yeah that happens in gx don’t worry about it). Chazz is such a charismatic and well developed character that, when he kinda vanishes for like a dozen episodes, only to reappear, having won an entire tournament offscreen, being heralded by banner-bearers, and carried on a freaking PALANQUIN

I stood up and CHEERED.

Favorite antagonist: The Dark King

The most stunning of trope subversions in a season chock-full of them. Yes, Yubel may be a more threatening and complex villain, but they have so much going on between the dub vs. sub battle, they may get the final save-the-world card game at the end of the season, but the Dark King is such an equally nuanced and menacing antagonist.

Because he’s the protagonist.

The dark king is every concept I loved about the Yamis in DM, the idea that parts of ones soul aren’t wholly power of friendship goodness, the idea that you can still choose to be an anime protag even if there’s darkness living inside of you. Because being kind is hard. And the act of pursuing it hits so much harder when we see how much it costs to turn down the other path.

Again, I’m a sucker for any character arc even remotely analogous to mental illness. If you see a pattern in the way I review media, I wholeheartedly claim it. I am a simple creature.

But the Dark King also functions so fantastically as both a metaphor and a subversion because we’ve seen the trope of a Superpowered Evil Side before. The show is betting on that. The twist comes in that the Dark King is not some malevolent, foreign entity. That it’s Jaden. Just a scared kid, lashing out at the world and forced to deal with the consequences. And he’s not evil.

Whereas Marik shows with dealing in the part of yourself that wants to commit atrocities, Jaden takes it the next step, and has to accept that you can’t just get rid of it. You have to live with it. Rein it in. But be kind to it. Because it is you, and it just wants to keep you safe and it may be wrong and a base impulse but punishing your worst instincts is not only self harmful, it is impossible.

You may have instantly internalized any negative emotion out of shame, and yes, you may somedays even be controlled by it. But do not fear it. Learn to work in tandem with your rage. Do not let it possess you, but do not imprison it either.

The Dark King is one of those stories that I really think I needed to hear as a kid, but even now, consuming the series as an adult, doesn’t make that message any less impactful.

Favorite side character: Tyranno Hassleberry

Back in the early days of 2021, before the first season of yugioh dm was even a passing consideration of a thought in my mind, I decided to poll my online friends and determine what they thought the Best Worst Name in localized yugioh.

These were people that had never watched yugioh, never so much as glanced at the card game.

We started with 32 names.

After five rounds of voting, only one was left standing.

Tyranno Hassleberry beat Maximillion Pegasus, and thus was crowned the ultimate champion of Best Bad Yugioh Name.

Some might say this championship gave me a bit of a preemptive bias towards the funny dinosaur man.

They’d be right.

Imagine my delight, however, when this already-primed-for-stupidity name got a face, and we learn that big, dumb, real himbo of a yugioh name is attached to an equally big and dumb himbo of typical yugioh absurdity. I mean, truly, Tyranno Hassleberry is everything I love about yugioh worldbuilding, personified. In a series that takes an up close examination of the partnerships between man and monster, and the terrible psychological effects thereof, Hassleberry stands as the shining example of a character so full of love and stupidity that he is immune to the horrors.

While Jaden “What is attraction” Yuki is off getting ptsd from his partnership with a dragon demon that hyperfocuses on relationships so hard that it has put people into comas, Tyranno is also there. Just vibing. Hassleberry, do you have such a strong spiritual connection to your ace monster that you might be genuinely inhuman? Do you also have special anime eyes and mild superpowers? How’s that going? Good? Good!

The world of yugioh not only can provide rich, nuanced explorations on mental wellness and the very idea of identity, it can also provide a man who is half dinosaur and it is only ever lightly remarked upon. Apparently, the solution to surviving an ever expanding universe of unreality and cosmic horrors beyond your imagination is just. Be kind. Be happy. Talk about dinosaurs.

Favorite duel: Yubel vs. Zane

A masterclass on how non-plot-relevant duels can still contribute SO much to the show and its characters.

Zane is a funny little weirdo. The walking personification of Gifted Kid Burnout, this dude graduated valedictorian and then immediately proceeded to get kicked in the ribs by the realities of non-academic living, causing him to sink into a deep and self harmful depression spiral, obsessed with pulling others down to his level and proving to them that happy go lucky positivity is only a naive shield in the face of true adversity and cruelty.

*Laughs a bit too forcefully* What a funny dude!

Zane has basically been on a downward slide in mental wellbeing since season two, and at this point, seems to have reached a natural stopping point in his corruption arc. Tired, washed out, and pessimistic, but at least comfortable in his status quo of being An Absolute Mess. He’s teamed up with Aster as sort of the token chaotic neutrals of the party, the only ones edgy enough to do things like casual torture and murder, but he’s attempted to reach out to his brother, and has even begrudgingly been roped into protecting the gang as they make their final stand against Yubel. He seems to be operating under the belief that while he no longer has to try so hard to rid the highschoolers of their delusions that the power of love and friendship will save the day, he’s still a depressed snot rag wrapped in a black leather overcoat.

That fantastic bit of ex-villainous personality gets to go head to head against the current villainous personality, and it is a treat. Yubel and Zane carry entire scenes through sheer force of presence, and seeing them snark and attempt to out edgelord each other is a delight.

But it also is a very pivotal point for Zane’s character because, for once, he is not the most mentally unstable person in the room. That honor goes to Jaden, newly traumatized, and about to start rolling down the same hill. Zane recognizes those self destructive behaviors, even attempts to warn Jaden that refusing to acknowledge his actions will only lead to further harm, but before he can properly sit down and explain to Jaden that self harmful behaviors are bad actually, and that electrocuting yourself to feel any semblance of emotion is actually a massive holy shit red flag, Yubel interrupts them.

So now, Zane, Failure Big Brother Extraordinaire, has to come to some semblance of peace with his own emo demons, while battling Jaden’s for him (both literally and figuratively).

The sheer panache of two of the most wonderful anti-heros of yugioh, the emotional turmoil of Zane’s inner conflict, the realistic portrayal of how we process trauma, plus the absolute YUGIOH MOVE that is choosing to die of card game induced heart attack. Honestly, I could go on about this duel forever.

Favorite arc: Quest for the Rainbow Dragon

I mentioned previously that I started watching yugioh as something to have on in the background, usually while I sewed. The Quest for the Rainbow Dragon is the arc that made me put down my needle and actually devote my full attention to watching the show.

GX is a show full of subverting audience expectations. I have my own opinions on the prioritization of shock-bait over consistent plot writing, but I also can’t deny that when Adrian Gecko just shrugged off his shirt and engaged in freaking fisticuffs, I was speechless for a whole five minutes.

In between one blink and the next, GX went from a weird early 2000s merchandise advert that occasionally had character writing and the oh-so-rare taste of legitimately serious writing, to a full on survival horror anime. The surreal, empty desert environment of the spirit world, the main cast slowly whittled down and frequently split up, the eerie monologues of Yubel and their legitimately unnerving horror visuals; all contribute to this claustrophobic feeling of dread. The panic of the students feels real.

And QftRD, despite being the first entry in GX’s much darker and grander second half, makes wonderful use of smaller scale episode plots. Entire episodes are devoted to the struggle of moving from one room in the school to the next, or negotiating for enough food to survive just another day. Every main character gets to shine in aspects that we’ve only seen hints of in their lives of status quo card games: whether it’s Alexis’ natural leadership, Hassleberry and Axels’ military skills, Crowler’s actual want to protect the students’ well being, or Jaden and Jesse just finally getting to explore their connections with duel monster spirits. Heck, even the unnamed students get to shine, using their knowledge of the school to navigate through hidden passages.

It’s such a shock to the system, after two and a half seasons of decidedly not small scale apocalyptic survival. The transition from Saturday Morning Cartoon Weirdness to PTSD War Crime Hours is very jarring and unexpected, even if you know it’s going to happen. But the duel zombies arc goes a long way to make that pivot feel deserved, to give actual weight to the sacrifices and choices the characters are about to make.

Also, I somehow managed to write this entire thing without realizing this is my second time my favorite arc in a ygo show has been the one with the word ‘dragon’ in the title.

Greatest strengths of the series:

The slow burn from shonen cartoon to cosmic horror trope subversion.

Truly, I can only compare GX to a handful of other shows that have ever come within the same ballpark of a viewing experience. The closest I can get is maybe relating it to Red vs Blue: One of my favorite shows of all time. And one that it’s absolutely impossible to get into.

See, with both GX and RvB, they’re shows that start out silly, unconnected, and (don’t worry, I love both of these shows with almost my entire heart), bad. Now, an impatient viewer might be tempted to just skip to the point where the show takes off, where it quote unquote “gets good”. But the problem is, if you attempt to cut out all the chaff, you lose what fundamentally makes the sudden spike in writing quality so compelling: the unexpectedness of it.

GX grabbed my attention by the throat in Waking The Dragon, because, up until then, I’d been using it as chill background fodder. Jaden felt so real to me as a protagonist and a person, because I’d spent fourty hours watching him be a normal protagonist/teenager. The previous episodes might not have done much to advance in terms of the plot, but they delivered something equally important: A status quo.

And when that status quo is broken, it feels much more powerful to the audience because it feels so fundamentally wrong. Just like it’s insane to watch in real time as RvB goes from being a bunch of outdated loosely strung together skits to a military drama waxing poetic about morality, GX spins on a dime from “Saturday morning cartoon” to “Cosmic horror meta tropefest”, and every episode you want to look up from the screen and go “How. Wh- Who let them just... do this?” Who let them set out to write one kind of story, and then not bother to correct them when they started doing something completely different? And why is it so good?

That is a very rare feeling in media, I think. To be so truly and utterly thrown off guard by a change in story direction, yet having more fun than you possibly could with some so-called “good” stories. And I think it’s a feeling worth cherishing.

Weakest points:

The slow burn from shonen cartoon to cosmic horror trope subversion.

The other reason I compare GX to Red vs. Blue is the fact that they are both shows that I cannot in good conscience recommend to friends.

“Here’s this show I like,” I say.

“Oh, cool, I’ll check it out!”

They return, minutes to hours later.

“So, I started that show you like and uh. Are you aware it is? Bad?”

“Yeah, don’t worry, it gets better-”

“Oh, sweet, cause I was really worried-”

“-Just give it a couple seasons!”

“I, uh.” They tug at their collar. “Can I skip the bad parts?”

“No. :D”

Hours and hours of time sunk into a mediocrity on the off-chance it “gets good” is a tough pill to swallow for most people. It’s a tough pill to swallow for me, and I willingly aspire to watch every yugioh anime. Add on top of that poor production quality, bloated plot bunnies, and some writing that has aged like milk, and you have. Well. A benign watching experience, at minimum.

And like I said, there’s good ingredients to the final storyline buried in all that early stuff! Just skipping directly to the middle in a hope to reach “the part everyone talks about” fundamentally waters down the experience, leaving you struggling to understand what has fans going bananas.

Why does the show hit you on the head 200 times with a hammer? Cause it feels so good when it stops!

Now, I’m not your parent, and you can watch tv shows however you want. If you only watched seasons 3 and 4 of GX, then by god, you watched GX, and you are welcome at the discussion table. Get in here, amigo. Your opinion matters just as much as mine.

GX is very difficult to review, in comparison to all its other sister shows, because the aspects some people praise are the very aspects others could never really get into the show because of. Its greatest strength as a story and its greatest weakness as a show are one in the same. It’s sort of this weird child of the family, unable to be talked about without a lot of contradiction and conversational backtracking. Is GX the best show of the three? Maybe. Is it my favorite? No, with an asterisk. Is it some people’s favorite? Absolutely.

If you changed it, made the plot tighter, the writing more concise, had a planned narrative from the beginning and slowly worked in elements of the larger endgame, would those same people still like it, in the same fervor?

I don’t think so.

Most yugioh moment:

YA SEE, A FEW YEARS BACK, ON A ROUTINE DIG FOR DINOSAUR FOSSILS, A LANDSLIDE BROKE OUT AND NEARLY BROKE MY LEG IN TWO. THEY HAD TO OPERATE QUICKLY, SO THEY USED THE DINOSAUR BONE I FOUND TO SAVE MY LEG. EVER SINCE, I'VE HAD WHAT THEY CALL DINO DNA. THE DOCTOR SAYS IT MAKES ME STRONGER THAN THE AVERAGE JOE.

#yugioh #yugioh gx #yu-gi-oh!#yu-gi-oh #ygo #ygo gx #spk's ygo reviews #essays #review #chazz princeton #jun manjoume #jaden yuki #judai yuki #yuki judai #zane truesdale #ryu marufuji #tyranno hassleberry #jesse anderson #johan andersen

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redundare · 2 years ago

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malevolent theories and predictions too unhinged to post in the discord pt 1 (rampant spoilers for everything thru part 29)

i've seen this one around, but it's my favorite pet theory: Kayne is a christian entity. everyone's convinced he's the crawling chaos and that's far more likely, but hear me out: he chose the name Cain. at one point he mutters about a Lilith, another very important figure in christian lore. when John says "jesus fucking christ" Kayne snaps back "present and accounted for." he really wants John to take Arthur to the order of the fallen star, and what we know about the order is: it hides in plain sight (what's more plain sight than the church?) and Larson is a member. Larson, who met Collins in a confessional during Prelude. i'm just saying! (this is the only one that has any evidence btw the rest are just me vibing)

the reason Arthur is special is because he has the blood of an eldritch god in his lineage. we know that Amanda Cummings and Anna Stanczyk were pulled into the ritual because their blood was the blood that began the ritual to unleash Shub-Niggurath 600 years ago. so blood is canonically important, and we know absolutely zero about Arthur's family or heritage. plus, Kayne says anyone else would've died during the ritual, which means Arthur was a stronger vessel than a normal human. why is he able to hold onto his sanity so well, and why is he able to host john without dying? cuz he's a little eldritch himself???

even more unhinged: Arthur actually became the missing part of the king this whole time, and the voice in his head is just a way for him to cope. (the Trader saw two of them and had no reason to lie about that, so i don't believe this one's actually true, but it's fun to think about)

Arthur's parents: they were either into eldritch stuff, or they didn't kill themselves, they were murdered to push Arthur along his path

i don't think Kayne lies as much as people think he does; like most tricksters i think he has fun with the truth just as much as lies. for example, he says to Arthur, "No, you’re not caught, you’ll leave alive, and alone and and and… afraid." this is all true! Arthur does leave alive and alone and afraid. so i believe when he says, "John’s grown, he’s regretting, he’s a hero now. He’s gonna sacrifice himself for you, obviously" this is Harlan is directly foreshadowing endgame (or maybe just a season finale, and then Arthur has to go to the Dark World)

next season we're going to a different plane. Arthur and John are going to try to stop an Order ritual and get their asses sucked into Leng or R'lyeh or some shit (alternatively this will be the point where john sacrifices himself, and Arthur has to go after him, possibly with yellow in his head again cuz you know Larson's gonna be there)

OR it's Arthur who gets sucked into the other plane/goes away, and next season we get John and Yellow together sharing a body having to go save Arthur (this is less of a theory and more of a dream, god i'd be so happy if this happened)

the booth entity. at some point somewhere, harlan said this was "the patrons versus a malevolent entity." who the fuck is the booth entity, and is that the same malevolent entity we're up against? was harlan being metaphorical and meant he the DM is the malevolent entity? (would not be surprised; isn't that all DMs really?) but Kayne put such a fucking emphasis on choice, and Arthur's entire existential spiral that's been going on since part 11 about choice vs predestination has been one of the central themes of the whole narrative. will the 4th wall break down entirely between booth john, patrons, and the narrative?? logistically i'd say no since it's behind a paywall and how would you engage the free listeners with that content, but my heart says absolutely yes this is where we're going.

#malevolent spoilers #a game we play with a malevolent entity

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bestdadbracket · 10 months ago

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Tentative List + propaganda

submit a parent to the form

Joel from TLOU

-he murders a whole fucking hospital for his kid.

Greg from SU

-if every porkchop were perfect we wouldn't have hotdogs

Starlo from Undertale Yellow

-awesome cowboy dad !! he (dad) and his posse (family) adopts clover (child) in game and teaches them how to be a cowboy. he even let's them be deputy for like 10 and says he's proud of clover ❤️❤️ spoilers but one notable thing is when starlo suspects that ceroba might hurt clover, starlo chases after, and has one of his posse take clover to a safer location. i don't know if this is good enough too but when having a duel with clover in genocide route he doesn't shoot them with a real bullet because he didn't have the heart to hurt them. anyways i love star dad xoxo

Arthur Lester from Malevolent

-he had a single daughter, faroe, who he inadvertently drowned when she was 4 because she was left in the bath while he was being angsty and playing piano. hes super guilty about it tho so i forgive him <3

Solazar from Friday Night Funkin: Entity

-he's an adoptive father of two sons of another species and took them in as babies, raised them to become strong and is a role model for them. his species is typically a survival focused one that doesn't associate with humanlike habits so he actively opposed his species to care for these two kids. he also has a yummy design

Benjamin Sisko from Star Trek DS9

-Okay so he's like space jesus but he's also a single father right? So he's here space jesus-ing it up while still taking care of his teenage son on this shitsack of a space station and like, his son has seen war and stuff and has travelled between universes and Ben just goes "okay Jake-o be careful and be home for dinner :)" he's so chill but he would literally die for Jake his little boy Jake because he's literally all he has left??? Space jesus and his son Jake-o, I love them dearly, and tbh I think Ben is the best dad in Star Trek, because he actually pays attention to and nurtures his son and his interests

Grunkle Stan from Gravity Falls

-he is like kind of a convicted felon but we forgive him becuz the government is stupid. he is awesome great father for dipper and mabel

Danny Tanner from Full House

-he is a pretty cool guy i guess

Joel Maisel from Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

-he is a decent dad but falls into the trap that every cishet white guy falls into of thinking he can go standup

Leto Atreides from Dune

-he is a duke and is a pretty protective guy

Vito Corleone from The Godfather

-literal mob boss guy that kills a bucnh of people to protect his family legacy

Homer Simpson from The Simpsons

-likes pink donuts

Mufasa from The Lion King

-brave lion guy who dies for his kid

Uncle Iroh from ATLA

-he loves tea and is just a great guy <3

Jim Hopper from Stranger Things

-kind of alcoholic but hes a good adoptive father

Dr. Doofenshmirtz from Phineas and Ferb

-he is a mad scientist and he is trying his best

Bob from Bob’s Burgers

-he is a bisexual king and makes burgers

Bandit from Bluey

-WE LOVE HIM SM

Darth Vader from Star Wars

-not really there for his kids but hes a cool guy

Gru from Despicable Me

-evil scientist + trying to be there

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howlingday · 1 year ago

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My idea for a potential DEATH BATTLE! #7

2023, Nov 28, 29, Dec 1, 2

PREVIOUS POST: SIXTH POST

MASTER LIST

Darth Sidious vs Master Xehanort (Star Wars vs Kingdom Hearts)

Which evil wizard of darkness behind the curtain will prevail?

FIGHTER 1: Darth Sidious, the sadistic and mean megalomaniacal mastermind behind the Galactic Empire.

FIGHTER 2: Master Xehanort, the darkness-seeking body-snatching chess master of Kingdom Hearts.

Wiz: The evil mastermind. The malevolent entity behind the curtain. One of the greatest evil is the one that presents itself as a friend. It leads to the demise of many heroes.

*CLIPS: Evil mastermind: James Moriarity. The malevolent entity behind the curtain: MHA's All For One. Evil fakes being friendly: the ego Death scene from Guy Ritchie's Revolver (Watch that movie, it's cool).*

Boomstick: These two may be geriatric, but they've put their wits to use and have formulated an entire chess plan to carry out their dreams and designs and are just as strong to boot. He's Wiz and I'm Boomstick.

Wiz: And it's our job to analyze their weapons, armor, and skills to find out who would win... a Death Battle.

PREFACE (What to know): I am fully aware of how popular this MU is, with its 2021 DBX and its high-ranking position in 2023's Champion Poll, so I wanted to get this out before it becomes an actual episode. I wanted this MU since I played KH: Birth By Sleep in April and May 2020 since the lockdown had started and I had a collection of KH games to play. There is a large collection of Star Wars media and there is the old Legends content to consider alongside the vast history of Kingdom Hearts, so I will try to be careful with how I treat these characters, but as usual, my efforts will go into the "fight" more than anything else. If I am to consider them at their max, then we have Palpatine at the end of the Skywalker Saga and Xehanort with the χ-Blade. I WILL BE TREATING THIS AS A SEASON FINALE because of how much there is to go over for both characters and because it would serve as a beautiful contrast to Yoda vs. King Mickey: one season starts with the light and another ends in darkness. Also, I wanted this to be my 13th suggestion, but I should get this out before DB! beats me to it.

WHY:

Connections (What do they have in common):

1. Both are the main antagonists of the first saga of their series, The Skywalker Saga and the Dark Seeker Saga. (As of me writing this, the main series of SW and KH is those two sagas).

2. Both have concocted master plans in which they would spread their influence insidiously across reality, namely through manipulation and subordinates while maintaining a guise of reliability. Darth Sidious trained Darth Maul, turned Anakin into Darth Vader by manipulating his fear, and used his identity as Chancellor Palpatine to further his political career and deceive his way into accomplishing his goal of orchestrating the fall of the Galactic Republic and the Jedi Order through the Clone Wars, and then established his reign over the galaxy while Master Xehanort manipulated Terra who trusted him as a teacher into killing Eraqus as well as Ventus through Vanitas to create an ultimate weapon and Riku by exploiting his wishes to explore the outside worlds and even Maleficent. He also created Organization XIII to prolong his life.

3. Both are known for how they cheat death. Palpatine had his clones and attempted to possess Rey's body whereas Xehanort body-snatched Terra, had his Nobody, Heartless, and Organization XIII as his vessels, and even had a time-traveling younger self.

4. Both have dabbled in scientific or science-like research. Palpatine is mostly known for his experiments in Sith Alchemy and Xehanort is mostly known for the creation of the Nobodies and the mass release of Heartless. These are not their only contributions, but I am not listing all of them.

5. Their goal was to have ultimate power in some form. Palpatine wanted supreme control over every being in the galaxy and Xehanort wanted to conquer Kingdom Hearts to obtain ultimate power/knowledge and recreate the worlds the way he saw fit.

6. Both are among the most dangerous warriors trained in their respective ancient ways (Sith ways + the Dark Side of the Force, and Keyblade mastery + Darkness), if not, they are flat-out the most dangerous. Despite that, their greatest attribute arguably is not their strength or their tenacity to see their dreams come true, but their manipulation of others.

Personal reasons (Why I want this battle/like this MU): Back in March and April 2020, I played KH II, BBS, and 0.2 A Fragmentary Passage, and then I played DDD and watched Back Cover. Needless to say, I noticed similarities between KH and SW, namely comparing the plots of BBS & Revenge of the Sith, Terra & Anakin, Xehanort & Palpatine, and the plans of the antagonists. Shortly after, I watched this video, this video, and this video and then looked up more stuff online and found this beauty by Naitsabes89:

Since then, I tried to get a very good friend of mine who's into Star Wars to play KH, crowned Grand Master Yoda vs. King Mickey as my favorite DB!, and listened to BY's "Destined for Darkness", "Birth By Exile", "This Heartless Empire", and Skye T.'s "Insidiosa Tenebrae", none in that specific order. There was also an old article that mentioned how Nomura was wearing his love for Star Wars on his sleeve and how both had a giant conflict that wiped out the ancient wizard knights, namely the 100-Year Darkness and Keyblade War, but I can no longer find it. I also really want to add to DB!'s collection of great SW episodes of the 2020s: 2020's Obi-Wan, 2021's Yoda, 2022's Boba Fett (I wouldn't call it great, but I did enjoy it a lot), and 2023's Darth Vader.

Also, I want their personalities to play off each other: the cunning masterminds trying to coax and manipulate the other to fall into a trap while showing off merciless power.

More than anything, this is my most wanted matchup.

THE FIGHT:

Art and animation: Easy; make it 3D like the DBX and all Star Wars episodes since 2020. 2D may be easier, but the grandiosity of the characters and the matchup demands something of great animation. I do not mean to disrespect the 2D/sprite team considering the phenomenal work from just 2023 alone, but 3D models can allow for more fluid movement and better blade-to-blade combat. If possible, get DevilArtemis again and take inspiration from The Clone Wars' lightsaber duels and high-tier KH III combos (I will do my damndest to do the same).

Possible setup: Cue the Death Star, floating in space, with ominous music and equally ominous vocals. We see the two combatants playing chess like Eraqus and Xehanort in KHIII, both doing their iconic smirks/evil grins; shenanigans are afoot.

"I am disappointed you declined my offer to rule the galaxy with me. Your power and wits would make for an excellent emperor." Palpatine hates how that sounds, but he doesn't stop the smirk; he has a plan, but he does respect the power and wits of his adversary. After all, he foresaw Vader's power surpassing his and even congratulated Maul for surviving his wounds and for his attempt to take over Mandolor. The title of emperor was his and his alone, but he needs to be careful; he can sense the darkness of his foe and he has wits to match. He moves a black pawn, removing a white pawn from the board. We see Stormtroopers and droids aiming and shooting at a giant mass of Heartless, Nobodies, and Unversed, beating them back a bit.

"I am not interested in your galaxy or your army. I do not have any interest in your dark magics or sciences." Xehanort moves a white pawn and removes a black pawn. The forces of Darkness start to overrun the forces of the Empire. "I wish to know of the Force and its Dark Side, and conquer it."

"You think you can match the Dark Side? Your feeble skills are no match for its power."

"Your arrogance and power blind you. They are your weakness." After a few more moves, the black pawns are off the board, but there are a few white pawns left. The forces of Darkness across the Galaxy have killed the Imperial Troops.

"Your faith in your pawns is yours." He does his iconic evil chuckle and moves a black rook. Darth Maul draws his Lightsaber and starts to fend off the dark mass with his wrath, weapon, and the Force, but then Vanitas swoops in and the two engage. Xehanort had moved a white rook, but all the pawns started to disappear off the board in a few short moves; Palpatine had moved his forces. Palpatine moves his second rook. Kylo Ren fights Young Xehanort. Xehanort then moves a knight. The Nobodies of Organization XIII engage the Inquisitorius. Palpatine moves a bishop. Asajj Ventress confronts Ansem SOD. Xehanort moves his white bishop. Xemans duels with Tyranus. Both move their queens. Terranort and Vader clash weapons. Then, we cut to the board: only the kings stood, and they knew what that meant.

Xehanort draws his keyblade, No Name. Palpatine draws his lightsaber, but even its evil red glow does not compare to the wickedness in Palpatine's voice.

"You will experience the full power of the Dark Side."

"The Darkness will end you."

FIGHT! :

1. Palpatine launches himself like in Episode III, but Xehanort only blocks it and parries. They start to duel as Sidious did against Windu. Sidious may be channeling the Dark Side, but in typical Palpatine fashion, he's going to play with his food for a bit. With his sadistic smile, he duels like in the cut fight between himself and the Jedi Council/Mace Windu from Episode III. Xehanort keeps up, playing more on the defensive. He dodges and counters, but Sidious parries and also counters.

2. Channeling a bit more of the Dark Side, Sidious outmaneuvers Xehanort, strikes him hard, and attempts to impale him, but Xehanort teleports away. Sidious chuckles. "Not confident in your skills? Feeling slow?" "I've kept pace with quick opponents before. You're no different." They engage again, like how Sidous dueled Savage Oppress and Maul, only for Xehanort to summon orbs of dark energy, forcing Palpatine to parry and dodge, but Xehanort gets in his Continuous Attack, slashing fast and teleporting. Sidious blocks a strike, kicks Xehanort away, and draws a second lightsaber, rushing Xehanort, and even though Xehanort can successfully parry a lot of the attacks, Sidious is in his element. He is channeling the Dark Side, flipping around and moving dexterously, dodging Xehanort's orbs of darkness and Fire spells. The two engage in a blade-lock, their golden eyes staring the other down. Xehanort is overpowering him a bit despite using two lightsabers, so Sidious pushes him away with the Force.

3. Xehanort is pushed against the wall but uses his telekineses to launch projectiles. Sidious then moves his own, but Xehanort redirects all of them and then uses a lot more objects to form his Blade Tornado. Sidious then uses the Force to stop and rip apart the projectiles. He then uses his iconic Force Lightning only for Xehanort to teleport away, who then casts Thundaga. Palpatine raises his two lightsabers to block the lightning and then leaps at Xehanort again, but he then uses Rising Ground, raising the ground in front of Palpatine, but Palpatine slices it and pushes it like Obi-Wan did to Kakashi's Earth justu and throws it with telekinesis.

4. Xehanort teleports behind the Sith, but the Sith blocks him and they start to duel with blades again, but Sidious channels Force Lightning again. Xehanort struggles a bit, but he uses Firaga to keep his distance. Seeing an opening, Xehanort disarms Sidious, grabs Sidious, pushes him down, and then hits him with cold air, attempting an Ultima Freeze. Sidious uses Force Lightning like he tried to on Darth Vader like in Episode VI, but Xehanort does not stop, so he uses the Force to draw in a lightsaber.

5. Xehanort dodges the attack but is caught off guard by the second lightsaber drawn to Palpatine and is hit, and Palpatine then starts to use Force Drain, recovering a large amount of health, bringing Xehanort to his knees. "You old fool. Now you see the folly of your ways. I have UNLIMITED POWER!" Sidious follows this up with more Force Lightning. Xehanort, struggling in pain, summons the almighty χ-blade. Xehanort then uses Call Calamity, throwing the χ-blade. Sidious uses the Force to throw the χ-blade back, but the χ-blade is cooling the air, smashing 3 fireballs together, and dropping three lightning strikes on them. Palpatine narrowly dodges, and then parries several dark shots, even using the Force to redirect attacks again.

6. Xehanort then uses XIII Combo, attacking using his avatars and several light rays, but Sidious simply "kills" the avatars (I don't think this is possible, but it looks cool in my head) and parries the light rays. Sensing his foe near, he blocks Xehanort's attack, χ-blade having become a double blade. The χ-blade then turns into a pair of chakrams, but Sidious keeps being agile and evasive, but he does not get far as Xehanort then turns the χ-blade into a whip and draws Sidious close. This does not deter the Sith lord, however, as the then uses the momentum to slash Xehanort. Xehanort then turns the χ-blade into its normal form and then, there's another blade clash. Xehanort wins and destroys the lightsabers. (If it was only one lightsaber, he draws in the second one, he destroys it.)

7. Xehanort then summons Kingdom Hearts and attempts to drain whatever light he can from Sidious, but he is unsuccessful. Sidious senses this and laughs. "You fool... You do not understand; I AM the Dark Side! You will be destroyed!" Using Force Lightning again, he shocks the Keyblade master and pushes him away.

8. Darth Sidious wins by using the Dark Side. He pins Xehanort to the wall, immobilizing him so can't even use the χ-blade. He then uses Force Drain again, severely weakening Xehanort. We then see the rest of Organization XIII being defeated; Xehanort can sense it and Sidious knows. "Only now in the end do you understand. You were no match for the Dark Side. You have paid the price for your lack of vision. Now, you will die." Using Force Lightning for a final time, Sidious ends the old master, proving the Dark Side, nay, himself to be the ultimate power.

9. Master Xehanort winds by using his magic and the χ-blade. Pushing through the Force, Xehanort uses Stopza, leaving Palpatine frozen in time. Xehanort ends the fight by using a beam of Darkness like at the end of KH III's final fight. We can then see Organization XIII overcoming the Empire and Sith. “Checkmate. And so, darkness prevails.”

11. KO!

RESULT:

Strengths and weaknesses:

Darth Sidious:

+ Has options for an instant kill.

+ Much more agile in physical combat.

+ Much more ruthless.

+ Precognition.

+ Could likely use Force Persuasion or Possession.

+ Force Heal and Force Drain allow for healing.

+ Drain Knowledge could allow for psychological damage.

≥ Likely the better manipulator.

= Likely equally skilled as both have had extensive training.

- His sadism and wanting to play with his opponent could give Xehanort a chance to attack him.

- As far as I can tell, he does not resist cold air or freezing.

Master Xehanort:

+ If scaled to King Mickey, then he's physically faster, stronger, and more durable.

+ Greater versatility and ranged options with the χ-blade's transformations and his magic, so it is highly likely that he can overwhelm his opponent and keep himself at a distance.

+ His two armor sets allow for greater defense. The first one extends his offensive versatility and even gives him the ability to turn his Keyblade into a defensive wall. The second one even comes from him powering up.

+ Considering his versatility in magic, it is very likely that he has access to Cure.

+ Greater mobility with teleportation and Corridors of Darkness.

+ Stopza allows for instant kill setups.

+ Could likely transfer his heart to Palpatine with complete ease due to the darkness in Palpatine's heart.

= Likely equally skilled due to training and experience.

- It is fair to assume that he has a limited magic pool like Sora and King Mickey, so if he runs out, he would be more vulnerable while it recharges.

- He is very likely to end up winded and tired like in his solo fight against Terra in BBs.

Ending puns:

"Palpatine Sidiously had it coming."

"Xehanort did not have the heart to win it."

MUSIC:

Name: "Imperial Chessmasters"

The name refers to the Galactic Empire and the characters' complex multi-generational plans that involve the manipulation of others for domination and power.

Art:

Foreground: Xehanort's chess piece but the head is the emblem of the Galactic Empire with lightning emerging from the center to the left and darkness emerging from the center to the right.

Background: on the left, it's the Death Star; on the right, it's Kingdom Hearts succumbing to Darkness.

Sound: DUEL OF THE FATES + KH III FINAL BOSS THEME (FRAGMENTS OF SORROW, BUT GRAND), BABY! Slow, dramatic building with slight vocals and piano, and a pinch of drums. It doesn't play during the chess scene, starting when we see that only the kings are left sounding like the introductory strings of the KH III final boss theme. There are strings when they first clash blades. Then the vocals, piano, and strings just keep going from there. It is tense, dramatic, and of course, there are sorrowful moments, changing pace along with the fight: dramatic and fast with the deeper strings and choir or slow and tearful with lighter vocals and higher note strings. Therewolf Media is the ideal pick as he has done Hearts of Light which also beautifully mixes the orchestral sounds of SW and KH. If you want a good idea of what this song could sound like, check out these beauties and gems...

1. Duel of Sorrow ( KH style Mash up Duel of Fates/Fragments of Sorrow)

2. Kingdom Hearts 3 - Duel of the Fates (Battle Theme)

Or I could leave it to the imagination. Seriously, I can imagine it in my head and it is beautiful. Listen to the themes I referred to the original themes you'll hear something great when you try to mix them in your head.

1. Duel of the Fates

2. KH III Final Boss Theme

(strikethrough: I think it'd be something so great that John Williams and Yoko Shimomura would acknowledge it. I wanted to add another element to this mix, but I'll save it.)

FINAL THOUGHTS AND WORDS

I know how weird it would be to have Maul, Ventress, and Kylo Ren as part of Sidious' army, but I did not know who else to use, and I didn't put this in the preface because I wanted the chess army to be a surprise.

I don't know if this will surpass my suggestions of Azula vs. Cinder or Trunks vs. Luminary, but I don't care. I LOVE this MU, and I already said that this is my all-time most wanted. I had fun imagining the choreography and especially the music. I am the least bit worried about the MUSIC because there is so much to take inspiration from whereas the fight itself will need a combination of character interactions, swordplay, and ranged attacks. If it ever becomes an actual episode, I'll temper my expectations because the battle is most certainly not going to be like this idea of mine.

This is my last MU idea for the year.

CHESS PIECES

Kings: Darth Sidious vs. Master Xehanort

Queens: Darth Vader vs. Terra-Xehanort

Bishops: Darth Tyranus and Asajj Ventress vs. Xemnas, and Ansem, Seeker of Darkness

Knights: Inquisitorious vs. the Nobodies of Organization XIII

Rooks: Darth Maul and Kylo Ren vs Vanitas and Young Xehanort

THANK YOU AND I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS! SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!

_________________________________________

Once again, I am impressed with your presentation. I've seen quite a bit of Star Wars, but I always forget Palpatine has a lightsaber. Also, Xehanort's fight in KHIII forever sticks out in my brain as one of the most frustrating final bosses of the game.

And as for what you've shown, I like it. The poster at the top was hilarious and thinking on it, KH could include Star Wars due to a mutual benefactor (Disney). The videos you have linked well in here are also a neat watch.

And while I absolutely LOVE that opening to the fight, my only criticism is the name of the soundtrack. For me, while clever, it doesn't really invoke anything... I dunno, flashy? Maybe something more along the lines of...

DESIGNS OF DARKNESS

Happy holidays and thank you for your fine creations.

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infodailyblog · 10 months ago

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Do you know about Whats the Max Health of Faeburrow?

Unveiling the Mysteries of Faeburrow's Maximum Health

In the vast and enchanting realm of fantasy, creatures and beings with extraordinary abilities often capture our imagination. Among these mystical entities is Faeburrow, a character shrouded in mystery and revered for its magical prowess. One aspect that intrigues many enthusiasts is Faeburrow's maximum health, a crucial attribute that plays a pivotal role in its resilience and endurance.

Faeburrow: A Magical Enigma

Faeburrow, often depicted as a magical entity with ethereal qualities, has gained popularity in various fantasy settings, captivating the minds of those who delve into magical realms and mystical adventures. While its origins and abilities may vary depending on the narrative, one common element that fans are curious about is the maximum health of Faeburrow.

Unraveling the Enigma: Whats the Max Health of Faeburrow?

The challenge in determining Faeburrow's maximum health lies in the diverse interpretations across different fictional universes. Faeburrow is not confined to a single narrative, and its characteristics can vary from one story or game to another.

In some instances, Faeburrow is portrayed as an ancient, wise creature deeply connected to the natural elements. In such cases, its maximum health might be represented as an extension of its symbiotic relationship with the mystical forces that surround it. The health of Faeburrow could be depicted as a dynamic and ever-changing aspect, influenced by the ebb and flow of magical energies in its environment.

In other interpretations, Faeburrow may be a guardian of sacred realms or a protector of enchanted lands. Here, its maximum health could be symbolic of its role as a formidable force against dark and malevolent entities. The resilience of Faeburrow might be intricately linked to the balance it maintains within the magical ecosystem it guards.

The Influence of Narrative Context

The elusive nature of Faeburrow's maximum health is further amplified by the importance of narrative context. Fantasy stories and games often prioritize storytelling over rigid adherence to numerical attributes. As such, the health of Faeburrow might be left deliberately ambiguous to allow for more dynamic and engaging narratives.

Creators of fantasy worlds may intentionally keep certain details vague, inviting audiences to interpret and imagine the specifics of Faeburrow's abilities. This ambiguity can enhance the allure of the character, fostering a sense of wonder and fascination among fans.

Conclusion: Embracing the Mystique

In the enchanting tapestry of fantasy, Faeburrow emerges as a captivating enigma, captivating the minds of those who explore magical realms. While the specifics of its maximum health remain shrouded in mystery, perhaps that mystery is an integral part of Faeburrow's charm. The magic lies not just in the numerical value but in the limitless possibilities that spring forth from the fertile grounds of imagination.

For fans enamored by the mystical allure of Faeburrow, the quest to unveil its secrets becomes a journey filled with wonder and anticipation. As we delve into fantastical realms, let us embrace the mystique surrounding Faeburrow, allowing its enigmatic nature to weave a spell that transcends the boundaries of the known and beckons us into the realms of magic and imagination.

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thekimspoblog · 5 months ago

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It would take hours to actually articulate what happens in the penultimate chapter of my "Sheepdog" fanfic, but let me see if I can try.

A major thing Jimmy and Kim bond over is their shared interest as cinephiles. And I haven't seen many fans discuss this, but to me this suggests that both of them actually have a pretty terminal case of "main character" syndrome. They've both watched so many movies, that this is the only frame of reference for interpreting their reality, and this is the driving force behind why these two act like assholes. Jimmy is the more obvious example, given that so much of what he does during the various montages is needlessly convoluted in a way that only makes sense if you assume that amusing himself is his top priority. But I'd argue Kim does this too, just not with as much self-awareness.

Everyone within the narrative rightfully thinks this pair is unstable. But the delicious irony is that this insane view of the world is correct. And we know it's correct because we're watching these events unfold after all. And I just love the level of cosmic horror that this brings to the metanarrative: Wouldn't it be terrible if a narcissist's attitude that you were just a bit player in their story was justified? Wouldn't it be terrible if your free will was an illusion, because you were always created as a scapegoat to be sacrificed? Wouldn't it be horrifying if there was a God, but this god would be happy to reward terrible behavior as long as the violence was entertaining?

Now here's where this goes from regular headcanon to completely cracked:

In the final chapter of "Sheepdog", the fanbase of Breaking Bad is confirmed to be a malevolent supernatural force inflicting its collective will on the narrative. And specifically, Kim is confronted with the fact that she made a covenant with this entity at the end of Season 5 (securing her own longevity in the story by promising to harm others) and in Season 6 she tried to break this contract with the Devil. But it's too late to back out: Her destiny was to use the money she got from killing Howard to join the upper class, and hunt bigger, more dangerous game from there. We were promised a story of oligarchs meeting their demise. We were promised a story of a vengeful woman remaking the world in her own vision of perfect justice, and after having already taken two lives, she has no choice but complete the ritual by taking five more.

After mulling over her options, she accepts that the world as she knew it will come to an end unless she shoulders this burden of playing the villain. There are thousands of good, normal, people in the universe of Breaking Bad, people that she can't help but see as valuable human lives even after being told point-blank that these are just tertiary characters, but all those characters can only continue to exist so long as one person is fulfilling the titular goal of this franchise.

So when this character returns in "Slippin Kimmy" there is something decidedly OFF about her, even more than before, and the above is why. She doesn't remember the specifics of the lucid dream, but the intuition that she is a doll on a stage never leaves her. And even if Jimmy claims to understand, she knows he can't, not fully anyway. I remember once reading a think piece which described Anton Chigurh as "someone who doesn't even enjoy doing evil, but simply feels a grim obligation to serve as the hand of fate (. . .) the product of staring too long into the abyss of the modern age", and on some level I am going for a more toned-down version of that. Having seen the rest of her life laid out for her, Kim knows she has a lot left to look forward to which will make enduring all the horror worthwhile, but even if she's not happy in this role, it doesn't really matter. A humble existence just isn't in the cards for her.

This also would suggest that Iris is some sort of antichrist figure, but eh... it's even more complicated than that.

Also why yes, I am ripping off whole aspects of Dolores Abernathy's character arc! Thank you for noticing!

#kim wexler #slippin kimmy #mcwexler #meta fiction #bcs sheepdog #vampires #breaking bad #occultism #westworld #hail paimon #a24 films #wolves and sheep #I'M LIKE A GOD IN HUMAN CLOTHING #LIGHTNING BOLTS SHOOT FROM MY FINGERTIPS!!!!

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