#but i just have a loooot of thoughts on character personalities in one and how they relate to the other characters!

[obsessedwrhys]

Can we have a part 2 Deadpool reader with the boys and maybe soldier boy too❓❓ if you want to of course

ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁 .ᐟ The Boys x Deadpool!Reader

t/w: loooots of dark humour/jokes, reader's origin will be explained underneath, reader is still an asshole lol that comes with the character, mention about killing,death,gore, weed, drugs, Reader is gn!!!

ᯓ★ here's a version with the seven, kiss kiss <3

Origin:

Quick summary, when you were born, your parents had agreed with Vought to have you be pumped full of Compound V so you could grow up and be a hero working under them, but the problem was when you were around 7, they changed their mind so Vought ended up sending several people to come to your house to settle the matter.

Your whole family was massacred in the living room during thanksgiving and when they tried to capture you. You were able to run away. Homeless and living on the street, you grew up in a life of crime, depending on nobody but yourself. Make sense? No? Good! Let's start now.

BUTCHER

To him, you were like a fly that won't leave him alone.

How he knew you was through Mallory, she thought you were okay and fit for the job since you hated Vought just as much.

Obviously he didn't like you once you were introduced to him and the two (M.M and Frenchie)

"No way am I lettin' a supe join us"

":("

Though after what happened to Mallory's grandchildren, the gang pretty much dispersed but wherever Butcher went, you followed. Since he was the only person you trusted... and also enjoy annoying the shit out of.

He'd head inside a club, relieved he hadn't seen you for the past few days so he decided to grab a drink by the bar to unwind.

"Whiskey" He said with his eyes looking around, paranoia shown on his face.

Once his drink was served, he would look back to find your eyes smiling at him, you were wearing a bartender disguise over your red suit.

"Did you miss me?"

"Oh christ..."

When you heard word that he was gathering back the team, you had to be there. What kind of friend would you be if you didn't?

Undoubtedly he had to admit, there were times where he was grateful to have you on the team but there were also other times he regretted it.

For example, that time when you guys needed to sneak into a lab to get something and the goal was to stay quiet but even that simple rule was hard for you to follow.

"Room's up ahead. (Y/N) I need you to—"

"Heads up!" You said as you threw a bomb at the metal door.

The explosion causing the alarm to turn on and it had the whole lab now on high alert. You shrug innocently when Butcher glared at you like he wanted to tear you apart.

Also, you enjoy constantly pissing him off. You can't die so you don't really care if he'll kill you for it.

"Maybe, if you didn' press the fuckin' button, we wouldn't have to come bac' to save yer ass from the guards"

"OOH GOD SAVE THE QUEEEN!! Please, cry me a fucking river. I got us the target didn't I?"

"He's dead"

"Well you weren't being specific when you said to capture him"

But it's fine, all his frustration will be solved once he uses you as bait. He knows you can't die but hey, it makes him feel slightly better watching you get shot at.

Despite your ups and downs, he appreciates you. When the team would turn against him on his insane journey for revenge, he always found you the only one still standing by his side. You're loyal and he likes that.

Compatibility? 75%

HUGHIE

You treat him like a child.

No seriously you baby talk him sometimes and it annoys him

"Awwwww is little hughie angry?"

"Stop..."

"Does baby want his milky?"

Since he's pretty much the only person who isn't that exposed to crime as the others, he's terrified 100% everytime when he's paired up to do any dirty work with you.

"Now listen buddy, you better start talking or I'm gonna shoot" You said, gun raised at the man who seemed to be begging you to spare his life in a language you didn't speak.

"I don't think he speaks English"

"Ah shit... ENGLISH!! SPEAK!! ABCDEFG??!"

"How is shouting in English gonna make him understand?"

"Eh, you're right"

BANG

"WHY'D YOU SHOOT HIM??!"

"Well did you expect me to pull out Duolingo and start taking classes?!"

You had to admit, it was a pain in the ass each time he starts giving you the cold shoulder whenever he gets mad at you for doing something terrible. It was like his way of guilt tripping you so you always try to apologise in your own ways.

"Hey..." You said, handing him ice cream.

"...I uh... I don’t like Strawberry ice cream... I thought I told you that"

"God you're so ungrateful!!"

Since he was such a scaredy cat, you try to tone down your craziness a bit. For the sake of him not going into cardiac arrest.

"(Y/N) STOP!! She has nothing to do with this!! She was tricked" Hughie grabbed you by the arm to pull your gun away from the innocent woman.

You turn your head to look at him, then at the woman, then at him again, then the woman, then him again.

"Ugh finnnne... you're boring..."

However, he does appreciate you trying to be a better person. Even you had to admit, after you met him and became friends. You noticed yourself being less brutal than you used to be. The thought keeps you awake at night and it scares the shit out of you.

But oh well, how could you ever say no to those scared little puppy eyes?

Compatibility? 55%

FRENCHIE

He's like your hype man which is concerning.

Not because you're not afraid to get the job done but also because you always have his back.

"Well... I need some gunpowder but I've run out of them" Frenchie said, telling Butcher that the plan was most likely not gonna happen.

"Hold on" You said with the typical comical ☝🏻 gesture before heading into a different room. Everyone exchanging confused glances at what you could possibly be doing.

After a few minutes you'd return with a bag of gunpowder while struggling to zip up your pants with the other hand.

"Don't tell me how I got it. It almost tore me apart" You said, rubbing your ass.

On stressful nights, you guys would enjoy smoking weed together by the sofa and share stories of your traumatic childhood. It's how you guys bond and it's oddly wholesome.

Also when he needs a shoulder to cry on, you were always there for him. You two shared a type of relationship that even Romeo and Juliet couldn't compete with. To be fair they're dead so they actually can't fight.

"Hey reader!! If you're gonna keep reading then you might as well give the post a like or a repost. C'mon, pleassssseeee pleasepleaseplease"

"Ma cerise, who are you talking to?"

Although he doesn't mind your behaviour sometimes but he won't tolerate it if you ever cross the line on something. He's like the owner who sprays water at his pet cat when they don't listen.

"What are you mad at me for?!?!"

"You damn near tried to get us killed!!"

"Hey! You're the one who said it would be a suicide mission so I made sure it was a suicide mission!!"

"WHAT?"

There's no way he can deny how curious he is about where you get your guns and things. He once went in your room to find boxes of dynamite and a RPG just placed against the wall like furniture.

Like do you have a supplier or are you your own supplier?

Compatibility? 99.9%

M.M

Everybody deserves second chances.

He always tells him that to calm himself down everytime you managed to fuck up a thoroughly planned mission.

"What did I say about pressing buttons (Y/N)?"

"Honestly I stopped paying attention after you said 'Listen here'."

M.M has to be the only person you fear to the fact you try very hard to avoid him, this is because his long ass lectures are such a pain to deal with.

"How many times do I have to remind you? You can't just go around doing shit like that. You gotta consider the amount of danger you'll put everyone in..."

"(Blah blah blah... he's still going... uggggh... make it stop...!)"

Unable to handle the lecture any longer, you ended up shooting yourself in the head.

"(Y/N)!" His tone more disappointed than concern since this wasn't the first time you did this to escape his talks.

You know that russian dollhouse he tries to build in season 2? Well you'd constantly be found standing or sitting near him when he's trying to finish the set.

Since you're aware of his OCD, you like to edge him on by sometimes rearranging the parts or stealing some of it so he ends up searching high and low for the missing parts.

You had to admit it was entertaining to watch him accuse other people for touching his stuff when it was you behind all the schemes.

I'd like to think that after every mission when you happen to die, he'd be the one in charge of collecting your remains so you'd grow back.

That's why it comes naturally that his job is to make sure you don't do anything extreme.

"Where are my bombs??!?!" You'd shout, storming around the place looking for them.

"I sold them. Thought it'd do us more good knowing you won’t accidentally blow us up"

"WHAT?! GOD! It's like the writers of the show couldn't afford another explosion for this season so they had to use this DUMB of an excuse!!"

Though he does see some good in you through the messed up parts, he once saw you give his daughter a cute teddy bear when they've been burned by Vought.

She still has the bear and M.M likes to think that maybe you have a soft spot for kids since you never had a proper childhood. That's why he chooses to understand you rather than just being ignorant about your behaviour.

Compatibility? 80%

KIMIKO

She finds you a little odd but she doesn't mind once she realises how everyone is used to you being like that.

Whenever you're bored, you'd come to see what she was up to. Just imagine you sitting on the sofa like a curious kid as you watch her write alphabets on the book.

She also tries to communicate with you since she thought maybe your fucked up mind would understand her better in a way. Like how in season 2 she was repeatedly writing 'boy' to Frenchie but he didn't understand, so she came to you.

"Woow... watching you try to talk to me is like watching a baby take it's first breath..."

"😐"

"It's beautiful..."

Turns out her theory was wrong, you had a harder time understanding her compared to the rest.

Since you're the only two people in the group with powers, most of the time you two are sent on dangerous missions together. It's a nightmare for her because everybody knows communication is key but one is mute and the other doesn't listen.

"(Be quiet! There's people in the other room!)" She'd sign to you but you were busy humming a song while throwing around the enemies equipment.

"Oooh, what's this?" You held up a Homelander figurine which made you laugh as you show it to her.

"Hey look! 'I'm Homelander, I'm God's favourite. I play golf with Jesus every Sunday."

"(Can you please take this seriously?)"

"You're right, you gotta stop messing around Kimiko! We have a target to kill here" You said and you threw the figurine away which apparently clashes into a stack of boxes that came crashing down. The sound making everyone inside the building grab their weapons and began cornering you two in the room.

"😡"

"Okay that wasn't me that was gravity"

For the boys, you were plan A and she was plan B. That's because you always end up rushing into a fight first which most of the time resulted in you getting dismembered, which she later comes in to save you.

For example when Stormfront had stopped you guys, your bright ass thought it was a good idea to charge at her even though everyone was signalling you to stop. Next thing you know you were just a head being carried by M.M, you ended up watching as Kimiko fought Stormfront with the help of Starlight and Queen Maeve.

"That's my girl!! Now can anyone lend me a hand? I think I lost mine"

Compatibility? 97%

Bonus +

SOLDIER BOY

You know the scene where he walks out of his containment with the gas surrounding him? You swore when you watched him step out butt naked, you could hear angels singing and trumpets playing inside your head.

Shockingly enough, he was the only person who appreciated your humour. Could be a generation thing. He's just relieved not everyone has gone soft over the years.

In a way, you feel like you've become his babysitter. Everytime Butcher and Hughie left to do some business, you were in charge of making sure he doesn't blow up anyone. You kept him entertained so he didn't mind. That's why on the hunt for his former team members, he immediately chose you to be by his side.

"I'll take red with me"

"Red as in the american flag or the russians?" You asked which had him do the typical boomer laugh.

"I like you, you're funny" He said with a strong pat on your shoulder.

Butcher doesn't mind you with him cause he trusts that you can keep him under control. Hughie on the other hand isn't sure if you can even keep yourself under control.

"Shhh... wait... do you hear that?"

"Ah shit, did I accidentally said my dirty thoughts out loud? It's just you look breedable in that suit"

Another thing he likes about you is that you're okay with killing pretty much anyone, just try not to overstep cause that could potentially piss him off.

"I told you he's mine" He said as he had you pinned against one of the trees, apparently you had shot Mindstorm in the head when he literally made it clear to you minutes ago that was his kill.

"Quite possessive aren't you? I can recommended a therapist I know. Her names Martha—"

"You shut your mouth before I shove my shield up your ass"

"Gasp don't you DARE threaten me with a good time!!"

At the end of Season 3, you would obviously side with Butcher when everyone started to turn against Soldier Boy. He had to admit he was kinda hurt though, he expected you to be on his side.

"So what? You're crawling back to him now? After what we've been through?"

"Sorry big daddy, but Butcher has been my day one and I also happen to love him veryvery much"

Cue Butcher rolling his eyes out of disgust.

Compatibility? 100% but after the betrayal? 0% 😔

[upsidedowngrass]

dunno why but always uneasy when i see "post-ONE liam becomes the new airy and hosts season 3" aus tbh? LIKE. ofc i dont think all of them are like that cut n dry but it just doesnt feel right for his character yknow? yeah ppl act ooc when faced w horrible situations but it feels like it contradicts how liams arc over the series implies he responds to things.

airy AND liam are both normal people in horrible situations ofc! and liam and airy are very much meant as parallels. but even if there was an equivalent to airy creating ONE for liam, i dont think it would be creating a new season of the very thing that traumatized him

also, season one happened over a decade ago, and airy ALSO only died a bit over a decade ago. he also died and ended up COMPLETELY alone. this implies he pretty quickly teleported ppl to the plane and subsequently threw a rock at them (not that simple yeah but u get the idea). he was lonely and restless and missed PEOPLE that i think he quickly i dont think airys experience of dying then being isolated evokes the same responses as liam being taken to the plane and Experiencing The Horrors does if that makes any sense?

a lot of liams motivations very specifically lie in saving ppl from the fucked up situation he was subjected to, and that prompts the majority of his actions! airys motivations are that of someone so isolated after dying that he wanted to bring ppl TO him! of anything, while their general concepts parallel each other, their responses to their experiences act more like foils, similar to how liam and amelia have concepts that act the same as each other and responses that mirror the other!

they both represent how these types of situations cause ppl to act in ways they never would before. but i think EVERY character represents this, but i think they are all meant to show these responses and different ways, and i think thats a key to understanding the intricacies of the characters better! (ex: amelia gives up on her old life and pours herself into helping the others, bryce pushes it all aside and views it as a worst case scenario type thing, etc)

liams response initially (as implied by the "i know it eas hard to let go" line) was to hold onto any hope he could (which seems to have been . very stressful) but then he stopped seeing himself as part of the equation. his main priority was to save anyone while he could bc as far as he was concerned, it was already over for him

airys response , while we dont see where he started outside of his present dialogue, seems to have been quickly letting go of that home of returning home. but he didnt just let go, he let go fast, by the looks of it. he didnt leave the world hed found specifically bc he thought it was the best he was gonna get. so he starts making everything liveable. but in doing so, he kinda gave himself a new motivation, that being ONE

liam held on as hard as he could, but resigned himself to letting go and saving the others from being stuck on the plane

the moment he felt like hed lost everything, he stopped caring about himself

airy let go quickly, but in doing so found something to take its place, which was bringing people to him and making his world more fun

the moment he realized hed gained something, he poured 10 years into perfecting it

[doctor-hopper]

You said you wished to be added to the mistranslation mailing group so I'll send you everything I've come across playing thru SDR2 original. Keep in mind I'm only on chapter 1 right now. I am not a #gamer so I pick it up and play it like once every 2 weeks LMAO.

Also half of this stuff is gonna be copy-pasted from chats I've had on discord with friends but it's the same info :>

i got to this part in the game (seen below) but the wording in the jp version is like "Hey, hey! Now, Hanamura-kun, what did I say?" Komaeda specifically uses ってば which indicates extreme annoyance and is usually used by women (teen girls) so i found it really cute

2. hajime of course doesnt use keigo (polite speech) ever, except when he first meets sonia, he suddenly starts talking politely

3. in the official english version when teruteru urges hajime to discuss dirty stuff with him in private, hajime just says "...no thanks." however a more apt translation would be hajime saying in a very flat voice "I'll have to restrain myself" or even "I'm invoking my right to refuse." (遠慮ておく) the way it comes off is a very dry way of telling him off.

4. there's also a thing in the prologue where hajime thinks, "At any rate, if this is a nightmare, I have no idea if it's even started yet... Sheesh, what kind of nightmare is that?" but in the Japanese version it comes across as more tongue in cheek (if that's the way to put it). it's more like this: "Regardless, I can't even tell if this is a nightmare or not, or even what kind of nightmare... Jeez, what a nightmare!"

5. below are 3 screenshots. The first 2 from the official translations, the third from the Something Awful forums fan translation (before the official existed). As you can see they are quite different.

Here is the Japanese text:

when talking about this with my friend, I said:

As per usual it seems to be a case of the official translation being very literal and the fan translation taking tone more into account. The literal translation is:

Kazuichi: it's an unbelievable thought, but...those two are in a male-female relationship, don't you think so? Hajime: a "male-female" relationship? That is not how a teenager should put it.

The wording is more or less "not befitting of someone of young age", with a heavy masculine/imperative tone (since hajime uses ぞ). I'd personally translate it something like:

Kazuichi: I know this sounds crazy, but...those two, dont'cha think they could be havin' an affair goin' on? (Kazuichi speaks with a slight accent in the JP version) Hajime: "an affair"? You're talking like an old man.

I think an equally as accurate but localized translation would be something like " "an affair"? You *are* a teenager, aren't you?" but that sounds slightly stilted. Hajime also later says only 2 lines later "The more he talks, the more he sounds like a dirty old man." Hence my thoughts on changing the line slightly. All in all I think the fan translation did a pretty good job sliding in from Hajime's initial comment to his thought on Kazuichi sounding like a "middle aged man" (as it is put in the Japanese original). Honestly it's funnier than whatever I could come up with lmao

^in general, Hajime (or Hazime as he was originally known as in the JP version, am I the only one who thinks of this a lot? Anyways...) is very prone to dry/blunt humor. It's kind of similar to Haruhi Fujioka in Ouran Highschool (if you've seen that show). The issue is, a loooot of the text in Danganronpa one and two are translated super literally. This isn't a huge issue all of the time (though is very obvious pretty much in every sentence), but when you have a character who's supposed to be dry/blunt, focusing more on their words and less on the tone and meaning behind the words is why Hajime talks like a Redditor in the English version. Which is a shame, because he's very funny in the Japanese version to me.

Some more points...these are from the top of my head so I am no longer quoting discord.

In Danganronpa 2.5, I think it's the only time Komaeda uses imperative speech? I may be proven wrong once I play thru all of SDR2. Anyways, imperative speech is seen as really rude in Japanese. Of course anime rules are slightly different (many characters ESPECIALLY SHONEN characters will use imperative speech like it's just another Monday) but it's notable for Komaeda because I don't think he's ever used it before. He uses it in 2.5 when World Destroyer slides into his DMs (when he threatens Komaeda and his friends). Komaeda throws his phone on the bed and yells 黙れよ！which is the forceful imperative of "to be quiet". Given the context and Komeada's usual casual but not rude speech, I would actually translate that part as "Shut the fuck up!" the widely available fan(?) translation just has him say "I've heard enough!"

It's a very interesting point when analyzing Komaeda's character especially in 2.5.

Another thing I never understood about SDR2's translation is the removal of accents and certain quirks. Nekomaru talks like a wise old master in some ways...which is totally different from the heavy shonen talk I was expecting (which he has for sure, but I was not expecting that part of him. It actually made me like him a lot more.)

Kazuichi, for lack of a better comparison, talks kind of...gangster-y? I'm unsure how to put it. He would be saying things like "bro is tweakin' skibidi style" or whatever. Again, it makes sense with his character. Kazuichi in his FTEs talks about how people basically profile him without learning who he is. The way he talks only adds to the "delinquent" impression he gives off, which is where Hajime had the initial misunderstanding.

Komaeda uses more filler particles than the average character in the game I would say, at least enough for it to stand out to me. I don't know if Makoto was the same (I'd have to re-check it's been a while), but I've caught him using "redundant" amounts of ね and さ, which would most closely translate as "uh" or "um" or even "like" in English. It's not constant and he's much more well-spoken when he's rambling about hope/despair (ironically), but it was enough for it to be noticeable to me. I just wonder why it's not in the English version.

Of course, all the characters have their own speech quirks as you've probably picked up...Hajime talks very masculine and kind of rudely, Mikan is very polite, stuff like that.

OH! Here's a fun one.

from UTDP. This got completely fucked in English. It's actually one of the worst mistranslations in the series aside from Komaeda's love confession IMO.

I don't blame the translation team wholly because if you look at the original Japanese text...

it's not very clear. But still, I think it's pretty obvious that this is how the conversation was MEANT to go:

Hajime: Komaeda...give me your hand. Komaeda: Huh...? Why? Hajime: "Why"? We're going to do a handshake. Normally, I wouldn't go out of my way to ask this, but... Hajime: Will you be my friend? Komaeda: ...Hinata-kun, do you really think this will mean anything?

This is getting long so I will leave this, because as a translator/localizer this article speaks to me very much. Specifically...

Another benefit to a good localization is that it will be truer to the intentions of the original creators than a strict translation by allowing a Western player to be entertained by it in the same way the creators intended their Japanese players to be entertained by the original – you’re laughing at the same points, and crying your eyes out at the same points, too.

That's kind of why I dislike the official ENG SDR2 translation. It is not very faithful to the emotional meaning of the original text in many ways. And I think that's a very important part about translating stories...

Whew that was a lot. If you aren't already bugged by this, I'll make sure to stop by and send more sometime :] fun fact: according to the SDR2 official art book, Komaeda's favorite food is bread, specifically toast, and he dislikes white rice.

Whoops, I didn’t see this in my inbox until now. I’m not bugged at all—thank you for the lore, and I’d greatly appreciate any more when you have it! I’m not as confident or aware about some of these particle nuances, too, so it’ll be educational.

[frostythefrostedfox]

Don't you worry, you'll be to told exactly what to do I give my people the lives they need The righteous will succeed

You know what I don't like about rebel stories like Hunger Games and Divergent? That we never get the opposite, how about a compliance story?

Something that always bothered me about certain videogames is how they never ever, not even for one second, entertain the thought that you might not agree with them, they all follow the same formula

MC is respected member of [SOCIETY] > MC has encounter with bad side of [SOCIETY] > MC is told not to question things > MC questions things > MC turns sides > MC opposes and wins against [SOCIETY]

But what if I don't wanna? Why do we never get a videogame like that?

I want a game where the MC discovers the truth about the place they live in, and even with that knowledge they stand up and say "Ok and?" and carry on with their life; and that's how this fella was created

My young impressionable mind was exposed to Syndicate (2012) in 2013, the cover looked so cool and all the promo material online was great, it even had the theme song done by Skrillex, Nero, Flux Pavillion and Digitalism (for the people that likes real music and is reading this, that used to mean a lot, they were huge and everywhere for us noise-enjoyers), but the late part of the game and the ending never really... caught my attention, I always found the introduction of the game a loooot more enjoyable, before Kilo becomes a rebel and fights Eurocorp.

And that is why I created this fella. You can even call it a semi faceclaim.

Just like Kilo, born to a syndicate to serve the syndicate, except that i wasn't Eurocorp, it was Cayman Global, following their in-universe explanation that DART-6 has not been reverse engineered by any company and is propietary software of Eurocorp, Cayman decided to try their hand at it with what knowledge they have on it, and that is how they came up with the idea of Speciality Chips, or S.C, they work similarly to DART-6, with its own schizophrenia inducing voice interface and all, except that they don't enhance every single part of a 'soldier', instead they are using to make people 'better' at their jobs, depending on the role and occupation chosen for them at birth.

Fake memories of a fake family and a fake childhood, an AI prompt fed into his brain by the SC as a child to mould his personality to what Cayman needed it to be, with fake hardships to strenghten his character and fake triumphs to make him proud and happy. And every single thing he remembers doing as a child was a stage play to nurture and test his abilities, a continious selection program where only the best move on to the next phase while never aware that they are competing; every single one of those kids he beat at Spelling Bee as a child were just like him, and their failure meant their removal from the program, another job at Cayman Global will be found for them that fits their skillset, same thing for karting tournaments, academic score, everything.

His parents are just company employees told to act a certain way to incite certain reactions, records of who he was born to are probably kept somewhere, but who cares anyways, for as long as he believes those are his parents, they will do.

The only thing that makes him a somewhat rare candidate is that he is not a single child, he has a sister, also put throught the same program as him, just for another role, using a different version of the chip for a completely different purpose.

After years of serving Cayman Global and earning his Black Stripe clearance, one of his missions has his evacuation transport crash and drop him into the sea, after his chip entered power saving mode due to not consuming enough food or water, it was the first time he ever experienced fully thinking for himself, not having his thoughts molded, suggested or coerced by any company directive, and he found those thoughts to be quite similar to the ones he had before, questioning the methods of execution of Cayman Global, but not their ideals or beliefs. Why was he floating in the sea for so long? Shouldn't they pick him up as soon as his signal dissapeared? If the SC is an AI, do they all have different personalities and voices? Is his specially made for him?

Upon arriving Someplace, Somewhere in [COUNTRY], his chip came back into service, except that now they had a different set of information and ideas, his head filled with questions that the SC couldn't answer, but none of these doubts ever put his allegiance into question, so none of them got reported back, which would have ironically gotten him rescued faster.

Eventually he came across some locals, his uniform and armor damaged, no longer sporting any visible mark of his employer, they took him in, unaware of who he was; they certainly wouldn't have if they knew he was working for the exact same company responsible for making their life so miserable.

Time passed, he learned things from the locals and the locals learnt from him, all of his training was very real, and it showed, a trained agent like him could do things these guerrilla fighters only dreamed of, eventually being a prominent voice in this little tribe that nursed him back to health, he got a taste of what being in power was like, and he liked it, and his SC was taking records of it.

This sudden change in approach to a more professional and organized course of action peaked the interest of the tribe's enemies too, they couldn't have learned these things overnight, someone was helping them, their first thought was a rival syndicate, and so they dispatched a whole bunch of agents to deal with the new threat, ironically one of these agents being his sister.

The two were fated to encounter, and that is exactly what happened, just not the way they expected it, and certainly not the way they wanted it, and totally against the syndicate's wishes. Their SCs mark each other as [RELATIVE], but they don't know this other animal in front of them, how could these two different animals could have come out of the same mother, they are not the same species, she's a bird, he's a fox, he has a marksman tag, she has a bruiser tag, they look nothing alike, they are nothing alike.

Cayman Global originally thought of this as an inconvenience that should be dealt with immediately, but latter settled on exploring the possible opportunities of letting their bond be known to each other, and more importantly, the opportunity to gain an insider with access to the locals. And they had a lot to know about each other, their customs, their way of doing things, their likes and dislikes.

This only led to more question appearing on his head, why was everything at Cayman so peaceful, why can he just solve problems with his sister so easily, while the locals have all of these problems, tribes not settling in on one thing, having to constantly ask for things, changing their minds, disagreeing, fights; maybe they had so much problems with the syndicates because of their ways, if they could understand each other, things could probably be solved quicker.

But the tribes didn't wanted that, and rightfully so, they did not wanted to surrender their freedom, their land and everything they own to a company to manage and do as it pleases with, it was theirs.

You can't teach an old dog new tricks, he and his sister were raised by the Syndicate, to them these ideas the locals speak of were nonsense, all of this chaos and problems that could be easily fixed, why wouldnt you want to fix it?

And that's when his SC, for the first time in forever, came up with its own idea, not something fed by the mainframe. Betray the tribes.

And betray the tribes they indeed do, Cayman agents agreed to the plan after a lot of favours being called and some heavy bargaining in the form of his sister's fists. An easy pick for the tribes, a Helibird crashed into the desert after a sandstorm, few survivours and a delayed rescue team due to the poor visibility, the perfect chance to pick up resources; but the only thing they picked up was a fight they couldn't win.

And so he triumphantly returned to his home, Cayman Global headquarters, but his new... Ideas... were not popular with all of his superiors, but those that agreed with him were not afraid of showing his support.

That's how he met Moon, someone that has been sitting near the top for way too long, and no longer thinks the head should be doing the thinking, and she was ready to make a play for it, playing with some strings here and there to have the siblings end up under her supervision, she could train and explore where these ideas of theirs really led to, what did they meant.

He gave a new name to his SC's voice, Lightning, and she liked it, it was nice to be her own thing, not just another chip, and in return, he let her take control over bits and pieces of his brain that none of the chips should have access to.

Little by little, Moon slowly revealled what the syndicates were up to, a second syndicate war was brooding up, and it was going to be way worse than the one they had in 2049, and she remembers that one pretty well, she was still an active agent back then. She allowed him to take a peek behind the curtain, how his memories were manipulated and changed in order to fit a narrative created by the syndicate, how his upbringing was all fake, how he was monitored and sought after like a guinea pig.

And he had absolutely no problem with any of that, his mind was so deeply consumed by the company's mindset that he couldn't even begin to understand how could any of those things were bad, he never questioned his position or his role in Cayman Global, instead he just wanted more, his last adventure made him hungry for things he should have never tasted, the company's propaganda kept him docile and happy, but also kept him compliant and safe, and he wanted none of the latter, having power is great, being in charge is amazing and telling other people what to do feels good; and Lightning agreed with it, why should she be a simple voice on his head, when she could control all the other voices on everyone's head.

That is where their real 'adventure' begins, not to destroy a corrupt syndicate, not to make the world a better place, not to make it fairer, is to put themselves on top, be the one that cuts the cake instead of being the one receiving a slice.

Thank you for coming to my OC rant

[powertaco]

What are your thoughts on WR development overall and your thoughts on WR being developed/made canon in V10?

Ugh I am going to ramble about everything here I can feel it...well you asked for it. I apologize for none of it, and if you all hate me at the end well I don't mind.

Volume 6 and before are pretty much great. They go from kinda at odds to tentative friends, learning to trust, and rely on each other, best friends, pining over one and other and V6 was a loooot of WR for us to feast on.

Afterward I felt like it got sidetracked. There could be various reasons for this (in hindsight I feel like Penny being given a way bigger role so her death could hit harder is to blame for part of this because realistically how long has Ruby known Penny? A month?)

Even if you don't like the ship they're supposed to be canon best friends so I take personal issue with almost all of volume 9.

I think it was sloppy writing that didn't move the story forward, and even though I don't care about Bees I feel like they still got shafted since they basically were forced to confess to move things along, and them doing so made them miss out on the sister/supposed friend and her problems, and only showcased the worst sides of the relationship.

For example Yang let's Ruby scream at Weiss but only moves to do something when Blake gets yelled at. Blake and Ruby still have...less dialogue than Ruby does with Ren I think etc.

Jaune was too present merely because his entire deal took away from Ruby's imo.

I've said it before but frankly Nora falling and learning who she is away from Ren so when she sees him in V10 she's ready for the relationship is far more satisfying to me narratively.

Leave Jaune above ground so he has to deal with the fact that he thinks he failed his friends and they all died and let him learn from that experience instead.

This also doesn't take into account that Jaune's one interesting change in 9 (being old) is taken away via random deaging (although I guess this makes deaging canon and hey young maria this is how dwr can still win! more at 11!)

Generally when characters go through a volume you want some sort of arc for them to go and change through. Weiss gets none of that. Out of all the characters nothing really happens to her, and she doesn't change at all. She's just sad about Atlas. Neat.

There's no time for it just like there's no real time for Ruby.

In Ruby's own words 'gotta help Jaune right?' and they do. Ruby removes herself from the census, which is how its framed, and they stop to...help Jaune.

There are a few moments that are WR'ish in 9. The Nevermore summon, Weiss believing in Ruby, and calling her name first etc, but overall Weiss's main job is to backslide.

I said it before but in the market Neo, the perfect assassin is after Ruby, and they split up. Weiss goes 'gross nosehairs', and ditches her best friend who she already knows by that point is NOT doing well.

This is not Volume 1. This Weiss is not that petty, and she's literally had to manhandle corpses. The fact that she wouldn't stay near her canonical best friend, and leader is asinine, and only happens so she can be alone to meet the smith.

Even if Weiss can't help Ruby fight Neo she's an extra pair of eyes (and Neo doesn't care how crowded it is in the market), and just being there for Ruby can help.

With all that said RWBY is big into symbolism. When WR are together in almost all the side spin off material it means something. Manga Anthologies has them making heart eyes and flirting like every other page. Ice Queendom was a love letter to WhiteRose (precious?). The movies, etc.

When their weapons rest next to each other on screen like the Bees do? It means something. When their flowers break ranks to be near each other (and Weiss's flower is the lily please note)? This means something.

Ruby can stand and jump from missile to missile but has to wrap her arms around Weiss to stay seated?

If Chibi continues it's pattern of predicting things in the main plot then the fact that Weiss is the woodsman in the fairy tale means a loooot as in several versions of that fairy tale the woodsman marries little red after helping her deal with the wolf problem (which varies by the story).

They're the knight and princess for each other. Ruby comes into Weiss's live turns it upside down, and helps her change. Likes her for her genuinely and wants to be her friend at the start. Through this she changes the world for Weiss, and helps her grow, and Weiss in turn helps Ruby be the leader she can be.

But yeah I guess that's just friends things and they should date some guys they've had like a half a dozen lines with instead? I don't get it really.

She and Oscar punch each other in the face, and they talk about strategy. Oscar has a younger kid crush on her, and Ruby is awkward because that's her headmaster in this kids head. Oh right he went in for a hug she ignored. Peak romance.

Jaune and Weiss have almost no interactions, and when he saves her at Haven her response isn't to be like 'omg i love you' it's 'keep doing it i have work to do'. Are they friends now? Sure, but that's about as far as it goes.

It remains that outside of group hugs the only person that's allowed to initiate contact with Weiss almost all the time outside of battle is Ruby.

Ruby knows when she needs help and will guide her away when she needs it, but other people don't' touch Weiss unless she does it first because they know she doesn't like it...except Ruby.

I have tried to look at other relationships for them, and I honestly don't see them as realistic.

Even Penny would need a lot more development to make it work. I get that it's cute and wholesome but they've known each other for again a month, and Penny just defers to Ruby.

Ruby needs a partner and equal not a submissive enabler. That's a relationship you have with a pet, and not a person.

Now if Maria were young and hot that'd be different...

Anyway...

Ruby and Weiss are partners. If they're allowed to have the much needed conversations they never seem to get, ie haven, ever after, Ruby's mom, everything, etc.

Then is it possible? Maybe. If they do go WR I suspect it'll be more hints, and slow ramp up until the final season.

I would expect it either on the eve of the final battle, or literally during it maybe as in Weiss gets feds up with waiting, and decides to do something about it.

More likely at this point is they'll both just end up single with maybe faint hints so fans can imagine what they want for it.

Would I prefer it if it was WR so the team can truly be family? Yes, but I don't even know if we're getting a volume 10 at all to be honest. The fact that it wasn't announced at the last festival, and we get an extended eppy, and then nothing after the last movie?

Not making me feel super confident. I could be wrong though. On many things. Except Young Maria.

[aachria]

Hi again! Before I started writing my fic, I just wanted to ask if you would be ok with the ocs I created knowing Ed from before they got isekai'd. I have 2 of them and I'll briefly summarize how each of them knew Ed from 'before' so to speak. Both of them use their 'actual' names which is why it takes them longer to realize Ed is the Ed they knew.

Pathaan D. 'Agh' Akhtar-Waqiyah (I'm using the same surname-first syntax like the One piece characters do) was going to be about 3 years older than Ed and either be a friend of Ed's mysterious sister or a fellow One Piece fan that Ed met at a con for one piece or something pre truck kun. I was planning on having her spend the timeskip under either fujitora's or Hancock's tutelage and refer to Ed as 'Elric' (fmab reference).

As for the other oc, her name is T.T. Josune (and yes the Ts stand for something lol). She was the oc I was a bit more iffy about because when I was fleshing her out, I pictured her to be an ex of Ed's or an old situationship (and yes, i was listening to Chapell Roan drafting these ocs 😔). As a result, I wasn't sure if you'd be comfortable with that, so I just wanted to check with you.

If you have any suggestions, it'd be really appreciated and I'd love to add them.

I was also curious abt why you were iffy with Boa. Honestly, there are a lot of reasons for that but i was curious abt it since the latest update.

Wow, this was way longer than I expected 😭 Can't wait for the latest chapter.

Oh having OCs who knew Ed from before is SICK and I love that.

Love the idea of Agh knowing Ed's sister, I'd imagine before the... incident she'd be the cool older sibling who would drag Ed around with her friends to make them be social and just because her friends thought Ed was funny. I don't think Ed was much of a con person (they got that introvertism in them ✊😔) but they could have gone to one or two if you'd like to go that route. And her calling Ed Elric is HILARIOUS and I love it.

T. T. Josune is a BALLER ass name and I love it. Titty jokes galore. Ed is one of those people who figured out romance Was Not for them pretty early on, so they haven't had a lot of RELATIONSHIP relationships, but something with a more queerplatonic or fwb dynamic would work. Ed is very upfront with people about the aromantic thing and communicating that romance is never on the table with them, but they aren't opposed to exclusivity or commitment. Being exes or a situationship is fucking hilarious and has to much potential, I am 100% on board with that.

I love Boa Hancock. She is so very wonderful and such an amazing character, she just touches a loooot of boxes that can be. A little odd. I'm going to try and portray her in a very specific way, but I don't want to change or nudge things so much as to take away from her character. Boa is a very careful balancing act but I have so much love for that insane ass woman.

I wish you the utmost luck with your writing and believe in you fully 🫡

[ddarker-dreams]

How do you consciously get better at writing? I'd love to write as elegantly as you but it doesn't come naturally to me no matter how much I practice. Was there anything you did that helped you improve?

WHEW ... getting better at writing, huh ... i wish i could give you a comprehensive guide, but in all honesty, writing is so subjective, as is any rubric that tries to measure improvement. since i'm speaking from personal experience, this might not help everyone. something else to keep in mind is that i've been writing stories since i was around seven-ish, which means i've had a lifetime to develop my writing voice. as you keep chugging along, you'll find yourself getting into a rhythm of your own.

okay!!! after giving it some thought, here's a brief overview of the two things i feel helped me most with my writing.

influences

consider the genres you enjoy the most. what are some of the key characteristics to these genres? why did it leave such a lasting impact on you? the two genres that influence my writing the most are gothic and psychological fiction. regarding the former, there's a focus on emotions like dread, unreliable narration, and dark or ill-fated 'romance' (sometimes). then, for the latter, exploring the characters' inner thoughts is normally the highlight. i love the storytelling that's born from these literary elements, you'll find a lot of this in my writing. i'd say a lesser influence on my writing is morbid humor ... just a bit... as a treat.

figuring out why i like the things i do has helped bolster my motivation. i have a rough idea of how i'll want to convey ideas. now, on the flip side, you don't need to limit yourself to any one genre. i just think identifying some influences is a good starting point.

learning o'clock

never stop learning. i listen to podcasts on crime and history, watch Video Essays™ breaking down/discussing my favorite media, read academic journals on topics of interest, etc etc... this helps introduce you to a wide scope of ideas, lexicon, and experiences you wouldn't have known about otherwise. it's good to keep that three pounds of gray matter in your noggin churning along. there are a ton of benefits to learning, but as it pertains to writing, you can incorporate your areas of expertise into your stories. for example, i grew up in a christian household and have loooots of bible knowledge sitting around collecting dust. so i often incorporate religious symbolism into my work, given how familiar i am with the subject.

[twentyfivemiceinatrenchcoat]

Does gojo just fight for the thrill of it?…

Idkk I’m really confused tbf the manga really puzzled me 😭😭 (IM GONNA GO ON A RANT BEAR WITH ME PLSS 🙏 LOLL)

The afterlife chapter and how it’s shown, that he just fought sukuna for the thrill of it and not to protect others (students). I think that was implied by nanami when he called gojo a freak for enjoying and getting a thrill out of fighting them, while most sorcerers take it more seriously in a sense where they’re fighting for their lives and to survive/not get killed.. also what even is gojos motivation to keep going? This is a question I ask myself alot!! Is it his entire upbringing and how it was drilled into his head that he’s a weapon meant to be used or is it that he sincerely enjoys exorcising curses and it makes him feel superior (I find the latter more uncharacteristic of him tbh since why would he just do it for the sake of it?? It’s definitely draining to go on missions constantly and shoulder the responsibility of saving the world.. so does he view himself as some sort of a curse exorcising machine?…

Also many ppl on twitter call him selfish and uncaring towards others (his students,colleagues..) since he didn’t kill sukuna right after he got unsealed and waited for a month when sukuna got much stronger? Where he could’ve just finished sukuna off instead of dragging it into the shinjuku arc…

Also I really hate how in general gojo our smoll pookie baby gets soooo mischaracterized and gets called selfish, a philanderer, red flag, uncaring towards EVERYONE?? Some ppl even go as far as to say that he has a chronic god complex. <———— THIS ALL DRIVES ME INSANEEE

however, I kinda do think he has a superiority complex going on… Since he was put on a pedestal since birth and everyone praises him and considered him as the strongest and some kind of hero who’s only job/purpose is to constantly keep saving the weak… This may have gotten into his head a lil too much which shaped his perspective into him believing he’s superior than the other people who he must save from curses etc..

I WOULD LOVEEE LOVEEE YOUR TAKE ON THIS MY DEAREST ARI PLSS SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS (even if it’s multiple paragraphs 😋) ❤️❤️❗️

P.S I’m a new anon so call me bunny anon for any future asks 🥺

hiiiiii there my dearest little bunny anon!!!!! is this emoji okay? 🐰 or would you prefer this? 🐇 i’ll go with the former for now but please tell me if you’d like the other one instead <33333

NOWWW . okay okay okay. this was super interesting to answer, thank you sm for sharing your thoughts and letting me do the same!!!! and please keep in mind that this is all really just my own take :3 but i do have a loooot of thoughts abt this + the sukugo fight in general, so!!! buckle up.

long discussion + spoilers for chap. 236 under the cut!!

ALRIGHT . SO . i’m gonna try to adress everything in this ask but i am in fact scatterbrained so please bear with me 😭😭😭

well, first of all — yes, gojo absolutely fights for the thrill of it. the sukugo fight is a great example of this because it’s the only fight we see gojo let completely loose, but it’s an even better example because it also proves that gojo fights for a lot more than that. he obviously enjoys fighting, but i think you’d be missing a lot of key points of his character if you tried to say that’s all he fights for, you know? we know that gojo is fighting and training for the sake of making a change, of nurturing others, but more than anything else — gojo fights because that’s all he knows how to do. he was raised as a weapon. of course he’d grow to love fighting!! he literally has no choice but to live the life he was born into, and that’s the life of a weapon. weapons exist to kill.

i think his love for fighting is sincere, but it’s also a direct effect of being born as the strongest — do you see what i’m saying? gojo enjoys the thrill of a good fight, but there’s a lot more to it than that. and i personally think that he views fighting as a way to connect with others, not just an adrenaline rush. that’s kind of the whole point of the sukugo fight — they’re reaching out for each other.

aaaand that brings me to my second point!! i think the sukugo fight is like…. the most important fight to examine when discussing gojo’s character, because it tells us so much about him and why he fights in the first place. in this case — the manga almost outright states that he was fighting to teach sukuna about love. and this following part is just my own take!!!! but i think gojo cared about that on a personal level, that went beyond his duty to exorcise sukuna as a curse. gojo cared about sukuna. i think this is undeniable and that alone proves that he was fighting for something other than the thrill of it. he was having fun, but it wasn’t just because of the violence — it was because of sukuna himself.

(stan sukugo btw)

and!!! it was also because of his students!!! i think this point is also undeniable. i reaaaalllyyy disagree with anyone who thinks gojo doesn’t care about them because it’s so …. obvious??? that he does???? he may not be the perfect father figure that the fandom often depicts him as (<- not complaining btw i eat that shit up), but he’s a good teacher. and he cares for them. he’s fighting sukuna for a lot of reasons, one of them being his love for megumi, who i’d argue is like a younger brother to him / the most important person to him since suguru died. <- that’s just my own hc really, but either way gojo cares for him!!! it’s obvious that he’s fighting with his students in mind, because he mentions them so many times. he is fighting to protect them. his character is built on a desire to nurture the youth, even at his own expense.

(he loves them!!!!!!)

so, with that out of the way — let’s talk about nanami’s comment in 236. because i think a LOT of people misinterpreted it completely 😭😭 nanami mentions a scene back in premature death, where he exhaustedly asks geto why they can’t just leave everything to gojo. he then proceeds to say that gojo never cared about keeping sorcery going, or protecting people, and that his strength was all built on self satisfaction.

panels for reference:

…. but notice that nanami is speaking in past tense. he mentions a moment in his youth, and follows it up with what his thought process was during that moment — to put things really simply, nanami isn’t talking about our gojo in this scene, he’s talking about gojo during his teenage years. the reason why the cast appears as teenagers in this scene isn’t just because that’s when gojo was happiest, but also to highlight how far he’s come as a person. how much suguru’s defection changed him and his values. teen!gojo wasn’t a bad person by any means, but he was definitely more selfish than gojo is now. teen!gojo cared about the people around him, but he did fight for self-satisfaction above all else.

our gojo doesn’t. our gojo fights to protect people, to make sure no one is lonely — not even sukuna — and because he has to. because he enjoys it, but also because it’s his duty to do so. there is absolutely a purpose behind gojo’s fighting. he’s matured a lot. he cares about a lot.

so, to answer your question properly: yes, gojo fights for the thrill of it. he also fights for a lot of other things.

[decafbat]

dunno if this has already been asked before, but have you ever thought about what your ocs would text/type like Or what their hand writing would look like? very curious

i worry that by doing this i'll imply that characters only speak in one tone or that the general vibe of conversation would be punchy and comedic (which just kind of feels encouraged when i write small excerpts of dialogue without context, and because im not that great of a writer). but obviously i think all the characters would talk in very different ways depending on the situation and mood. i dont really imagine a super distinct way of typing for any of them besides just how their personalities come through in interaction but i think what i have here might work as an exaggerated case to give you an idea of their patterns and personality at its most extreme, but which you might see hints of in general conversation.

cath: exaggerated, truncated, lots of hyperbole and poor spelling. cute emoticons. when typing long messages she writes run-on sentences. her hand-writing is ok. she cant read cursive or even some fonts, or long paragraphs. she might have dyslexia. hellooooo. . .?

(”O_O) think im so fucked

HELP MEEEEEEEEEEEE

update i quituple-checked the cabinet we dont have bread or rice or anything at all

leica: kind of theatrical, sarcastic, arcane, proper spelling and punctuation unless she loses her composure which is often. handwriting is small, scratchy and unreadable.

In the material world, it's generally frowned upon.

I climb the Tree of Life to find and devour the Fruits of Yuri. Nothing less could ever satisfy my wretched heart.

ILL MURDER WHOEVER SENT HER THOSE PICTURES ILL TEAR THEM APART

I sincerely apologize for how I acted and I wont do it again.

erin: uses lots of acronyms, types in her typical boisterous tone. her handwriting is pretty much perfect.

So a LOOOOT happened between us its kind of a lot to get into LOL dumb drama but things are g now dont worry!!

YOU'VE SEEN THAT ONE? I LOVE THAT MOVIE!!!

WOW LOL SOUNDS TOUGH HOPE THAT GOES GOOD!

[takkapakka]

Cassandra (Tangled) and queercoding

Interacting with the TTS fandom, everyone (including myself honestly) seems to agree that Cass is a lesbian. It’s not canon, because Disney sucks, but the coding is generally viewed to be pretty strong to the point that it’s taken to be canon in every way but on paper. Despite being such a popular view though there was absolutely nothing online that I could find (apart from a deleted tumblr post linked on reddit) that actually specified the exact coding that lead people to think this??? So, I decided that I would myself try to compile some of the reasons that might lead people to view her as a lesbian. This might be complete nonsense, but I am a huge fan of Cass and the show in general, and I just wanted to think a bit deeper about what it is, exactly, about her character that made so many lgbtq+ folks latch onto her as representation within the show. Also on top of already being extremely technologically illiterate this is my first ever post on here so excuse any issues on that part.

First off, just to preface this I think I want to outline my thoughts about coding in general. I think the line can often blur between stereotyping and queercoding, but I think queercoding is different to stereotyping because coding generally happens when someone creating an lgbtq+ character is physically not allowed or unable to say the character is queer. Obviously stereotyping is a pretty major problem within portrayal of marginalised groups in the media, but for gay characters (who are more often that not created by people who are lgbtq+ themselves) it can sometimes be the only way to actually express to your audience that you did intend for the character to be interpreted as gay without outright saying it because, as I said before, this may be something you are just unable to do. Tangled is a Disney property, which is known for being pretty homophobic and overall just majorly limiting gay characters in their media, which means that it must be hard for someone wishing to portray a queer character to do so. Having to lean into stereotypes to express a character as being queer sucks, but I personally think there’s a big difference between using stereotypes on a canonically queer character and one that you can’t actually say is queer. There’s still a loooot of progress to be made with queer representation in the media, but when you cant even outright say that a character is queer, coding is the next best thing because often queer people in the audience will pick up on this and interpret that character as lgbtq+ because they can recognise the intentions and want to believe the creators meant it because there’s so little queer media elsewhere compared to straight media. In addition to this, it can be comforting to think of your favourite character as similar to you in a way that you may have suffered for before.

Now to the actual purpose of writing this. One big thing I see people talking about is the fact that actual story board artists of the show have said they intended Cassandra to be interpreted as a lesbian. This is obviously huge because it leads on to all the other elements of her coding that I’ll discuss because this is coming from someone who actually worked to create the show. I’ve never been apart of a creative team so I don’t know how much actual control a story board artist has on the content of a show, but they still helped make it, so it has to count for something right?? I found a link to a tweet off Cass’ page on the lgbtq+ characters wiki (this is actually REALLY sparse for some reason and it basically just states her sexual orientation to be lesbian without very much evidence to back it up apart from the tweets, which even then seemed to only be one tweet, and her apparent feeling for Rapunzel (double bracket will get onto this later) so honestly this wasn’t as much help as I hoped it would be) which basically stated that Cass was fully intended to be interpreted as queer. Linked here: amboo 👻 on X: "@MegLegbird im glad the gays can recognize how gay cass is like, that's the only job we wanted to be successful" / X . The creator of the show, Chris Sonnenberg, actually joined a Right-Wing news company around  2022 and has been working for their children’s streaming platform which aims to “rival the output of “woke” media companies” which is incredibly sad and might be why the idea of Cass being a lesbian remained just within the artists, because it may be very likely that Sonnenberg himself is homophobic. He was also known to be incredibly salty towards the fan base for Tangled which I can’t comment on because I have zero solid explanation as to why this might be.

In the replies underneath the linked tweet there was some more discussion between the artist and another user. There’s discussions of the female artists agreeing to throw in “sapphic looks” because outright saying she’s gay was impossible, so it’s very clear that any coding was intentional and should be taken as valid. Some people may say that she has not been explicitly said to be a lesbian so saying she is one holds absolutely no validity, but I disagree with this because things in media do not have to be stated outright in the text for it to be taken as true. That’s what literacy analysis is for. Things carry denotations, its literal meaning, but there are also connotations, which is what the writer was trying to convey without explicitly stating it. So, by this reasoning, to say Cass isn’t a lesbian just because it was never stated in the show isn’t completely true, because the subtext is literally overflowing with hints, and subtext is a completely valid thing to talk about and to ignore would be failing in the role of a consumer. Text is meant to be interpreted in different ways, but when you are literally ignoring things the writers have put in on purpose in order to twist a piece of media’s meaning to what you want it to be, it just turns into ignorance. Interpretations of coding is heavily down to a person’s personal experiences and ideas, but it gets to a point where people can just blatantly ignore certain elements of media, and in this case I believe the coding is pretty strong because someone working on the show has actually confirmed that, in at least a portion of the show, Cassandra was fully intended to be understood as being a lesbian.

In terms of how she was actually coded within the show, one episode that springs to mind immediately in particular is the episode where Andrew (my biggest opp) is introduced. This episode is called “Under Raps” but I can’t tell you what episode number it is because I don’t have Disney plus anymore. If you don’t remember what happened basically Cass introduces mr ugly bugly himself to Rapunzel and Eugene as her boyfriend or whatever but it turns out he was trying to manipulate her to be able to steal this ancient book in order to overthrow Corona. In the end, it’s revealed Cass was only pretending to like him because she knew his plan all along and defended the book from him. They have a swordfight and its insane 10/10 no notes there. The reason I think of this as an example of queercoding is because it’s the only instance in the whole show where a male love interest is even referenced surrounding her (apart from Varian having a crush on her but I’m not even gonna mention this apart from now because of course she wouldn’t have any interest in him because he’s a literal child and she’s early to mid-twenties) and the fact that it’s shown she was just putting an act on the whole time makes me think this was intentional to show she would never have romantic relations with a man. Some of this might sound pretty speculative or far-fetched, but I think it’s valid to mention since I’ve already established that it was intentional from some of the creators to have her be interpreted as a lesbian in the first place. Any indication of her being interested in men ends after this episode, which I believe is significant because the concept was introduced for a short time until the reveal of her faking it when it is completely disregarded and never brought up again. I think this may be the creators indicating that attraction to men was never in the cards for her.

Another thing that may be taken (this is getting into the territory of being stereotypical which is why I mentioned it at the beginning) is lesbians in media are often depicted in such a way that they are cold, critical and even aggressive towards male characters. Think Santana Lopez from Glee, Vaggie from Hazbin Hotel, and Villanelle from Killing Eve. I believe this is shown in the way Cass interacts with Eugene, which is in sharp contrast to her much gentler demeanour with Rapunzel. She is extremely quick to bicker with and insult him, and will miss no opportunity to pick a fight with him. From the very first episode, this is shown in the way she repeatedly insists that Rapunzel cannot tell Eugene the true story behind her hair reappearing, due to the fact that Cass doesn’t trust him. She eventually tells him anyway, but Cass isn’t happy about it. Even off the top of my head, there are many, many, more examples of Cass instigating arguments between them, this is just an example of one very plot-relevant occasion of her appearing to dislike him. While it is of course not true in real life that lesbians dislike all men just because they are men, I believe this is used to code Cassandra because it is used directly to emphasise her softer, sweeter attitude towards Rapunzel, along with the fact that the “man hating lesbian” is already a common trope used to depict lesbians. Stereotypes are not a good thing, but they are often a device used by writers to indicate a character as possessing specific traits or mannerisms. In this case it’s used to convey a characters’ sexuality when you are unable to say it outright.

Furthering from Eugene being used to contrast Rapunzel in relation to Cassandra, another massive thing that signals Cass as a lesbian in my opinion is the way she interacts with Rapunzel. Some of the screenshots of Cass looking at her are extremely and undeniably fruity, and if I was more technologically competent I might be able to insert some of them here, but her expressions are often filled with longing and admiration. This can be directly attributed to the story boarders, which was mentioned prior in replies to the tweet. I know that Rapunzel had just eaten incredibly spicy fruit, but I refuse to believe that Cassandra flirtily tucking her hair behind her ear while Rapunzel was bright red and choking on her breath wasn’t intended to be at least a little bit gay.

In addition to all the fruity looks that Cass gives Rapunzel like I just mentioned, there is a whole episode where Rapunzel loses her memory, and guess who is in Eugene (her canon love interest)’s place? Cassandra! Whether this was intentional or just because Cass was the closest one there is, I suppose, up to you, but a great many scenes in that episode directly mirror those in the movie, including Cass gazing lovingly at Rapunzel while she uses her hair to swing around a tree for the first time. In my humble opinion, this is extremely gay. I don’t personally think this is a coincidence, but even if it was, it still contributes to my belief that Cass is a lesbian.

The actual ship of Cassandra x Rapunzel is something I don’t personally enjoy, mainly because I love Raps and Eugene too much to even consider thinking about them with anyone else, but I do believe that Cass was in love with Rapunzel, who just viewed her as a best friend. This is due to the aforementioned evidence of the abundance of examples of fondness she displays towards her, and also the fact that this is used in very obvious contrast to how she interacts with Eugene. I think this contrast was either on purpose or enhanced by people on the team who intended for Cassandra to be interpreted as a lesbian, because it is VERY obvious how different she is with Rapunzel and Eugene. She is also very close with Rapunzel in general, showing her to be the only person she accepts hugs from, and also spending a lot of time with her and clearly caring for her greatly. I know some people dislike this ship because they interpret their relationship as sisterly, but I don’t personally view it as such because Gothel was extremely abusive towards Rapunzel and was barely in Cass’ life at all so I don’t think they have relation on that front, as well as the fact that the way their relationship began doesn’t, in my opinion, lead naturally into a view of each other as being similar to siblings. The dynamic between them is more best friends I think.

I’m not an expert on coding in fiction by any means to it’s very possible I may have gotten things wrong within this, but from evidence from the show mentioned within I think it is fair to say that this is at least a little bit indicative of some of the reasons why so many people so strongly believe Cass to be a lesbian. As I mentioned before, it’s a very nice feeling to see elements of yourself that you may have suffered for before represented within characters you love, which is why I believe people are so enthusiastic about Cass’ sexuality, not to mention the fact that it has been confirmed to be intentional by actual creators within the show. Queer characters, especially in children’s media, are so few and far between that it can be really lovely to see even a little bit of yourself depicted in a character you really like in a show you really enjoy. All in all, I know characters’ sexualities can be a very heavily debated topic within fandom spaces, but the idea of Cass being a lesbian seems to be pretty unanimous so the purpose of writing this was just to put into words exactly why I think this is such a widely held belief. There are no rules around how you choose to interact with characters within fandoms, and everything is up to complete personal interpretation, so just have fun and remember to be respectful of others who may have different opinions to you!!

[deluluzai]

Oh shit I completely forgot about the PM exchange thing.. anyway so here are my thoughts???!

Ok so first of all, we can be delulu yknow?? Everything will be resolved somehow and no one is going to the PM! Everyone is happy. I mean doesn't Asagiri always pull the least expected thing??

Second of all: no one is happy let's break it down member by member

Yosano: she ain't going.

Kenji: ok yknow what? I think the PM could benefit from his powers, and innocent personality! But aside from that, Kenji isn't really focused on, so the chance of this might be low, but still, reasonable.

Tanizaki: OKAY I saw someone else say this and I AGREE! Ofc it's the same thing with Kenji, it would be random asf for him to be the big sacrifice but! Tanizaki managed to trick the PM a few times with his ability! So this would make a lot of sense! I think the chance of this is higher honestly.

Kyouka: Ufff, guys idk... I mean she was in the PM not too long ago and she's focused on a good amount... This would make sense, knowing that Atsushi can't just steal her away anymore but... for a loooot of time, in the beginning of BSD, it was a whole back and forth thing with Kyouka getting to the PM, then escaping, then getting back, then escaping. So not only would the series fall back to that again, the PM might've just given up. Still, I feel like this has a 50/50 chance of happening, depending which way Asagiri wants to go.

Kunikida: As much as I don't want it happening, it might just happen.. I can't really say much about this one. Kunikida is smart, organised and loyal to the ADA and would die for them. But then again, he wouldn't stray away from his ideals and go off killing people and torturing them. I don't think this has a high chance of happening, I mean there's still a reasonable chance, but, it would be hard to work with him yk?

Atsushi: honestly, aint no way. I mean yes, the first major thing in the series was about the PM trying to catch Atsushi for money! But then again the relationship with the PM (mainly Aku) changed drastically for him! The guild isn't offering money to the PM for atsushi anymore, and Aku and Atsushi work together anyway! And mainly since he's the main character, I don't think he's going to have his POVs in the PM, since I think the ADA is going to get more focused on, and his relationship with Aku. NOT TO MENTION the fact that Dazai would DEFINITELY get him out of there bc??? His mentor?? Going down on the same path as him? Also as Aku? Killing people and basically becoming the person he promised Oda not to be anymore?? Aint no way.

Ranpo: Yeah... i could see it. But then again I don't. Because yeah it's reasonable for the PM to choose him, and since Ranpo is being focused on a lot currently, and it would really impact his story - Ranpo is then again a smart-ass brat who wouldn't even use his "ability" in the PM, especially since it's more helpful for detective work and not mafia work. So I have no clue about this one honestly, It would be interesting character arc but how would that like... work?

And lastly..

Dazai: Ah god, I wrote him last bc I don't know what to say! I mean most people I've seen guessed it was him going. And honestly? Fucking reasonable! Like why WOULDNT Mori pick Dazai? Like yeaaah he's scared of him, but throughout the series he asked Dazai a lot of times if he would come back! It would make a lot of sense! Especially since Dazai became older and wiser. Honestly the only big thing that's holding be back from actually betting on Dazai is that... would asagiri really put him back there? Right now? I mean, look, guy was in jail this entire time, barely goes back to the agency and boom, back to the PM. I think Dazai is going to be again crucial for this new arc, especially in Atsushi's character! I think, writing wise, Dazai shouldn't go back. But then again it's the most logical thing! I have so many thoughts about this.

Or then again Asagiri could just pull the most craziest shit that none of us were expecting so-

[rebouks]

Having read/reread Somnium this past week/two-ish... I have some theories about Wyatt.

Every character we create has a bit of us, our experiences, and our biases. On that same note, I think every persona Wyatt has projected contained a bit of truth, but also a fair bit of fabrication. Of all the characters in Somnium, I think he had the worst childhood. It's really a miracle he's alive and not completely batshit crazy. And it's understandable why he learned to shut down emotions from a tiny age.

But Wyatt is AND isn't who we've seen. That nerdy, awkward doofus Courtney got to know, there a bit of truth there. But he exaggerated it for her. The absolute psycho that everyone shied away from... There's a bit of truth there, but I think also a fair amount of embellishment. If you're gonna be surrounded by homicidal thugs, then by all means, be the craziest one in the room. The one person that everyone is wary of. When he had his years alone in Mt. Komo (aka his purgatory), it was the first time his survival didn't depend on acting FOR someone else. He could just BE.

Wyatt says he isn't wired right and that he's emotionally faulty. But is he really as bad off as he thinks or is that what he's always been told? Obviously empathy is not his strong suit, but we've seen him: jealous/envious (others' relationships), selfless (letting Darien & Brynn go), appreciative (Oscar's help), petrified (to the point of throwing up), kind (to Ichiro, Mayo, and Brynn), and managed to (while sweating) mumble an ILY. All of which are normal emotions. He tried to make amends where he could. He adopted a cat ffs. A street cat that now has the poshest looking cat bed I've seen lol And the last time he choked someone was out of passion and (somewhat righteous) anger, not emotionless calculation.

I think who Wyatt was (and thought he was) is fading away, however damaged his past left him. I don't think he'll ever be a soft guy/touch to the world at large. Only a select few will be privy to that side if him. But I think his true nature is finally being revealed. Or am I reading him wrong? Enlighten me, Becca!

Ohhh you've read him remarkably well indeed! I truly love Wyatt's character, he's so complex and he really did have a nasty childhood.. on the surface I'm sure it looked like he had everything he ever wanted, but that's faaar from the truth.

I think he's only just realised that he's not actually a psychopath at all, he just kinda learnt how to be one as a coping mechanism when he was very young, so young that it almost seemed like reality in the end, even to other people! (There's a reason it seemed so genuine ⚆_⚆) I suppose in a way he lied to himself for so long it became reality. Ask Bruno.. he's still convinced he's a psycho! 😅

I rlly think smth shifted the moment he became suspicious of Oscar tho, and whilst at first he was intent on protecting the "family" and doing the "right" thing, the more he thought about it, the more he realised how done he was. No one listened to him, no one respected him, but he knew he was right! It was like he realised he'd never progressed from being a small child, pushed out of the way and ignored, even when they're begging to tell you something important! Arturo wasn't interested, so instead.. he had to pay. Wyatt didn't want to be loyal to him anymore! At the time, he didn't help Oscar n' co. just to do the right thing, he wanted to fuck his father over more than anything, so.. still pretty self-serving in a way but he's had a loooot of time to think since then and it's been so intriguing watching the slow shift in his mindset.

He's everything he's ever been, pretended to be and everything he never was, all bundled up into a ball that he buried deep inside; only when he was free did it all start to unravel.

I adore the examples of humanity you've picked up on tho, all those tiny hints we got that maybe he's not completely devoid of emotion after all... He's still Wyatt, but he's also Kaito too.. he's intelligent, he CAN be kind - to the right people, tho he definitely struggles with empathy - he's jealous, possessive, ambitious, confident, not confident at all 😆 he doesn't know, actually.. maybe we should check back in on him in a little while lmao

Hurray for the truly grey man!

Also.. I kinda started putting together a lil timeline of posts/moments that I thought were pivotal to his slow lil journey but this is long af as is so I'll work on that and post it separately 👀

[a-caterpillars-world]

So. I finished Homestuck.

Reading Homestuck in 2024, over a decade since it started, was definitely an experience. There was a lot that i was spoiled for, but a lot that took me by surprise, even though "spoilers" are just about everywhere. I'm glad I was able to go in blind, there's a lot that wouldn't have felt nearly as impactful had i known about it beforehand. I'm not great at just directionless rambling, so I'll organize it in the form of an FAQ of a sort, under a read more since I'm expecting this to be a longer post.

Did you enjoy yourself?

Honestly, yes. I know Homestuck has a kind of negative reputation, and now that I've finished I can certainly see where it comes from, but even considering all of that I can't say I had a bad time. I think Homestuck has a lot to love, even if there's also a lot to hate. Personally I think there's several elements and characters of Homestuck that deserve a better rep, there was a lot I read that was very funny or very narratively compelling even through all the obvious flaws. I had a good time, I don't regret picking up Homestuck.

Do you plan to read anything else related to Homestuck (eg Homestuck 2)?

Maybe! I'm not entirely sure how much I'm missing out on, or how much the various side stories impact the main canon. If one of them seems particularly interesting to me, I'll look into it, but right now I'm good. I'm not even entirely sure how deep the Homestuck rabbit hole goes, though I suppose I could look it up and find out for myself.

Do you have any favorites/what do you think about [character]?

This is a hard question to answer, as Homestuck is a series with a loooot of characters to talk about. If you want to know a more in-depth opinion on your favorites, send me an ask! I love conversation and even since I started my liveblog I've been open to asks being sent in even if we've never spoken. Maybe I'll make a tierlist to organize my favorites, that could be fun.

Should I read Homestuck?

It depends. Homestuck can be a very good and interesting story at times, but a lot of what makes it a great story is hidden behind layers of questionable-at-best humor and casual ableism. I think if you can approach it as it is and understand the flaws inherent to it, it's definitely worth at least checking out. And then if it isn't for you, then it isn't for you, but it did end up being for me so take it as you will. Even if you're just looking at it as a part of internet and webcomic history, I think it's not a waste of time to give it a read. Via the downloadable archive though, not the browser version. Homestuck suffered greatly from the death of Flash, so it's best to read on a version that can better support all the unique elements it utilized without much risk of it crapping out on you (like it did to me, in several key points including the finale.) I also recommend reading with a friend, preferably one who's read Homestuck before so you can talk about things as they come up naturally.

Final thoughts

Homestuck is a fascinating piece of internet history. It's a near-perfect capture of the humor and culture of the late 2000s and early 2010s, largely dependent on a web service that is now entirely defunct. Were it not for the actions of archivists and fans, it's entirely likely we could've lost massive chunks of an incredible piece of webcomic and fandom history. It certainly isn't for everyone, its flaws have been talked about with regularity by essayists and internet historians with the whole spectrum of opinions on it. Even with its flaws, though, it still puts together a quite lovely story, with several compelling characters and scenes that grab your attention and hold it tight. Not only do I not regret reading it, but I completely understand how Homestuck created such a storm of a fandom especially when it was being actively updated. I'm glad I read it, in the end. It brought me a lot of joy in the best moments, and even at the times when I was most frustrated with the story I can't say there was ever a point where it was too much for me. Thank you to everyone who stopped by to check on the liveblog, whether you're one of my friends or a stranger checking in from the Homestuck fandom. It has certainly been an interesting ride, and I'm glad that I got to take it, even if I am in fact several years late to the party. Until next time, everyone!

[icharchivist]

Hi Icha!! I haven’t been able to read your liveblogs bc spoilers. What do you think of Veilguard so far? You loving it?

Some of my friends have said it has kinda crappy writing so I’m a bit worried, but others have said it rocks. I’m curious your thoughts on it 👀 on the writing and story from a fan perspective!

oh god, hi! hey!

Ofc, i put it under spoilers for this exact reasons so don't worry about it ^^

Personally i really love it. For /me/ personally it works like a charm, i adore the characters, the plot is pretty engaging, i think the roleplay is really cool, and i can't not adore it when it basically confirms all the theories i've had for ever lmao

for some more details

if it's like, "crappy writing" about how things are said or why they're said (basically content vs theme), i think the themes have been extremely tight and consistant so far and it sets my brain on fire. In term of "do you think the characters are cringe/the plot badly structured" that will be up to you on that one. I'm blinded by the lit major of "if it's thematically consistant i'm so in it". That said i still am far from finishing the game so i don't know if it carries to the finish line.

also i don't think the characters are cringe or talk badly or anything like that, but also take it as a layer of "i'm not an english native and i have always heard people say things i found cool were cringe mostly due to the language barrier" so who knows

I really love them though, the themes that unite them together are some of my favorite themes in fiction and it's been making my heart burst. Again, very personal. very "tailored for me."

I really love the gameplay and the exploration is really so much fun. Again it caters to Me in particular because a lot of the things they decide to explore are things i wanted to see more of.

The story itself is fun and i was legit speculating some of the major elements of it for years, so the vindication takes over everything for me lmao (overanalysis wins!) so to me it works out.

I really only have one issue with the game so far and it's that it has difficulties with what is carried over from the prev games (which doesn't happen a lot, but some things did make me raise some eyebrows)(except Solas but that's another point). I know a lot of people who really just want back the "feeling the consequences of my past actions" will be doomed to be disappointed. I am a little, but i am so content with the new stuff that i'm cool with that.

I think also whether you like or hate Solas will also play a lot on your enjoyment of the game because the game goes really hard in trying to make you relate to him. a huge win for me, most normal Solas fan, but i can certainly imagine that if you don't care much for him this will be complicated.

Ironically my other issue is that i think it would deserve a little more of a bite? like, no one is really mean, even me playing an elf in Tevinter has only my character talking about how tough it is without feeling it at all. The companions are all precious and they get along well, and i like that! but i do miss not having a massive bitch just being mean for the sake of being mean in the party. LIKE DONT GET ME WRONG there's The Horrors, but i'm not talking about "horrifying stuff" bad, i mean "losing 10 approval with one companion because you said "can i help" to someone" type of bite.

oh wait, third issue: less codex entries. It's a crime against me, the bitch who has all the codex on pdf form to read as light reading. but i think that's also just a me thing.

I also think a part of the enjoyment can be judged by whether or not you read Tevinter Nights, because a LOOOOT of characters from Tevinter Nights come back for the game without exactly lengthy introductions later on. Which i think would come off as bad writing for people who haven't read the books because suddenly you have those people with already set dynamic just talking to each other around you without really knowing what's up.

but since i read TN, i love seeing all of them back, and it gets into what i really love about the game that i was really lacking in DAI in particular, is the fact it really feels like everyone has a life outside of you. They have their own histories between one another you haven't been privy to and it adds up.

(and yeah in general i think it's like. If you read TN and liked it, you'll like the game. If you read TN and didn't like it, you probably won't like the game. if you didn't read TN take your gamble.)

also my main recommandation is to not just speed fast travel from one place to the next while barely stopping by the HQ. there's limited-time cutscenes and conversations in the HQ that can unlock when you go there and they help so much making the world feel this alive.

Like i genuinely don't get how some people are already done with the game when there's legit so much that keeps unlocking if you do other things than the main quest itself yaknow

To me it's a step up from dai and DA2 in all the ways that matters. It does however kinda mix both of those vibes so i think like. if you didn't like dai/da2 the game may be rough. It still has some elements that do really remind of Origins though.

I still need to see if it sticks the landing but as of now, i genuinely couldn't be happier with the game.

But well that's my POV as someone who's fav game already was more DAI than DAO (i adore DAO to pieces of course but it doesn't feed my brainworms nearly as much) and who was already in a position to be receptive to the game because i did The Homework:tm:

I know you're more fan of Origins so i genuinely can't tell you just how much you'd appreciate it

but yeah personally

👍 having a blast

[unhingedlesbear]

MARK ESSAY! BIGASS MARK POST!!!

A lot of y’all already know I love Mark. Bro isn’t even my favourite SMG character but he’s also currently the one I feel the strongest about simply because I don’t see anyone else literally anywhere willing to defend him. Emily and Emma don’t need me rn y’all they have fandoms but THIS is a job for ur girl only it seems (woop woop) so I wrote this essay about why he deserves more recognition and less hate from the fans. I can’t promise it’s very well written bc I wrote it from like 2-4am and I haven’t exactly proofread but whateverrr.

LONG FUCKING POST AHEAD

A common thing I ALWAYS see from Mark haters is that he’s “boring” or “dull” compared to the others. While it’s true that his personality isn’t quite as distinct or individual as the other four, is that not… literally one of the aspects of his character? That he follows what the people around him do rather than voicing his own thoughts and opinions? It’s literally a part of his character so I don’t see the issue with him usually just falling behind Charlie or Kate for example, because it makes sense to me that he’d do that.

 People often argue that he’s “too nice” and doesn’t have enough flaws. Why is that an issue when it comes to Mark when the same could be said about characters like Salim or Sam who are infinitely more loved? I also really like Sam and Salim but for the sake of this argument I’ll point out a few flaws in the fact that people seem to think they’re significantly more interesting than Mark. You can argue that it’s because of Salim’s arc with Jason, but that’s the arc more than the character himself. Really Salim doesn’t have any real flaws at all and isn’t all that deep of a character, as likeable as he is. And people have said it’s because of his action scenes, but I’ll get to that point about Mark later. With Sam, similar things can be said. Point mainly is, the idea that Mark is boring because he’s “too nice and lacks flaws” doesn’t really make sense if you’re not consistent with it when it comes to other characters too.

Something that @108garys pointed out that I agree sm with is that a lot of people tend to ignore the relatability of his character. I feel like I can especially talk about this one as Mark is one of the SMG characters I relate to most, possibly even more than Brad. With characters like Kate or Erin, it’s easy to relate to them because of their anxieties, and you see a lot more people admitting to relating to that where you don’t with Mark. He relies on other peoples opinions rather than his own, doesn’t like making decisions and can end up passing up opportunities that are better for him because of it. You can see in his interactions with usually Kate or Charlie that if they disagree with him about something, it doesn’t take much for him to step back and agree with them because that’s just how he is. I don’t know about other people but I find all that to be extremely relatable so I wanted to point that out as probably one of the reasons I ended up so attached to him in the first place. 

Another think I see him hated for is because of his plot armour. Now this would be fair coming from someone who just hates all forms of plot armour but I see a loooot of inconsistency with this one. Out of all SMG characters with plot armour, Mark’s is a rare case that actually makes sense in the plot. Du’met had specifically selected Mark to be the next ferryman, of course he wasn’t going to kill him. I’m going to use Mike from UD as a comparison but a lot of this can apply to the other plot armour characters too. If you want actual plot armour, Mike is a perfect example. Where through TDIM, Mark isn’t actually in danger of death in most of his scenes (The only exception is when he and Charlie are crossing over that beam, in that case I definitely think he should have been able to die there but this is aside from that) Mike is put in dangerous situations where he can’t die SOLELY because of plot armour. Du’met isn’t trying to kill Mark, he’s trying to contain him which he does in fact do if he captures him. The Ws in UD are actively trying to kill Mike and yet never actually do, for no plot related reasons at all, just because the game doesn’t want Mike to die yet. Another thing that’s different about these two cases is what happens when both characters lose their plot armour during the respective climaxes. In the climax of UD, Mike has ONE singular death and that’s it. Once he can die, he can only do so in one way. With Mark, he has the most death opportunities in the climax out of anyone. Du’met targets him during the entire fight. By default, Charlie and Erin have single QTEs to survive the end, Jamie has one choice, and Kate (Or Jamie/Erin if they’re the second to last instead of her) can only die if Mark is killed. Once Du’met is pinning Mark over the axe, it literally takes one fuck up to get him killed from that point on. I know I used Mike for this argument but similar things can be said about others like Jason, Salim and Nick. Mark is one of the only characters whos plot armour makes sense and yet I see his get shit on far more than any of the other examples when so many of those are worse.

(This part is a bit more of a ramble about his role in the story and relation to Du’met than anything. Bear with.) Anyway another point I need to point out is that people really have no business acting like Mark is somehow unimportant when he literally has the most personal conflict with the antagonist?? So for starters, Mark was specifically targeted by Du’met, and I’d argue has the most personal conflict with the guy. He was the only one that ever could have worked for ultimatum (It would have to be a man making the call, and Charlie doesn’t really care enough about any of the others for it to work with him.) So he’s at the centre of Du’met’s entire game, and I’ve always felt that the fight on the boat feels kinda personal for this reason, because Du’met would honestly have such a hatred for him by that point now that I think about it. Du’met had this entire plan that he thought would go smoothly and time and time again Mark actively fucks it up for him. He breaks through Kate’s window in breathless, and right after that in workshop he ends up avoiding the cage he was supposed to fall into. After that he’s the first to escape the hotel, and next time he runs into Du’met they fight. By this point, sure Du’met is still not trying to kill Mark, but he chooses to attack Mark when he could easily just chloroform him as usual. Something about the way he fights Mark here makes me think he probably had a personal hatred of him at this point. Assuming qtes are failed, he’s out here stomping on the guy, hitting him with an axe handle, literally picking him up and throwing him and kicking him in the ribs while he’s down. And we know he’s not trying to actually kill him here so that whole thing screams anger or frustration more than anything. Then on the boat later, he targets Mark the entire time. (plus the way he deliberately shows Mark, and Mark only, his face definitely makes it feel more personal imo) He’ll spend half the fight trying to shove Mark into an axe, the whole time just swiping off Kate/Jamie/Erin when they try to save him. And out of everyone, Mark is the only one who can directly kill Du’met. (at least until he’s revived) Also this is just the boat ending. Ultimatum is a whole new thing. He literally is forced to work for Du’met to continue the cycle. So when a character has this obvious (to me at least) of a personal conflict with the main antagonist, you’d think the fandom would do more with that, since they seem to do it with other characters, but then I remembered it’s Mark and nobody thinks about Mark </3

(This entire thing I realise can be used as Du’mark propaganda. It’s not exactly what I was going for with it but fuck it, it is because it was things like this that made me point out the ignored potential of that dynamic in the first place. You can’t tell me people wouldn’t go wild if things like this happened with like… anyone else.) 

So I find it weird that people seem to not really do anything with any of this? For example, ultimatum is such a horribly amazing concept, and it specifically involves Mark at the centre of it, and yet on the rare occasion I’ve found an ultimatum fic, it never involves Mark. I’m being so fr rn, until 108garys posted their recent ultimatum fic I’d never seen an ultimatum fic with Mark. Lemme repeat that there were ultimatum fics, but no ultimatum fics with Mark. How tf r u gonna have an ULTIMATUM fic and exclude the ultimatum guy???? There’s also people who think he didn’t adopt Connieeee guys wtfff literally whooo else can he have one thing omg omggggg😭😭

Sorry got a bit unhinged there at the end but look whos living up to the name <3 anyway yeah as Mark’s no.1 fan😍 this post was always gonna happen. I jus think he deserves a lil bit more credit yk??? 🥱

Anyway gonna tag @queerkearney in this bc the whole idea came from our chats I love our chats <3

[decepti-thots]

Minimus for the villain ask meme!

Fun fact: no less than THREE people immediately asked for Minimus, ahaha. I am therefore going to give… well, one option and two bonuses, not really three answers, but yknow.

Option one: so I actually think in some ways, Minimus is one of the easiest main-cast-member in the MTMTE/LL cast to put into this role! That might sound counterintutive. But the crux of Remain in Light revolves around him having had extremely close ties with that arc's main villain this entire time. If you change it so that prior to the big reveal about his ultimate plans, Minimus gets back in touch with Tyrest and is persuaded that Rodimus and his crew are a dangerous liability that need to be prevented from doing further damage… my thought here is that when the LL gets stranded without comms, whatever weird tech Tyrest outfitted the Magnus armour with is powerful enough to make contact, and Minimus reaches out for help. And is told that in lieu of being able to just arrest the lot of them and bring the Lost Light back (since they're stranded), Magnus' role as Enforcer is to do silent damage control, ensure none of Rodimus' big plans come to fruition, and wait for an opportunity to arrange pick-up by Tyrest and his lot for arrest.

Without the very extreme circumstances we see in Remain in Light- the mistreatment of prisoners, the 'built my own army' thing, the abuse, the reveal of Tyrest's eventual plan for mass murder and his overall emotional instability- I think Minimus would squash down basically any uneasiness and Do His Job. He does know how to question authority when it tells him to do things he knows to be immoral… but it takes a loooot to get to that point, and I truly think he'd wave away his doubts for the opportunity to have a defined role and orders to follow as an Enforcer again. Tyrest shows up and Rodimus and the crew get handed over, and THEN you have Minimus trapped in a sunk-cost fallacy where he can't admit Tyrest is in fact clearly acting in the wrong and abusing his power, so he keeps going along with it. Minimus is a character I can very, very easily see taking on a role showcasing how 'good intentions' when it comes to morality can enable very bad things, not because of any particular malice or evil in the person doing them, but just because they hand over the issue of morality to big, impersonal structures they put too much trust in.

Bonus one: Magnus goes along with the mutiny. This was a literal proposed plot at one point, lmao. I maintain that Magnus' insecurity and remaining dissatisfaction with the post-Megatron captaincy situation (both of them!), combined with Getaway's canon ability to play people dealing with feelings of inadequacy like a fiddle, makes this completely plausible. I can a hundred percent imagine him as Getaway's muscle and backing in the mutiny arc, tbh.

Bonus two: not reeeeally a 'villain' take on it in itself, but I'm linking this old post I made about an AU where Minimus originally joined as a Decepticon anyway.