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total-drama-brainrot · 8 months ago

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i now wanna hear your very long character analysis on how the drama machine affected alejandro

Yeah alright.

So I haven't actually watched All-stars, but I did skim through this video to get a feel for Alejandro's characterisation in it, since All-stars is the only canonical material we get from Alejandro post Drama Machine.

And by skim I really do mean skim; I was mostly looking out for signs of his imprisonment's influence, which for the most part seems to be as follows:

His legs fell asleep.

He developed a minor case of agoraphobia, mostly in the context of sleeping in open spaces.

His standards of human interaction have plummeted; something he's aware and accepting of.

Interestingly enough, he doesn't really seem to acknowledge the volcano itself (outside of an offhanded comment) or the injuries he got from the explosion. His focus is solely on his time in the suit, not what out him there in the first place. He even skirts over a memory loss issue, which could contribute to this.

I'll tackle these three points in more detail, and then give examples of how they can be developed into actual characterisation points instead of (for the most part) gags.

Number one; Leggy McLatin and the paraplegia scheme.

Alejandro's inadvertant and unintentional escape from the Drama Machine, and subsequent readmission into the competition (as himself, instead of as the machine) is, for the most part, entirely focal on the fact that his legs no longer work after his year of entrapment. It's a big deal - or, at least, as big of a deal as any injury or ailment can be in the context of Total Drama, considering that he doesn't miraculously get better in the span of an episode. Of course, we learn fairly early on that he's faking the paraplegia, but it's fairly heavily implied that his legs really were asleep initially (and that, in all likelihood, the massage we see him getting from an intern is what "wakes them up").

What's interesting about this particular plotline choice is that it would, realistically, be entirely feasable for Alejandro to have mobility issues after spending a year inside a robot.

Now, I'm no doctor, nor do I have any formal medical training, but I do know that not being able to move your body for an extended period of time results in a serious case of muscle atrophy. We see in canon that Alejandro was essentially locked in a seated position for the year; his arms, head and (assumedly) torso had place to move around, but he couldn't really stretch out his legs. This would explain the "weakness" of his legs in the first episode - i.e. their wobbliness, and the fact that they couldn't hold up Alejandro's body weight. The numbness he cites would be explained by poor circulation - again caused by him being sat down for a solid twelve months.

Or it could be nerve damage from the eruption, but given that Alejandro doesn't seem to have any long-term issues that stem from the volcano itself, it's unlikely.

So it can be assumed that the numbness of his legs was offset by the massage he gets after the first challenge. The masseuse kickstarts the blood circulation back into his legs, resulting in him regaining sensation in them - enough feeling to notice a crab pinching at his feet.

And, if I really want to reach into headcanon territory/realism, the reason he keeps up the "ruse" is because, despite having feeling in his legs, the muscles there are still fairly atrophied and he has a lot of trouble walking, let alone running, for extended periods of time. Though, as it stands, any long-term impact on his health would be entirely headcanon/fanon territory, due to the nature of the show itself.*

Then there's the psychological aspect to consider. Alejandro's a very prideful person by design - that's evident in both the way he portrays himself and the physical standards he holds himself to. Having use of half of his body stripped away from his is bound to be distressing, perhaps even traumatising. Hence why he tries to make himself as useful to the team as possible despite still recovering; he needs everyone to see that he's still capable.

Eventually his legs fully recover, because this is Total Drama and things like "realistic healing processes" and "lasting damage" don't seem to exist in-universe.

Number two; snug as a bug in a rug.

Alejandro's shown to have started sleeping in a sleeping bag throughout All-stars. He even canonically states that he needs to, because of his time in the Drama Machine. He cites that sleeping whilst srpawled out makes him uncomfortable, unspokenly referring to the fact that, for a year, he'd only had the option to sleep in an incredibly cramped position/environment.

This is interesting since, for the most part, you'd assume that someone held in close-quaters captivity would develop claustrophobia instead of a form of agorophobia, and yet Alejandro seems to have internalised the need to be in an enclosed space to sleep. Maybe it's symptom of just how long be was encased for - a year is a long time - or maybe it started out as claustrophobia, but the indefinate nature of his captivity morphed the initial fear into a twisted sort of coping mechanism.

It begs the question; what else can't Alejandro do in open spaces?

Is he perpetually uncomfortable with the openness of the outside world? Does he resort to hermiting himself into closed-off corners and enclosed rooms, just to feel a semblence of normalcy after he escapes the confines of the Drama Machine? Would he take to wearing tighter but more concealing clothing, just to immitate the feeling/pressure of being trapped in a too-tight enclosure?

Is his need for a snug sleeping space indicitive of him missing his isolated imprisonment?

Which brings us nicely into the third point.

Number three; long-term isolation and the effects thereof.

Alejandro explodes out of a glorified toaster and one of the first things he really comments on is Heather's off-putting personality and her facial hair. In a positive manner. He's so starved for human contact that he attaches himself to the first "friendly"/familiar face he sees, which in this case is Heather, and focuses on the aspects of her that make her human.

If he were a "weaker man", I have no doubt Alejandro would be clambering for attention from his team, mostly for proof that he's no longer completely isolated. It's a well-documented phenomenon; people who experience a long time in isolation, or who suffer through long periods of loneliness, become desperate for socialisation (and physical contact), to the point their immune systems and biological rhythyms (from circadian to infradian) start to deteriorate.

Realistically, Alejandro would've come out of the Drama Machine a desperate and sickly mess, riddled with insomnia and paranoia and incredibly touch-starved. But, as established, the show isn't exactly true-to-life when it comes to things like this, so...

As it stands, the fact that he emerged from his prison and immediately jumped back into his charming persona attests more to the fact that his flirtatious act is so deeply ingrained into his psyche than it does to his mental wellbeing. It could be argued that he's using the same act/mask/persona as a tether to his old self and an anchor to normalcy, as he'd likely crumble into an inconsolable mess without the scaffolding of his "TV personality" keeping him upright (metaphorically of course, as Alejandro is in fact not upright in the show. He's upside down for the majority of his time on All-stars).

Or maybe he's just built different? Who's to say.

We don't exactly know what went down during his year away, so it's impossible to make any concrete statements as to whether Alejandro was afforded the luxury of other people's company, or if he really was kept 100% isolated in the machine. The only thing we do know is that he likely had access to a phone, though didn't have the capability of using it without assistance, since he calls Heather out for never trying to contact him but also states the impossibility of him doing the same in turn.

Number four; lava damage and the lack thereof.

It's sort of explained during his scene at the end of World Tour, but Alejandro's whole "being trapped in the Drama Machine" deal - alongside being a parody of the scene where Anakin Skywalker is first put into the Darth Vader suit - is stated to be for his own benefit. He's essentially being locked away into a healing suit. Again, just like Anakin - they both even sport similar burn wounds.

He mentions at the beginning of All-stars that he doesn't really remember being put into the machine, and it's safe to assume that the majority of his time in the contraption is likely fuzzy to him as well; being fully concious of complete isolation for a whole year would be enough to drive anyone completely mad, and Alejandro is decidedly not insane (for the most part). Ergo, it's also a safe assumption that the inner mechanisms of the Drama Machine act as a sort of stoporous healing chamber, keeping Alejandro semi-concious and healing his various lava burns over the course of his concealment.

Sort of like a medical coma. Inside of a robot. A portable medical coma.

The "healing properties" would also justify why Alejandro's whole body hadn't deteriorated from muscle atrophy, or developed any (visible) burn scars from his stint in the Hot Sauce. Of course, as far as burn scars go, unless they're significantly deep they do tend to fade into near-invisibility over time. That, paired with the ~magical healing properties~ of his confinement, likely resulted in his lava burns scarring over into insignificance.

Then again, I once again have to take cartoon logic into account - the show itself likely just didn't consider the semi-realistic consequences of a year of entrapment, and wanted Alejandro to be near-enough the same character he was at the end of World Tour before the consequences™.

The main point here is this; Alejandro doesn't seem to remember the majority of his injuries following the volcano eruption in the World Tour finale, or if he does he's had a year of semi-conciousness to work through his thoughts and feelings on the matter, and as a result he doesn't seem to carry any (reasonable) trauma regarding lava, volcanoes, or other related stimuli.

He does, however, retain some "quirks" from his time in the machine.

Number five; an overview.

Alejandro comes out of the Drama Machine with a surprisingly little amount of visible trauma, both in terms of physical damage/scarring and observable mental changes.

He developed a very minor case of agoraphobia, spurned on by him becoming accustomed to existing in a very small, very cramped space, but otherwise attunes himself to the outside world incredibly fast.

Is this probably related to his social training, as a diplomat's son, and his heavy reliance on a "suave and charming" persona. He's likely battling with a lot of internal issues throughout the season, but squahing down his inner turmoil under his determination to win, which explains how/why he falls so easily into his scheming mindset - it, in and of itself, is a coping mechanism, though not a very healthy one.

*The paralysis of his legs was in all likelihood genuine, and a result of poor circulatory issues and minor muscular atrophy, which was almost immediately treated by the masseuse intern after the first challenge. Realistically (and how many times have I said that word) he'd have some lasting weakness in his legs, and maybe require the use of a mobility aid and/or physiotherapy. This is not the case, because... Total Drama.

There are subtle signs of the mental impact of his imprisonment, mostly in his immediate attachment to Heather (despite her taking away his reproduction privileges the last time they spoke, and her being Heather) and his innate need to prove himself as useful/capable despite his gameplan riding on him appearing pitiable and unthreatening (due to his "sleepy legs"). He's so starved for social interaction and validation that his actions are directly contradictory to his gameplans.

Though in the case of his Heather attachment, he could just be like that. He was also fairly infatuated with her in the latter half of World Tour, and the pineapple scene speaks for itself.

In conclusion; Alejandro is either completely goated and (for the most part) just shrugged off the trauma of being trapped in a tiny box for a year, or he was already so traumatised that the imprisonment was just another needle in his haystack of turmoil.

#I'm partial to the second conclusion myself. Alejandro shrugs off additional trauma because he's already hit his quota. He's immune.#Vaccined against The Horrors thanks to his piss-poor homelife and whatever else he experienced pre-TD.#From a strickly canonical standpoint he gets off pretty lightly - most of the other antagonists are punished much worse by the narrative.#If we're taking headcanons into account? Or even a modicum of realism? He's like 50% invisible scar tissue and 50% PSTD.#I can't really think of a way to justify him NOT being scared of fire/lava without taking the “I barely remember anything” line and--#running with it. Giving him a little dissociative amnesia to excuse his lack of rational fear.#... That DOES open up an avenue of him rediscovering his volcano-based trauma at a later date...#It's actually a little bit shocking that his character remained pretty much the same between seasons. He was locked in a tiny cage--#for a YEAR and when he broke out he was IMMEDIATELY back to his old tricks. It's almost iconic.#total drama #td alejandro #character analysis #long post #replies

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pablitogavii · 2 years ago

Text

Story of my life Pt. 1

Short series coming your way loves :) Hope you enjoy it!

PART 2

First and foremost, people usually knew about you as the daughter of the famous Xavi Hernandez, old Barça player and current coach of the first time. But besides that complicated fact, your life was pretty normal and simple..until you became best friends with Pablo Gavira.

"Would you stop chewing so loud bombon!? You will scare all the guests away" Pablo smirked and you rolled your eyes chewing even louder on purpose to spite him.

"Which movie are we gonna be watching anyways??" you said stuffing your mouth with the delicious carne asada while he chuckled shaking his head at your behavior.

"It's the new one you kept whining nobody wanted to watch with you. One with Jenifer Lopez in the main role" Pablo said and you smiled that he agreed to watch the movie with you despite knowing he wasn't much of a fan of going to cinema especially since the crazy fans would always start to develop stories whenever he is seen with any girl.

"And what if the die heart fans think we are dating??" you chuckle seeing him roll his eyes in annoyance shaking his head.

"Nahh. It's not like I'm going to take you to the back row so we can make out in peace but accidentally get caught with someone's camera..." Pablo said and you almost chocked on your meal seeing him laugh hysterically at your reaction.

"Cabrón! I have a boyfriend if you forgot!" you said and Pablo rolled his eyes never really being the biggest fan of your as he calls 'boy-toy' Trevor Parker, cute American exchange student who was as far away from your type as possible but somehow menage to charm you in school. All lies aside, it was during the time Pablo was away for the World Cup and you were lonely.

You always found Pablo attractive and that was no secret (even to your dad) but somehow you found girl's obsessing over him as a clear sign you should stay away. You didn't want to be one of the many.

Your phone kept buzzing and you lowered your light seeing five unread messages from Trevor who was wondering where you were. As much as Pablo disliked him, Trevor hated Pablo even more always saying that he is trying to steal you away. He even asked you to drop Pablo as your best friend but you refused so now you hide whenever you are with Pablo in order to avoid stupid arguments.

"Tell the cabrón you are busy and turn that shit off!" Pablo was annoyed and it took you by surprise this being the first time he showed he was affected by Trevor that much. You did as he said giving your focus back to the move while catching sight of Pablo's clenched jaw from time to time. Why was he so angry??

After the movie ended, Pablo gave you a ride home opening the door for you like always but then the sound of Trevor's american accent interrupted the moment.

"I knew you were with him! Where have you been!?" Trevor was yelling and Pablo was getting angrier by the second hating to stay silent while someone was talking to you in such a way. Why is it his fucking business where you were with your best friend!? Pablo hated this guy!

"Tranquí hermano. We just hung out and that's all" Pablo said but Trevor was ignoring him looking straight at your guilty face. You shouldn't have lied, that's true, but you wanted to avoid being yelled at again just for wanting to spend time with your best friend.

"What were you doing all night with him!?" Trevor was yelling at your face and Pablo was having enough knowing it's not his place to say anything but just wanting to hold you to his chest and save you from this asshole!

"We were watching a movie.." you whispered and Pablo could tell that this guy was scaring you into obedience which was far away from love..he just wished you saw yourself right now and stopped finding excuses for this toxicity.

"So you have a boyfriend but instead go watch a movie with some other dude!? Why didn't you ask me!?" Trevor said while Pablo was holding his hand in tight fists imagining them hitting his stupid face.

"I did ask you..but you said no.." you reminded the boy who only laughed at that saying that it was the stupidest movie to ever be made to what you only shrugged.

How could you stay with someone who treated you like this!? Pablo wasn't a big movie fan but seeing you next to him with a big smile while watching your favorite celebrity was enough to make that his favorite movie from now on..it was your happiness that mattered to him.

"Let's just go inside!" Trevor said and Pablo could tell that was not what you wanted but nodded your head anyways.

"Are you sure bombon?" Pablo's eyes were full on concern and you didn't want him to worry about you nodding your head and faking a smile.

"Thanks for the ride, Pabs. See you around!" you said walking towards the door feeling Trevor's hand slap your ass on purpose to make Pablo see it and you felt so disgusted- like a piece of meat he was using to prove a point.

Pablo haven't seen your for a week after that, knowing that cabrón didn't let you out of his sight but secretly hoping you will come to the next game tomorrow.

He couldn't stop thinking about Trevor slapping your ass wanting to break his arm for ever laying a finger on your precious body but then he remembered that he wasn't your boyfriend. You were no Pablo's to protect..you were not his.

"Míster, viene tu hija??" Pablo asked Xavi in the changing room and the man nodded saying she is sitting on her usual seats right by the tunnel. The man knew of your friendship and unlike Trevor, Pablo was someone he trusted much more.

Pablo went to say hello a little surprised when he saw you wearing your regular red shirt instead of his jersey. Ever since he gifted you his jersey after the big El Classico win, you were wearing it to every game ever since as a sign of support to your best friend.

"Dónde está mi camiseta bombon?" Pablo said and you looked down sadly shaking your head remembering for how long Trevor yelled at you when you wore it so you had to change out of it if you wanted to go at all.

"He wouldn't let me Pabs...I'm sorry" you said and Pablo clenched his jaw wishing he can beat that entitled american ass so badly.

"Well he is not here now..here you go" Pablo took off his jersey and your eyes widened as he climbed the railing asking you to raise your arms before slipping it over your body making you smile wide.

"Good luck Pabs!" you said and he smiled back jumping off and looking up at you as his teammates started running to the pitch for warm ups.

"I won't need it..you are here watching me" Pablo said with a big smile and you nodded as he left to join the rest of the team.

He won..of course he did..and he looked so good doing it..you were mesmerized for those two hours but then reality hit you. Trevor was right, you were falling in love with Pablo (or maybe you always were in love with him) but you committed to someone who should have your full attention.

Pablo will never give you his attention fully..not with football and the girls throwing themselves at his feet...Pablo is an impossible mission!

"Did you see that bombon!? We won! You're my lucky charm!" Pablo hugged you tightly but you didn't hug him back backing away before taking off his jersey giving it back to him.

"Congrats..um I have to go Pabs..I'm sorry" you said not wanting to cry in front of him and he just took his jersey with furrowed eyebrows watching you leave the stadium in a rush.

You came home locking yourself in your room crying for what felt like eternity, before finally dialing Trevor's number wondering if he wanted to come over. You could use some company to forget about Pablo.

No answer. Again. No answer. Huh? Where was he?

Pablo went to the nearby club to celebrate the victory with his friends although he wasn't much in the mood after you leaving so suddenly. He wanted to call you or even better drive to your house but he knew that wouldn't be the smartest idea if Trevor was there.

The last thing he expected was to see Trevor sitting right across from their boot instead making out with some blonde who clearly did way too much plastic surgery..I mean her boobs looked like they might explode any second.

His poor girl..she was going to be heartbroken over this imbecile!

Pedri noticed Pablo getting up quickly before rushing to their table surprising Trevor before hitting his face with all the pumped up anger he held in for months.

"You disgusting hijo de puta! You are cheating on the most amazing girl with her!? " Pablo sat at him about to hit him again but Trevor got up to his feet.

"Your shortie of a friend doesn't have much of a body bro! I mean when did you ever seen her wear something hot??" Trevor was clearly drunk not knowing what he was saying and Pablo smirked pushing him back.

"This morning..when she was in my jersey!" Pablo said hitting the right spot

Trevor punched him and suddenly everyone was yelling rushing away from the fight while Pedri ran to pull Pablo out of the club and into the cab before paparazzi arrived.

Pablo was on the bike when he saw you enter the training center looking extremely angry asking your dad if you could see Pablo outside and he permitted it wondering himself what happened.

"Hey bombon, what happened?" Pablo was concerned when you didn't reply to his calls last night when he was trying to tell you that Trevor cheated and now you looked like you wanted to kill him.

"You told Trevor about the jersey!? Why Pablo!? Are you trying to break off my relationship!?" you were yelling angrily and Pablo couldn't make you shut up so he can tell your about Trevor and that girl at the club.

"He cheated on you Y/n! He cheated and had an audacity to say you don't have a good body when you are nothing short of perfect! I couldn't let him win!" Pablo was yelling now too expecting you to be shocked after hearing that Trevor cheated but you weren't.

"He told me about the girl..and I forgave him Pablo" you said and now Pablo was the one in utter shock.

"Why!?" Pablo said wishing that all of this was big bad dream that will soon be over. Why would you let someone disrespect you over and over again like this??

"Because I've cheated on him too..well not really..but I've been thinking about someone else while we were together and he sensed that..which is why he was angry and said all of those things" you explained not wanting to be too detailed but Pablo knew that this guy was manipulating you and making you stay with him for some reason.

"Do you love with Y/n?" Pablo took you back with that question while you gulped heavily knowing that the answer is no but nodding your head nevertheless. You will start loving him now that you stopped thinking about Pablo..right??

"Just promise you will come to me if you ever need me bombon?" Pablo said and you felt your eyes fill with tear almost feeling like this was a goodbye you never wanted to say.

"I promise Pabs.." you say hugging him tightly and he tugs you back never wanting to let go but knowing he had no right to keep holding you any longer.

Pablo cared about you too much and was too stubborn to just let this go...you mattered to him and someone was using your kindness for personal gain but Pablo wasn't going to allow it without a fight. He was determined to find out what this kid wanted from you and save your from his toxicity no matter what it took!

You might not be his girl..but he felt like you were his to protect and he felt motivated to do so!

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