#and goes with the status quo and a compromise

[lynxgirlpaws]

I pussied out one fucking INCH from the goal post

[halfagone]

Is Good Parents Maddie and Jack Fenton even possible?

Specifically, would they be able to change their mindset after over twenty years of bigotry and scientific curiosity?

If they saw their human son turn into Phantom, would they still think of him as their kid? Would they love him, accept him and support him?

I, personally, can't see the canon reveals as anything but a kid friendly compromise of giving the viewers the satisfaction of a reveal and keeping the status quo of the light-hearted show going.

But with everything the Fenton parents did, said, and invented... is it possible for them to turn their backs on their research and start from scratch? To admit that they were wrong after decades of being called quacks, crazy and idiots?

The only thing they were right about was the existence of ghosts, but now they endangered the whole world by building their portal that half-killed their son and traumatised millions of people.

So. Is it possible to write a Good Parents Jack and Maddie fic that doesn't shy away from all the awful things they did and how would you go about it?

Thank you for your time!

The short answer: Technically? Yes. Realistically? Probably not.

The long answer: Everyone is capable of change but not everyone will. For all intents and purposes, they are capable of growing as people and learning to recognize their mistakes and biases and leaving those behind... It just likely wouldn't be a simple flick of a switch. At the same time there is reason to believe that the Fentons wouldn't change their minds.

You said it yourself, over twenty years they've acted like this and so logically you would begin to assume that's just how they've always been and always will be. That shows this goes far beyond their parenting style and skills, and has everything to do with who they are as people.

(Buckle up, this one's a long post.)

We don't actually know all that much about the Fenton parents in canon. We don't see any grandparents or relatives other than Aunt Alicia. Although we have headcanons as a fandom that Jack and Maddie have ghost-related trauma, or it's a family tradition from the Fenton side with Jack Fentonightingale, to explain why they've always been like this, that is still no canon confirmation. (Fentonightingale was a witch hunter, not a ghost hunter after all.)

As far as we are aware, for one reason or another, one day Jack and Maddie started to believe ghosts were real and not just real but malicious. I may not be a scientist by career but even I can tell you they've failed in their duties as scientists the moment they chose their hypotheses over the evidence. That is literally something they teach you in high school science class; you ask a question and then research for evidence supporting that question. (Otherwise known as the "if... then" statement.)

Sometimes that means your first assumption was incorrect, but the evidence cannot be changed. So to me, the Fenton parents aren't ghost scientists, they're ghost hunters and those implications have connotations all of their own. And those connotations reflect poorly on them. And this isn't even to mention their general lack of workplace safety.

When we look at their friendships- they have no friends. They had Vlad in college, but they fucked up that relationship and don't even seem too broken up about it. They hadn't spoken to each other in twenty years until the reunion, and they obviously knew he'd made something of himself; Jazz recognized his name from Billionaire of the Year I think the magazine was supposed to be or something.

When Jack explains what happened to Vlad in "Bitter Reunions", he literally mentions how he thinks Vlad has forgiven him now. So obviously he acknowledges that what happened between them was due an apology.

Do you know something that's noticeably absent? A single apology from either Jack or Maddie. Yes, Jack might be more at fault in his accident, but Maddie ignored him for twenty years too. Vlad can talk whatever crap he'd like about Jack, but Maddie is just as culpable in his 'abandonment' as her husband is. We have proof from "Masters of All Time" that Maddie isn't afraid to go behind her husband's back and do what she wants. If she truly cared about him, she would have made an effort and she never did.

But of course, now we have to talk about them as parents. That's where things get... a lot more complicated.

In "Maternal Instincts" at one point Maddie is shown carrying Danny piggy-back style. It's never explained, it's not played off as a joke. Danny isn't injured and neither is he faking an injury. It's literally just something Maddie did, probably with the idea that she's taking care of and protecting him. And Danny isn't embarrassed by it at all, even when he's been shown to be ashamed of some of his parents' other antics.

In "Girls Night Out", Jack takes Danny fishing as a father-son bonding activity. And I mean that literally, he got the idea from a book called 'Father/Son Relationships For Stupids!'. That might imply that he's a bad parent but that also goes to prove that he's aware of his shortcomings as a father and is genuinely trying to do more for his son. Not everyone comes to parenthood naturally, so for Jack to actively search for advice- even if it comes from a book- says that he wants to do this parent thing.

But in my opinion, the episode that best reveals how the Fentons function as a family is "The Fenton Menace" (and no, that's not just because my blog description references it lol). In that episode, we see Jazz's failings as a supportive sister almost from the very start; in her opening narration, she talks about how she knows his secret and yet when he insists through and through that he sees a ghost, she still thinks she knows better/otherwise. We also get a touching moment where Maddie talks about spending quality time with the people you love (which is a line almost word for word from the show, by the way).

However, there are two things that stand out the most from this episode. This is the episode where we get the line: "Whether it's air, land, or sea I won't stop until we capture a ghost and tear it apart. Molecule by molecule." In response to this, Danny gets visibly upset. It is probably one of the most damning pieces of evidence in the entire series that his parents' behavior genuinely bothered him. He makes jokes about them shooting or experimenting on him, but humor can and often is used as a coping mechanism. After that quote? Danny didn't try to hide his reaction until later on when Jazz asked him. And even then he dismisses it with a quip.

The second thing from this episode also so happens to feed into my main point for this entire argument: This is the episode where Jack and Maddie attempt to 'spin the crazy' out of Danny. That kind of behavior is something you'd find in places like Arkham Asylum, which is notorious for their inhumane treatment of its patients. Decidedly not something you expect to see from supposedly loving parents. That absolutely constitutes as cruel and unusual punishment and yet it's not even meant to be a punishment.

They sincerely think that they're trying to help him by doing this. And that's the heart of the issue, in my opinion. Jack and Maddie don't think about other people. They don't think about their feelings or their safety or their privacy. They are so caught up in the idea that they are doing good that they never stop to think that they're part of the problem. Or the entire problem altogether.

The only time that we get some decent self-reflection is during Reality Trip, when Danny's identity is revealed by Freakshow and the Fenton parents and Jazz are taken as hostages. While they're stuck and trapped, they question why Danny had never told them his identity before, which is when Jazz comments about the poor way they used to treat his ghostly side. It's only then that it clicks for them that oh yeah we did that. That's what it took for them to recognize that their actions have consequences and even with good intentions, you are capable of hurting the people you love.

And I think that's one of the best ways to go about it. You need to give them the time and opportunity for that self-reflection and reclamation. Jack and Maddie are- naturally- a shoot first and ask later (if ever) type of people. One way or another, there needs to be a way for them to pull back and sit and look around for once.

There are many ways to address this too and make way for the possibility of Good Parents Jack and Maddie. One of the fics that immediately comes to mind for me is @akela-nakamura's Not Everything Is As It Seems. In this one we focus on Jack's perspective, and this fic made me So Unwell with its quiet gravitas, I can never recommend it enough. But if you want something from Maddie's perspective, then you can read @peachdoxie's incredible Trust Your Instincts fic. It is 36 chapters, already completed, and it's this beautiful journey through Maddie's Outsider POV.

As for me personally, I explored the subject in Chapter 51 of my fic lex luthor's ascent from supervillainy to fatherhood, Interlude III: Dynasty. We actually get two different reactions from the Fenton parents, one that is more from a 'Good Parent' and one from a 'Bad Parent'.

I think the most important part is to never shy away from talking about and exploring all the horrible things they did and have done. It's difficult to discuss, but the subject is complicated and to address it as anything less than complicated wouldn't be fair to those moments where the Fentons genuinely did want to be there for their children.

Does it make any of their behavior right? No. Does it prove that they can change? Yes. Will they? ...That will have to be left up to each individual writer.

If you found yourself in a similar family situation, of course you're gonna want your family or your parents to grow or choose you. Because you love them, and you want to keep them in your life. But at some point you have to think about yourself and your own safety and health. That doesn't mean you give up on them, but you protect yourself from the fallout in case they don't change.

Every person is capable of it, but not every person is willing to. The Fenton parents are no different in that regard.

[cooliogirl101]

The dynamic between Hisana and Aizen in the exes au is really intense, and makes me want to ship it. But also, by that point in time, all of Aizen's actions are probably a giant X mark for Hisana's personal ideas and morals. Possibly if Hisana had met him much earlier? But that would have to be a lot earlier.

Yeah, in any event Hisana would not be the one to compromise on her morals.

But imagine if, in that world, Aizen actually won. He gets the Hogyoku, evolves into a higher being, defeats the Soul King, and at the end of it all, he just feels…bored. He won, there’s no one left to challenge, and he’s realizing he doesn’t actually want to be the leader of all 3 realms. He doesn’t care enough about the world to really want to change it but he doesn’t want things to stay at status quo either.

You know who never ran out of ideas on how to change the world though? His chronically power-averse, hates-to-be-recognized, hates-to-be-promoted, allergic-to-the-spotlight former lieutenant.

And then he realizes he has the opportunity to do the funniest possible thing.

“Don’t look so miserable, dearest,” Sousuke smiled. “Do you know how many people would kill to be in your position? How many people have killed? Myself included, as you’re aware.”

Momo glared harder at him, practically vibrating with rage.

“When have I,” she bit out, sounding angrier with each syllable, “ever given you the impression I wanted to be in this position?”

“Now, now,” Sousuke chided, sounding disturbingly like a disappointed father scolding a child. Or he would have, had it not been for the smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. “What kind of captain would I be if I never pushed you to challenge yourself?” He paused. “Besides, would you really rather I sit on that throne instead?”

“It would fit your gigantic head a lot better,” Momo muttered, but didn’t actually disagree. She narrowed her eyes at him. “Why are you doing this? And don’t give me some bullshit answer, tell me the truth. I think you owe me that much at least.”

“You and I had two very different viewpoints on how the world should be run. On what would make it a better place,” Sousuke responded after a moment’s consideration. “Well now I’m giving you the power to put your theories to the test.” He smiled challengingly at her. “Come on, Momo. Don’t you want to prove me wrong?”

(Rangiku: So you’re telling me he just…handed you the world on a silver platter. Just like that.

Rangiku: …

Rangiku: Well as far as apologies go, it’s not the worst one I’ve seen.

Momo: What are you talking about? He’s clearly punishing me for daring to disagree with him. Do you know how much work goes into running the world? This is just like when he promoted me to lieutenant. He knew I didn’t want the position and gave it to me anyway—

Rangiku: Because you clearly deserved it? Because you worked your ass off for the good of Squad 5? Because he liked that you weren’t afraid to challenge him? Because if he didn’t promote you, that would’ve raised questions?

Momo: What? No, it’s because he was trying to mess with me.

Rangiku: …I’m gonna shut up now because I’m getting dangerously close to agreeing with Aizen Sousuke and I don’t want that.)

[swanpyart]

Prepare For My Most Deranged Slay The Princess Theory That Makes Sense The More You Think About It - The Narrator IS Another Voice

I'm a bit jumbled so bear with me, but I realized a lot of odd things that give me the idea that the Narrator is actually another Voice and another facet of the Long Quiet.

The game goes out of its way to make it clear that the Narrator is different from the Voices; he has a degree of power over the Player that the other Voices initially lack, he has info about the world that the Player does not, and his authoritative nature puts him (and us by default) in opposition with the Princess. Because of this, none of the other Voices treat him as an equal or even as a friend: They are all either opposed to him, treat him as someone who can be listened to but ultimately ignored, or outright dismiss him. In the Thorn Route, Hero even points out that the Narrator "doesn't count" as one of them.

Another difference is that the Narrator never learns new info from previous chapters; we essentially get a new Narrator each one, while literally EVERYONE else remembers what happened before. This alone feels like the game pointing out the disconnect between the Narrator and the rest of the Long Quiet.

Now, for what my theory hinges upon.... the Start Over Ending, where the Princess wipes the Long Quiet's memories and causes the entire game to start over from scratch. The interesting part of this is that both the Long Quiet AND the Princess remark that there's a chance that they'd done this before, possibly countless times, because they were unable to make a permanent decision the previous times.

If this is actually true, and the Long Quiet and the Shifting Mound have been in this perpetual cycle of the Long Quiet finding five vessels, the Narrator's Echo fading away, both gods realizing their true natures but being unable to compromise, and the Princess wiping both of their memories and forcing a restart.... then what becomes of the Narrator? How does he come back for things to restart?

"Well, obviously he's resurrected," You might say, but we're not given any reason to believe that the Long Quiet can resurrect an actual mortal person, right? The entire point of the game is the inevitability of death, and that "even in rebirth, things can't be the same." Not only that, Nary is an Echo, not an actual person, so his presence as a living being is one that's even more precarious than an actual human life; focusing too much on him makes him fade away. The Long Quiet and the Princess can come back from death, but those two are literally GODS.

So, my main theory is this: The Narrator we hear throughout the game is no longer the Narrator the Long Quiet may have originally started with in the VERY first loop with the Shifting Mound, right after the Creator killed himself and split the Gods in half. The original Narrator is actually long dead, along with his original Echos, and now he is merely another Voice of the Long Quiet assuming His role. Perhaps at one point, the Narrator was actually a person who wanted to rid the world of death, and created an Echo of himself to do it, but the Echo of that human has long since faded away, only to be replaced by the Long Quiet to maintain the illusion of the loop.

In this light, it's entirely possible that every version of the Narrator and the Creator we meet is merely an extension of the Long Quiet playing the role of an omniscient storyteller. This could be part of why the Narrator struggles to answer in-depth questions, and why the Creator never goes into detail about his true identity as a human. The Long Quiet doesn't actually know much about the one who created him, and gives the same recycled lines he heard long ago from the voice of a long-dead man.

So, why does the Narrator never remember previous Chapters? That's his role. Every Voice has specific skills and abilities, and the Narrator's role, as a Voice, is to maintain a status quo. With no storyteller, there is no path in the woods, there is no cabin, there is no Pristine Blade, and there is no basement. There's no vehicle through which the Long Quiet and the Shifting Mound can reach an agreement of some kind.

The irony, then, that, if this idea is true, that the Narrator, hellbent on destroying the Shifting Mound, then becomes a vehicle through which her love for the Long Quiet facilitates. It's no wonder that, Like the Voice of the Hero, the Narrator is ALWAYS with us, and if Hero represents our agency, then Nary represents the scenario through which to exercise that agency.

Let me know if I sound like a madman lmao

[matt0044]

Why does Indie Animation lend itself to such intense discourse?

If I had to speculate from my own observations (feel free to call me out on an overgeneralizations), it would be that the harsh turn against any given indie project would be akin to a mother scolding a child with, "I expected this from your sibling but you?!"

See also the "We were rooting for you" gif often tossed around.

Indie Animation be it from a small studio or crowdfunded is seen as bypassing the hoops and hurdles of getting your foot in the door of the highly corporatized entertainment industry. With the likes of Disney or Nick or any given streaming service, creator driven projects are subject to the whims of the company who holds the IP.

And those whims are often to said IP's detriment. It'll more often than not be willfully neglected at best or treated as just something to fill a time slot or shove onto a streaming platform as "content." Enough may be allowed to flourish but their either uncerimoniously cut short at best or being dragged out as a franchise at worst.

To keep from going on about the whole Legend of Korra vs. Spongebob thing (I was there people, there was an LoK fandom believe it or not), indie animation has often been seen as small scale but also within the creator's general control since they control how long it goes or how it's written.

Many cartoons like Gravity Falls, Owl House and Amphibia have talked about trying to get their vision across while contending with a lot of Standards and Practices. Their story which had a "kids and adults alike" target audience would have the top brass insist on something more just for the former category.

While they find work arounds, often to stick their tongue out at the FCC, this can be a hard reminder of who has the final say despite it being what you want. Indie animation is seen as an answer to "What if Alex Hirsch didn't have to comprimise elements of Gravity Falls for the FCC?" or "What if Dana Terrence could just blaze her own trail with The Owl House with little to no notes?"

Especially when it comes to animation with queer characters. Animation made to be "fit for kids" have it tough enough even today but adult animation has to "play it for laughs" since comedies have been the defacto standard for that type of cartoon.

However... a show being creator driven or creative team driven comes as a double edged sword for the fandoms they form. Not all stories that play out across multiple episodes of varying lengths are going in the direction YOU might want to.

Creators might tire of a certain direction or formula and mix things up with things that come to mind almost on the spot. Even with a solid plan, the status quo will get a shake up that can and will alienate those who fell in love from episode one.

Indie Pilots spark the imagination something fierce. There's theories as to what any little detail could mean going forward and speculation on what a character's arc could be. These go wild because Fandom is all about the hypothetical, the unknown, the what could've/should've/would've been. Whole phenomenon would be dead in the water otherwise.

Thing is that not all theories will be proven right if any at all. The creators aren't mind readers and even if it isn't a legality like in corporate, they don't read fanfics if only because they don't want their vision to be totally compromised. Any good creator knows not to just give fans what they want. However... trampling over all these fanfics and theories makes it feel like any given fan had their "child" dragged into the streets to be shot.

A harsh phrasing but that's how a lot of fans act when continuing episode bump up against initial impression of this character or that storyline. It was their creation but new lore, new backstory or what have you is liable to override them. It's been an occupational hazard of being a member of fandom for ages yet it's become the center of a lot of discourse now more than ever. Say thank you to social media for creating such a combative environment everybody.

It's this... feeling of ownership that has existed in fandoms of other shows owned by corporations but amplied by the smaller scale of it, how creators seem more... approachable. And THIS is how the YouTube "critic" scene comes in to capitalize.

So... yeah.

[jonsnowunemploymentera]

A big part of the reason why I’ve always been rather unconvinced by the theory that Rhaegar carefully and purposefully planned for Jon to fulfill or even be a part of tptwp prophecy is that it kinda goes completely against a very key but underrated theme in Jon’s arc: that he is an unfactored force that often comes in and completely upends the status quo. Jon has always occupied the space of a compromise candidate. Think of the Night’s Watch election. Jon was the compromise, not the main candidate. But because those who could’ve risen to the occasion were either dead, unavailable, incapable of coming to a stalemate, or unwilling to take up the job in the first place, Jon’s name was put forth. Even in him being the KiTN, Jon is the compromise after all his siblings are believed to be dead or unavailable. He’s never in consideration until the very last minute when there are no other options left. So it doesn’t make sense to say that Rhaegar ever planned for him because Rhaegar already had a perfect option: Aegon! Dany’s HOTU vision even shows us that Aegon was perfectly curated to be the promised prince, and he was even given a king’s name to set the stage for his heroic journey. Some people have tried to reason that Rhaegar knew that a child of ice and fire would be the promised prince, but there’s actually nothing in the text to suggest that he at any point stopped believing that Aegon was the prophesied savior. Unless stated in future installments, the text shows us that Rhaegar fully believed Aegon to be the main subject of the prophecy…but as we know, things changed. Rhaegar died, and Aegon died after him. So what else could Jon do but rise and become a compromise candidate, just as he’s always been?

[robo-ruby]

So many of the same wrong and tired takes are out in full force now in the run up to the US election and it’s only going to get worse in the weeks ahead.

One of the worst is about voting for the “lesser of two evils.” It’s exhausting just to type. But I’m not convinced people who trot that out are trying seriously to win anyone over: It’s about shutting down dissent and criticism.

But voting in the US has only ever been a short term solution, particularly for marginalized communities whose lives are constantly under threat every 2-4 years.

Notice I said short term though. Because voting doesn’t even remove the threat for these communities, not when lives are being lost to the violence it takes to maintain the system year round. The US is built and maintained by imperialism, racism, bigotry, exploitation, and genocide. None of that is going to change no matter who is in office, which makes advocating on behalf of the ‘lesser’ evil a defense of the status quo. There is not and will never be a candidate who will change that dynamic at the national level as it exists now. The lesser evil is evil because they operate within and maintain the system. ACAB - and the head of the executive branch of government is most certainly a cop.

All that said, voting is important. But you have to go in knowing what you are voting for: what is on the ballot.

You have to cast your vote based on what you can actually get from the candidate. Not what you want or what you think they can be persuaded on. The below are examples of what I mean.

What is on the ballot: Supreme Court seats.

Chief Justice John Roberts is 69. Sam Alito is 74. Clarence Thomas is 76. If any of these men want to retire and avoid dying on the bench, they will likely want to within the next 4-8 years.

Similarly, Sonia Sotomayor is 70 and the same goes for her. Elena Kagan is 64 and will likely hang in there for a while.

What is not on the ballot: genocide.

Both parties support it. Neither candidate is willing to compromise. BUT that is not the same as saying ‘nothing can be done.’ It means there is no vote you can cast as a US Citizen in this election to end the genocide in Palestine.

Recognize liberation is a multi-generational struggle and your place in that tradition. Neither the Democrats and certainly not the Republicans are going to grant it on their own. It takes sustained organizing and resistance to make it happen. The Civil War Amendments did not happen in a vacuum. Neither did any of the Civil Rights Acts and those fights are still ongoing.

Do not vote for anyone because they are the lesser evil. Understand that voting for evil will only bring more evil. Protect marginalized communities no matter the time of year or whether or not there is an election.

Vote for what you are going to get and be ready to fight for the rest.

[illicit-astrology]

Pluto in Aquarius: The Rise of Individualism

Where's Pluto? Now, it's in Capricorn, giving power to wealth, classism, the corporate world, traditional societal roles, relationships that serve the status quo, and the privileged.

However, it will move to Aquarius, the edgy rebellious sign, soon... Actually, very, very soon. What does that mean? Quite a lot.

First, Pluto influences a whole generation, so it stays in a sign up to 30 years and brings complete cathartic transformations. What was before Pluto, will never be the same or even exist after Pluto. Pluto, often called the planet of sacred destruction, destroys foundations at its core, in the goal to build something more authentic, better, leveled up and more powerful. It's scary at the begining, but oh so beautiful and poetic at the end.

With Pluto entering Aquarius; it will be very difficult to maintain anything that compromises your indiviuality. That corporate job you accepted to gain hierarchical power? It will feel like hell until you quit. That relationship you were pressured into to fit in and costed you a lot of your individuality? It will crumble. That marriage or pregnancy you agreed to, due to family or societal pressure? it will taste like regret everyday. Everything you susbcribed for, that was against your authentic desires, and that compromised your indivduality and independence, will either crumble or feel emotionally taxing until you take the decision to course correct.

It's no surprise that Pluto in Aquarius, will give power to individuality. We are already witnessing a lot of people quitting their corporate jobs, being deinfluenced by celebrities, owning their individulaity, leaving relationships, getting divorced, deciding not to have kids...etc. These are going to increase even more when Pluto settles in Aquarius.

Also, we will witness the minorities and group of people who were once outcasted by upper social hierarchy, rising to power. As long as those people don't subscribe to the current status quo, or values that goes against their true authentic self, and maintained their individuality.

Bottom line: Pluto favors and gives power to what feels authentic. In the sign of Aquarius, you have to be authentic & loyal to your own indivduality and not take any decision that compromises your true identity, indiviuality or independence. Falling into peer or societal pressure will be deemed foolish during this long transit.

[talesofsonicasura]

Venomous Call Part 2

The next part to the KN8/Venom AU. We'll be delving more into the Kaiju No.8 side, particularly some of the series events and how things change through the symbiote's inclusion. Also Fugitive!Kafka because why not? Third part is here. Let's get started.

Similar to the symbiote bonded to him, Kafka is a very stubborn man. Even if it means being on the run from the Defense Force and seen as a wanted criminal to the public. It was pretty obvious that his fellow Sweepers would call him. Well ambush is the more appropriate term since they want answers.

They took the whole Venom thing surprisingly well although were pissed that he kept the whole thing to himself. Like the good friends they are, the Sweepers continue to help Kafka. Granting him shelter to helping the Lethal Protector escape the Defense Force.

Even understanding Venom's abilities better like crafting a disguise with synthetic skin so the man could have some of his normal life back. Unfortunately the Defense Force also evolved their tactics too. Sound grenades, ice bombs, and tranquilizers became a permanent part of their toolset.

Mina continues to lead the chase with her Vice Captain Soshiro following her lead. A status quo that would continue for a few more years. Until a small unidentified kaiju decided to shatter it into pieces. One of those rare moments where Venom should've kept their mouth shut.

Let me go a bit deeper into Kafka's bond with the symbiote before we delve further ahead. Both became very very tight knit over the span of their vigilante career. This mainly stems from good communication skills, ability to compromise and willingness to talk about any potential issue.

Kafka tries to keep their respective identities separate as much as possible. Sadly he developed a bad habit of using 'We' in public. This shift stemming from how bonded they are as the Lethal Protector and Venom's preference in plural based pronouns. Don't ask about his love life since the Symbiote is super possessive.

Now onto the small kaiju in the room: Tiny. Like in canon, the little bugger goes down Kafka's throat. Although it happens while they are Venom as the symbiote thought the tiny fella would make a nice snack. Things are fine...for like two minutes before the Lethal Protector falls to the ground screaming.

Kafka painfully watches the black symbiote disappear into his body and the growing cacophony of ghoulish cries overtakes his mind. He almost passes out until everything just stops. Venom eventually manifests again but Kafka doesn't even have the chance to ask what had happened when they both see it.

A dark naval blue symbiote emerging from the man's opposite shoulder. Its slimy body covered in glowing cyan veins and the face bearing a demonic white bone mask with short horns. Yep, Kafka's kaiju has become a symbiote who the himbo calls Ai.

Although this isn't the only change wrought by Tiny. Due to Venom's presence, the larval kaiju infused itself to the symbiote's biology and merged all three together. Whatever remains of the barrier keeping them separate is gone. Now here's a thing about the symbiote race.

They are an asexual reproducing race that come from a hive mind-like structure. What this means is sharing knowledge, telepathic connections, and obviously hosting other symbiotes. Tiny essentially turned Kafka's body into a living Hive.

Kafka's food intake only slightly increased from it. This is due to Ai's ability to multiply the nutrition garnered from kaiju meat. Although they still eat human criminals as there are nutrients that can't be gained from the monsters or animals.

Now Ai still recreates Kafka's kaiju form like in canon since he's more kaiju than symbiote. The form is more amorphous despite the appearance as Kafka can easily shapeshift his body similar to Play-Doh. (Best way to visualize it is this concept art from the Spider-Man 2 game.)

He does gain a new ability due to his hive status. The man can now combine both forms into a very powerful one. Although he can't maintain it for long due to the large strain it leaves on his body.

Kafka starts with only one which is Venomai, the combination of Venom and Ai. This form stands around 15 ft in height with features from both alongside a few extra. Ai's body structure but the horns/dorsal plates now glowing teal in color, jagged, and longer. Venom's tail has been given cyan tipped thorn-like spikes, body markings are rigged whilst becoming teal in color alongside a twin pronged stinger.

Their combined form bears four arms, four eyes(each set from the respective symbiote), four horns(similar case to the eyes), two tongues, glowing cyan claws, twin tails and two pairs of wings. Venomai is as if the ferocity belonging to all three was tempered into a deadly calm before the storm. To enrage them is an awful idea since they aren't above torturing the target first.

He will get more combinations with each symbiote addition. If you are wondering about the comics, Venom does have multiple offspring specifically seven: Carnage, Phage, Agony, Lasher, Scream, Riot and Sleeper. The himbo is going to be dealing with more than two symbiotes in his head. Although how many comic related ones could appear is still up for debate.

Sleeper's guaranteed though. Especially since one of his forms is a cat and we know which KN8 character is obsessed with felines. (Plus he's a good goopy boy and the recent writers handling the Venom comics are dicks.)

Now there is a major flaw to Kafka being a Hive. Should both Ai and Venom be removed then he will die. Just losing one can greatly cripple the man as they are vital in maintaining his bodily functions. Not good for Kafka since the main tactic for the Defense Force is to separate him from Venom.

He still befriends Reno although their first encounter was quite different. The Lethal Protector had saved the young man a few years ago from a would-be kidnapper. Ichikawa remembers it to this day so he was beyond shocked when very familiar black tendrils pulled him out of the spider kaiju's path.

Or for them to come from his senpai's shredded right arm. Kafka kills the Yoju before quickly hiding as Mina's squad approaches. He is very surprised that Reno lies to the Defense Force for him. Venom does kidnap Ichikawa from the hospital since the Symbiote was curious about why he would lie to them.

Reno also gets a front row seat to the Lethal Protector's Tiny Style glow-up. He becomes an early alert system for Kafka once in the Defense Force as he is even more concerned about the himbo's health. Being able to help the vigilante avoid Mina and Soshiro's line of sight eases both their nerves.

While we're on that topic, Kafka is obviously not joining the Defense Force. He's a wanted man and a synthetic disguise ain't gonna change that. The Lethal Protector will still support them from the shadows even if they try to catch him.

Encounters between both groups really hit their peak around this point compared to his early days. It gets even more chaotic with another factor: the public. When it comes to Venom, how people feel about him is a very mixed bag. There is one type of group who are constant thorns to the Defense Force: The Slums.

Places where criminals are way worse than kaiju. Bad neighborhoods that have various threats which can range from Yakuza to corrupt government officials. The perfect feeding ground for the Lethal Protector when it comes to human prey.

It didn't take long for folks who live in such areas to view Venom as a hero. They are fiercely protective to the point a mob will form in seconds to chase off anyone that dare try to harm them. Even the Defense Force isn't safe as some officers have returned to base with bruises or broken bones.

Mina is usually the one who finds Venom the most and you can bet the symbiote's comments bring mixed results. The Defense Force has a theory going on that whatever is inside Kafka might be bringing his inner thoughts to the forefront.

One such possibility being love or lust for Mina from the more...crude comments. She has tried to get the man to come willingly before trying to use force. Kafka does share some details about Venom during these encounters(not being a Symbiote Hive or the black slime being an alien for obvious reasons.)

The small bit he shares is why he eats people and how the man could die. Mina didn't take it well as she already feels responsible for him becoming Venom.(I.e left him behind because he couldn't get into the Defense Force.)

She wants Kafka back and the safest place for him is in her division's custody. Those like the 1st would rather bring the man back dead than alive. Unfortunately they have to play a few more rounds of cat-n-mouse before that happens.

Kaiju attacks begin to be aimed towards the Lethal Protector. The beasts appearing in areas where he frequents most or been to last. Something wanted to test Venom and things only escalate from there.

At least Kafka can handle the taste of human flesh now as the Defense Force are no longer the only people who want him.

@discoknack @noodlesbf-blog @kafkahibinomybeloved @foolmariofest @renard-dartigue @scribblermerlin @mechazushi @giantgoblin @writeroffanfiction @cynicalwindmill

[vechter]

was reading ur post about how even tho dick is super loyal to bruce there’s a line and bruce knows not to cross it, what do you think the line is for dick? like what could dick do that would make bruce stop talking to him? genuine thoughts those two are insane…

hmm. like i said- i don't think even the two of them know what it is. but there is some vague place where dick feels like he needs to be responsible for sort of keeping bruce in check. like, if you take the very first confrontation in war games after firefly shooting dick in nightwing (1996) #99:

and when bruce tells him that it's just him and dick again and starts off on a spiel about crime-fighting and the people who partake in it, dick leaves! he arrests tarantula, tries to turn himself in and when that doesn't pan out, he leaves his nightwing suit under jason's memorial and goes off to join the mob.

how much of this is dictated by his own failures (like let's be real, man was Going Through It) and how much of it is because another robin is dead? particularly after all that effort and energy into being a safety net for tim? how much does dick blame himself for not doing the same for steph? in dick's eyes, he failed himself AND he failed bruce.

i will admit, though, that this storyline varies slightly in nightwing (1996) and batman (1940). in batman (1940) #634, he watches bruce drink bourbon and gets a recounting of everything that has happened so far. alfred makes jokes that it's the three of them again, just like old times. and dick ends it with "he still gives me hope". so... idk.

in knightsend, dick thinks bruce has killed someone and goes Off. panels below from robin (1993) #8:

but surprise! it was just bruce faking the man's death so he could fool shiva. so, there's no real wrong that has been committed and everything goes back to status quo.

i won't even bother with nightwing (2011) #30 because somehow, dc forgot that they ended that run with this and the infamous "i'm not your boy" panel:

but i love to consider the implications of this. bruce asking dick to let his friends and family mourn him is crossing the line. it's a shitty choice, not really much of a choice at all, actually; bruce tells dick that dick is the only one who can do this and there are lives and identities on the line. of course, dick has no option but to say yes. he has already been unmasked and compromised the rest of the bats. there is no good option here.

also, i've said this before- i don't fuck with batman beyond much because a) idk terry and i can't be bothered to know him and b) i've only read volume 3 (2010-2011) but it's one of the best ways to answer your question, anon!

basically, jokes captures alfred and bruce and dick go to rescue him. but dick and bruce haven't worked together in a while so bruce forgets to consider movement when you have a partner in the field. dick gets shot like 1000 times, bruce does the minimum to stop his bleeding, calls an ambulance for him and goes off after the joker. he doesn't visit dick in the hospital or apologize because he feels guilty but sends him a suit via alfred saying it's waiting for whenever dick wants it. dick loses an eye. i summarize this poorly so please read batman beyond (2010) #4.

but, dick ends up coming back to help terry who reached out to him after getting annoyed with bruce's MO of hiding relevant information etc. and after they complete the mission:

OUCH. panels above from batman beyond (2010) #6.

so like i said, dick will always come back for the kids even if they exist in a world where dick cannot forgive bruce. this ended up being too hodgepodge of an answer so i apologize for that but i hope this helps!

edit: omg anon i just re-read what you asked and realized how i completely switched around bruce and dick aaaa sorry!!!

[atoriv-art]

I really like your nejisasuneji fanart!I think the similarity between Neji and Sasuke in Naruto is worth exploring. Both of them come from the pupil aristocracy, and their strength is about the same (the early Byakugan and Sharingan are both very strong), and both of them are rebels. Regardless of whether it was fate or the system, both people failed in the end. Neji still failed to escape fate and became a scapegoat. Sasuke finally compromised to the old system and ran around in order to maintain the status quo. It is very appropriate to use one sentence to evaluate the two people: "Those who try to control their destiny end up being controlled by destiny."It will be interesting for the sasuneji two to help each other: Sasuke helps Neji reform the Hyuga clan and break the curse seal of the caged bird. At the same time, the reform of the Hyuga clan becomes the beginning of the reform of the old system of the ninja world. Neji, who is no longer controlled by the caged bird, becomes Sasuke's right-hand man.

yesssss this is what drew me to them! i find it very interesting they are both clan prodigies with Baggage and both come from prestigious clans no less. remember when the sharingan and byakugan were compared to each other and it meant anything ever that was FUN.

i particularly enjoy the idea of contrasting them because If I Wrote Naruto (said every naruto fan ever) this conflict of like. sasuke goes on to be the one who could Not bear to stay in konoha and then later turns against it, vs neji who stayed in konoha after being promised that things would change (and they didn't. funny that) would be something to be explored! especially after Both having been seen as Shitty, Angry Prodigies. but neji "calmed down" after being made promises that weren't kept and sasuke didn't let himself even consider falling for stuff like that (until the ending of naruto lmfao)

i'm a big fan of characters who contrast like that lol and i think the whole sharingan vs byakugan thing is a very fun backdrop to that. like dreams/illusions vs reality/truth? come on now.

people joke about it a lot i've seen, but literally if neji as a character were allowed to 1. exist in a meaningful way at all in shippuden lmfao 2. interact with sasuke, i do think it'd be an easy path for interesting interactions, because like. having to defend the village who's literally never helped you, against the guy who was also Never given any assistance or support growing up, AFTER the village made you countless promises that your life would get better when it literally did not? lol. lmao even

them teaming up is sincerely on the like top 5 best things that would happen If Naruto Made Any Sense to me to be honest i do think about it a lot.

[beevean]

Carmilla and Lenore are clearly foils, and one of the ways it shows is that they are on the opposite sides of the "comfort/change" scale.

Carmilla is change. Ambition, as she put it. Her motto is "I deserve more than what I have, I want more and I will get it". Her role in the council is the "spark", the inspiration: she inspires change by coming up with "schemes" (which in short means having insane ideas that her sisters scramble to turn into reality). She wants to change the world to her image... by taking it away from others. She despises the status quo of old man hoarding all the power and she believes she can do a better job. She is the ambition of emperors, constantly gambling with fate: sometimes she wins and gains, but her downfall in S4 was due to her stretching too thin and upsetting the balance the kingdom rested on.

Lenore is comfort. That is her driving force. Everything she does is in the name of comfort and safety, for herself and indirectly for others.

Her role in the council is the diplomat. What does a diplomat do? Find a peaceful compromise to avoid war. War is a waste of time and resources and might end up in loss, so she strives to prevent it.

To Hector she mentions that she enjoys eating food, despite not needing it. "Why live forever if you don't live well?". She enjoys the small luxuries of being a queen.

One of the strategies she uses to gaslight and manipulate Hector is making sure he has all the physical comforts he asks for: clothes and shoes, a breathe of fresh air (with conditions), a better cell, a book he might enjoy, and, once he officially becomes her pet, free roam of the castle and even some degree of authority. While she abuses him mentally, emotionally and sexually (the latter for her own comfort, because she has fun), she was at least honest about wanting to take care of him physically, to the point that in S4 her kindest action was in fact wanting to save Hector from Isaac's rampage.

And what is that she insists on when she manages to rape Hector into slavery? "He gets a comfortable life. He gets to feel safe." "Your life is saved, Hector. And I gave you what you always really needed." She might be lying and gloating, but she might also be genuinely convinced to have done the right thing. Hell, in a twisted way, sex can be included in the list of physical comforts as well: after all, "he was having fun" when she deceived him, so he should be happy too at the idea of having even more sex, right?

What is her relationship with Hector in S4? Using him for her emotional comfort. She vents about her issues and insecurities because he listens to her, without reciprocating - when Hector points out he isn't too happy about the way she "solved his problem", she snaps at him because reminding her that Hector is not there by choice but because she used rape by deception and enslavement upsets her comfort.

What is the reason she isn't on board with Carmilla's plan? One is that she feels useless in Carmilla's scheme, but also she is afraid that Carmilla will break the balance of the kingdom (which, in a way, she was right about, as Isaac goes to kill her because he deems her a danger to the world). She is afraid of losing her comfortable position she has worked hard for. Lenore couldn't be less interested in Carmilla's plan of expanding the territory, and she was only on board if it could promise her the security of always available blood.

The core of her speech about the difference about strength and power can be summarized with this extract, where she emphasizes that she, as a vampire, puts more stock into feeling safe, stable and secure, and how Carmilla's plan threw everything into chaos:

Hector: Oh, come on. Even you were horrified by what [Carmilla] turned into. Lenore: The scale of it, maybe. And the chaos it would have introduced into our lives. I still say that at the root of it all was the vampire's virtue. We want everything to remain the same. To remain stable. [...] You people spend 60 years bumping into things and call it a life. We have to take a longer view. So we want stability. [...] As a quartet, my sisters and I had strength. The strength to enforce a stable environment. Strength can fight a war, yes, but it can also build a shelter.

And what is, at the core, the reason she killed herself? Exactly losing her comfortable future. Not just because she is in Isaac's cage (which she will outlive), not just because she no longer has Hector under her thumb and their relationship is no longer on her terms, but because Hector told her, essentially, that vampires are doomed to go insane with hunger for power. Lenore was scared of ending up like Carmilla, and saw no hope of regaining her old stable life, so she decided to kill herself as soon as she got the idea rather than suffer one second more. The way she dismissively "apologized" to Hector for not being there for whatever comes next also might be read as her running away from him and the uncomfortableness of their relationship built on treachery and cages - she doesn't have the courage to face him.

This is an interesting angle from which to analyze Lenore. Comfort is the lack of change, it's being happy in the position you are in. She doesn't want change, and she more or less explains her position in the last episode by saying that vampires need to have a longer vision than humans and therefore seek stability. This might also explain why she didn't change much in S4, despite being painted in a more tragic light: change inherently upsets comfort, even (especially) personal change. Lenore can only change as a person if she accepts that her past behavior was wrong and she hurt an innocent person, which she never did because when she had the chance to reflect on her cruelty, she brushes it off. Lenore can't change. She's a vampire, whether she likes it or not. She can pretend to change, to be different than what she is, but never something more radical than that.

On the other hand, Carmilla and her wanting too much change is only expressed in her becoming hungrier and hungrier. She doesn't change as a person either: she only becomes worse and worse in her anger. She wants to force change onto others, her idea of change is having more power, she wants to uproot a system that she deems unfair to implant her own, but she is still as immutable as vampires tend to be, and being stuck with herself led to the loss of it all.

And, of course, Hector could have contrasted them both by changing like only humans can do, by letting go of his childish need to be loved and growing the empathy and maturity he was deprived of in his life. He, too, in a way used to seek comfort, although in the form of protection rather than luxury: it's why in the course of the show he goes along with anyone who promises to take care of him. Unlike Lenore, who was terrified of losing comfort, he should have learned to accept it, because stepping outside one's comfort zone is the only way to grow up, and the end of his arc should have been him realizing that he is strong enough to not need anyone for that. I will always say that the best ending for him would have been leaving the castle and facing the scary world outside.

[gabessquishytum]

We haven't talked about Vampire AUs in a while, have we?

Vampire!Dream who meets with Hob every 100 years, like in canon. Perhaps Hob gained immortality on his own, perhaps from Death, or directly from Dream's magical abilities. Then when Dream is imprisoned, the world changes. Vampires are suddenly out and a common threat. Humanity is mass-producing crosses and spikes. But there seems to be a kind of status quo, not a downright war.

After a while, Dream goes to seek Hob out, but he has trouble finding him. He consults Death because she knows many immortals (she's much more fascinated with them than Dream, Dream is only fascinated with Hob). Death breaks the news – Hob has been taken by a group of vampires. He is a rare blood type that makes vampires super powerful, like cocain and ecstasy and all the good stuff in one. Plus, he is immortal, so a bottomless source of this super drug.

Dream is furious, and Death doesn't help when she mentions that Dream surely knew what danger Hob was in. He did not. He never drank from humans if he didn't have to or came across some real asshole who deserved it. He never drank from Hob and never got so close that he would smell his blood type. But some other vampire did get close to HIS human, and took advantage of him, and STOLE HIM FROM DREAM.

Death hasn't been able to free Hob by herself. Those vampires are many and jacked up on vampire coke. But Dream is ANGRY. And he is frustrated. He hadn't killed any assholes in a hundred years. Fuelled by that he kills all of the vampires and frees Hob, who is very happy to see him. Dream probably admits to himself that he might have feelings for Hob, and Hob for him.

Additional angst: Hob expects Dream to drink from him. The first few days, it's nice that Dream is giving him a break. But then it gets weird and awkward. So he asks Dream when will he be hungry, and Dream is confused. Hob knows that he doesn't drink from humans, and why the hell would he drink from his friend?

Unlimited power. Combined with his magic, Dream would be unstoppable. That is why. It's okay, Hob is honestly happy to give that to Dream voluntarily rather than having it taken from him by heartless captors. Dream is honestly honoured that Hob would trust him with that. But FUCK NO. He would never do that to Hob, much less for something as stupid as endless power. Hob breaks down in happy tears.

- 🚒

Oh hell yeah we love a vampire au around here!

Poor Hob… I’m obsessed with the idea of Dream breaking him out of the place he was being kept, but Hob is so weak he keeps on dying and struggling to recover. His healing abilities have been compromised because he’s been tortured so much. So poor Dream has to watch him die multiple times until his body is finally able to cling on to life.

Dream nurses him back to full health. Hob finds it hard to believe that Dream isn’t even a little tempted to drink from him, and that’s when Dream admits that he loves Hob. The idea of hurting him in any way sickens him. And he doesn’t want that kind of power, anyway. Fuck, he just wants to live in peace with Hob - a proper life where they’re both happy and safe.

Surprise! Hob very much wants that, too. He’s been pining after Dream for centuries. He had absolutely no idea that Dream even liked him, let alone loved him. They make an insane couple, as far as the rest of the world are concerned - humans and vampires can’t be in love! How ridiculous.

Except. They make it work. Dream works on seeking out asshole vampires who are taking advantage of humans. Hob tries to persuade other people that it’s possible to find some kind of equilibrium and live alongside the vampires. Hell, it’s not perfect. But they’re trying their best.

And Dream always comes to Hob’s aid. Even if the danger is just a stove-burn <3

[tumblingxelian]

How to make Hawk Moth Relevent - ML Rewrite:

I Had some ML AU thoughts, specifically on how to have Gabriel keep the Butterfly & feel like a threat & be 'sympathetic' if one wants.

Character wise, its pretty simple, S1/2 era Gabriel. He's proud, stubborn, controlling, & never left the bargaining stage of grief. His decisions are bad, but he either thinks he's doing what's best for Adrien or if he's doing something wrong that he can outsmart the fallout. Also uses kids less in general, but still does it.

He's also learning about his powers the same as the heroes, though some of his weaknesses with it come from struggling with some of the necessary emotional skills. As well as not liking to listen to things that challenge his world view.

IE, "Why did you not tell me this could happen?" - "I tried to tell you it was a danger, you tuned me out!" - "I don't have time for this." - "There you go again! You are so obnoxiously frustrating!"

Finally, he's not using the butterfly right anyway, because doing so would risk his identity. Its meant to make champions, but if he used someone who shared his goals then it'd eventually become obvious who he is. So he has to keep working through bargains and deceptions with people in a manic state. So his defeats are less on him.

Moving on, status quo updates: Introduce some other rogues to pad out the episodes.

A sorcerer who wants Miraculous. A temple monk survivor who wants to get Fu. A left over Nazi who Fu & Marianne defeated; some rogue Miraculous Users & perma-Akuma, IE Imago.

Also have Audrey be there from the start of the season, either she's around to try and cajole Gabriel back into design work, or just splits her time between Paris & New York & introduce some players early.

Specific Story Beat Changes: At the end of Origins show several other soon to be notable figures:

A sorceress pondering their orb, a militant looking bastard smirking, a monk meditating and opening their eyes. Tomoe contacting Kagami & saying they will be moving to Paris. Then cap it off with Lila & Trixx staring open mouthed at a TV, fast food raised halfway to their mouths just staring boggle eyed.

Mentor-Fu Because of these new issues and threats cropping up, Fu is a more active mentor, possibly with Marianne at his side, to serve as foils/counterparts to Marinette & Adrien.

Hawk Moth He makes a strong debut & has some fairly impressive Akuma, but is also clearly experimenting with the power. He also picks several adults like the movie villains. He's also clearly running into walls VS how much he can actually get them to do.

He blames their unhinged state until Antibug when Chloe goes "No U" at the Akuma trying to control her & refuses to un-mask Chat Noir. She wants to prove a point to the heroes not actually help Hawk Moth, & he can't call back the Akuma.

Besides that, the major shifts would be some of his fellow villains compromising his Akuma for their own ends. Him finding out Akuma can become Imago, thanks to Audrey just staying Style Queen. She is having a blast, no one else is.

Lila-Volpina-Chameleon & Trixx She found Tirxx's Miraculous in a second hand shop & since accidentally awakening him the pair have become con artists and mischief makers all over Europe.

They aren't malevolent, but they aren't good either, and Lila goes to Paris in part cos she's being pursued by a sorcerer after Trixx & she wants the others to help protect her.

She's on the team for awhile before losing Trixx in battle and ends up claiming an Akuma to try and get power back. Leaving her straddling a line between humanity & monster-hood.

The Tsurugi's: They have at least two Miraculous, perhaps three, this playing a part in why Fu would even put Tikki & Plagg out there given the risk. The dragon is a must, but beyond that it could range from tiger, to mouse to snake or some combo there-of.

Their goals are enigmatic, with Kagami's stance being that the Kwami are divinity and being their chosen is an honor. While Tomoe is more cold, still respecting the Kwami's power more than the Order, but very pointedly aiming to use said power to benefit her family line.

As a result they are more anti-villain's/antagonists than full on villains.

Audrey & Chloe: Thanks to Audrey being present, the toxic nature of the family is on display from minute one.

With Andre passively rolling with every horrid thing Audrey says or does to Chloe, then using Chloe's rejection to make himself feel big. All while Chloe desperately seeks her mothers affection & allows her fathers self serving idea of 'love' and heeds his terrible advice.

This makes Chloe's redemption arc faster as where she's coming from is obvious from parents day at earliest. Audrey becoming the first on screen Imago helps. No jail time cos no one but Hawk Moth knows at first. She abuses her powers & becomes a key Chloe villain.

Final Note: Awhile ago I realized that one could re-work the Peacock's power into the Butterfly so I'd probably do that too. IE, its power is transmission & transformation.

So in the case of making Sentimonsters it transmits Butterfly energy in to the subject, then the emotions back out of the subject, then transforms them into a 'Familiar'.

This does remove the mind control rings, but there may still be an Akumatized object which can allow a butterfly user easier access to the target, or they are just not a thing.

This also means Gabriel only needs one Miraculous, & Nathalie instead of being Mayura stays on as Catalyst. Letting him make small teams of villains, familiars, or super strong Akuma.

There could still be negative health ramifications from this, either from being constantly Akumatized or from getting powers up to so often. If sympathetic Gabriel is intended, he's the one getting sick.

[invested-in-your-future]

You can't have white fang be both right and evil. RWBY failed the moment they made them terrorists.

Actually, no you can.

Not only WF as a concept shouldn't be a monolith hivemind, there are ways to frame it right.

Here's a simple example. A little Canadian scifi show that aired from 2012 till 2015, called Continuum. The premise is simple - a cop from the future is sent back in time to stop violent time traveling revolutionaries from changing the future any means necessary.

Simple right? The show follows a cop trying to prevent death and suffering the terrorists are causing and preserve her family and child in her own future.

Not really.

Spoilers for both RWBY and Continuum follow

As the show's first season progresses, one realizes that there are several things wrong with the initial premise:

The terrorists are 100% in the right motivation-wise because the future is corporate fascist dystopia where an immoral and unethical mega-corporation has entire world in it's hands. The tactics they employ themselves are irredeemable but also borne out of desperation and suffering. And in spite of death and suffering they cause, they are also capable of genuine heroism, camaraderie and selflessness.

The Protagonist is unreliable narrator and you are not supposed to take a lot of her moralizing at face value. The forces she works for have caused massive suffering and death on scale beyond anything the terrorists are doing and she herself is a tool of a fascist regime that does things like permanently lobotomize people into factory drones. While a lot of her decisions are morally sound, the show does end up questioning a lot of her choices and portraying the protagonist as someone who is just as imperfect and dangerous as the people she is chasing, as her experiences in the past slowly cause her to unravel.

There's no clean-cut solution on how to solve the time travel issue - for example the forces that want corporate dystopian future to stay intact simply regard the very idea of "status quo" as better alternative to other possibilities. The idea of orderly managed and calculated evil being preferable to chaotic and unpredictable one (for example one of alternatives being outright nuclear war). The show expects the audience to think and wonder about the very concept of "status quo" and how people come to rationalize it as "better", as well as the desperation and suffering that would cause the polar opposite near-accelerationist position that even everything burning is better because of even minuscule chance that it gets better.

Before you know you realize that the idea of navigating very imperfect and frightening futures is a parallel to navigating very frightening and imperfect idea of change itself - and how terrifying it is to let go of the idea of "safe and recognizable status quo" that's different for each person depending on their upbringing and experiences.

In the end, each character is defined by their fallible humanity and mistakes rather than various forms of moral absolutism. People can do absolutely reprehensible things for right reasons and people can do something heroic for extremely rotten ones.

The only thing that receives an absolute doubtless condemnation is the oppressive systems of power themselves, no matter how "comfy" the status quo and "order" is.

Now to get back to RWBY and how that relates to WF.

Imagine, what if

White Fang wasn't a monolith hivemind where everyone has exact same idea of how to do things? What if while WF is unified by singular idea, different people and groups within WF interpret it differently and also might change their minds depending on what goes on?

The protagonist position can be both right and wrong depending on situation and location and their willingness to compromise that naïve pacifism depending on what goes on around them is challenged in the story?

The story properly explores the kind of desperation and suffering that would CAUSE a more extreme reaction rather than vaguely mentioning it?

The story acknowledges that change itself is imperfect and explores just what necessitates change and whether there's a specific line that when crossed, makes the safety and known predictability of status quo unjustifiable?

Oh look suddenly we have a framework oh how to write White Fang as something more complex than "Adam's faceless redshirts" while STILL being able to have parts of WF as antagonists, both justifiable and irredeemable depending on who and when.

RWBY failed when it decided to use the absolutely nonsensical slippery slope argument as a way to justify why the very idea of justified anger of the oppressed is wrong.

One can avoid that when writing. You just have to treat WF as people.

[rawbiredbest]

Okay, quick and dirty furynov HCs. Ideally I’ll explore all of these in prose, but that’s a project for another day. These are mostly based on Tag 2, which isn’t really canon, but whatever, at the end of the day I’m mashing dolls together making kissy noises.

Here goes!

Bryan and Dragunov met completely by chance. Fury happened to alert the military base he was on while his plane was refueling. Interested in learning how Bryan ticks (in a mad science sense), Sergei agreed to partner up with him for the upcoming tag tour.

They ended up being ideal for each other. Bryan’s augmented auditory systems allow him to pick up the tiny, next-to-silent subvocalizations Dragunov (and most people) make, essentially allowing him to hear Sergei “talk”. Once they both figured out what was going on, they became able to work together fluidly, communicating on a basis unlike any other in the tour. It made them both highly successful, and they started to see each other in a different sort of light. A “realizing the other is something truly special” sort of light. A “and he’s all mine” sort of light.

They started sleeping together not long after that.

All good things must come to an end, however, and Bryan ended it in catastrophe. He told Sergei to quit his job and stay by his side full time, traveling the globe and tearing down the status quo.

Here’s the thing: Dragunov takes his work very seriously, for reasons that require their own post to explain. In essence, Bryan had asked him to slash and burn YEARS of hard work and dedication, betraying people depending on him to keep them safe, to go spree killing. It was a hard, violent no.

Here’s the other thing: Bryan has been a lone wolf for much of his life. Yeah, there was Lei, but you know how that turned out. For an indestructible cyborg, asking Sergei took a lot of vulnerability. Unused to emotional hurt, he responded the only way he knows how.

No longer able to LOOK at each other, let alone fight as a team, they both dropped out of the tour. Dragunov did, at least. Fury probably had to get chased away by Zaibatsu military.

tl;dr two battle-hardened souls saw something in each other they both treasured, but their mutual inability to compromise destroyed the genuinely good thing they had.

They still carry a torch for the other though. 🖤🦉🐍🤍