#but it's definitely more complicated than that. GUN is more morally gray in the games

[movie-robotnik-positivity]

Shadow's relationship with G.U.N is interesting. He doesn't seem to hold any resentment towards them and will even work with them if it helps his goal, but he also won't hesitate to go against them if they become an obstacle.

Commander Tower overlooks Shadow's trangressions as a way of paying him back for saving the world, but also because he's the only other living person who understands his grief.

[giantchasm]

Character Ask Game:

Susie 1, 7, 8, 23, and 26 (free question is, who would she hate the most out of the other dream friends?)

Taranza 2, 5, 7, 8, and 23

Marx 22, 26 (free question is, who would be his favorite prank target?)

Apologies if this is too many in one ask.

SUSIE:

1. Why do you like or dislike this character?

Why WOULDN'T I like Susie? She's my special girl. Honestly, the story of how I really fell for her is kind of funny TBH. When I first got into the fandom, even after playing Robobot, I didn't pay her TOO much mind. I gave her some thought, especially in the context of my Underworld Friends AU and her father's history with her, but it was nowhere near the levels of brainrot I have now.

But then one day something just kind of... clicked for me. I was like "Hey! Taranza (Who I was also not that invested in at the time) and Susie have pretty similar stories. I bet they'd make really good friends. I should write something about that!"

And so I did. (Although I never technically finished it). And I got super invested in those two, both as individuals and as a duo. It's interesting just how intertwined my love for them is. They're characters I got invested in simultaneously. I was a Taranza & Susie fan before I was a Taranza or Susie fan, and I think that's fun.

But of course, with time, I've come to actually love both characters more in an individualized context. That was just the thing that initially instigated the madness for me.

I love the tragedy to Susie's story. I love her complicated backstory and her even more complicated relationship with her father. I love all of the weird body horror cybernetics stuff I can explore with her and just how easy it is to depict her brain as like... exceptionally weird. I love the fact that she retains some whimsy even despite the horrors. I love the fact that she's one of the only Kirby characters with a gun.

I tend to have a soft spot for morally gray female characters who a lot of people have a weird distaste for, so I was always probably going to love her TBH. It's just in my nature.

7. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like?

I answered this one in another ask, so have this GIF of Susie posing cutely over the word "Fatherless" instead of an actual answer.

8. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you despise?

I could give the obvious answer of "people are way too hard on her and while I understand some discomfort considering the themes of Robobot people definitely interpret her as way more evil and irredeemable than the relatively lighthearted, ultimately hopeful children's' game series ever intended," but that feels like too much of a copout, so let me talk about something else people to.

Or... don't do, I guess?

I hate hate hate when people like... make Wave 3 friend group content and leave her out then slot like... Marx or whoever in instead. Like I know there's no technical canonical friendship between pretty much any Kirby characters, and therefore there's not an actual dynamic between her, Magolor and Taranza people are Ignoring, but all the same it feels like there can be a deliberate attempt from people to avoid wanting to include Susie in their content.

And I think I'd feel differently if these people were portraying the Super Popular Male Characters as hanging out with other girls like the Mage Sisters or whoever instead (They're also technically a part of Wave 3, you know!), but they don't. It's not overwhelmingly common, to be clear, but there's definitely still a Thing where people will exclusively focus on male characters and making them interact with each other instead of bothering to incorporate female characters into any of their group dynamics. And I guess that's more of a complaint about wider fandom sexism as a whole than just Susie herself, but... idk, man.

I guess I'm just saying that if the only Kirby characters you're invested in and make content of interacting is the guys because the girls are either all "too evil" like Susie (Is she that evil compared to her peers?) or "too underwritten" like the Mage Sisters and pretty much the rest of the female cast (It's Kirby. Everyone is underwritten), then you probably have some unconscious biases to address and maybe try to rectify. Because I don't like it and it annoys me.

Putting the rest of this under a cut because it became a long post. I am a wordy person.

23. Favorite picture of this character?

I have quite a few, but here are some of my favorites

The BESTIES

#Women

What remains the funniest image on the planet (Susie & Taranza grieving feat. Kirby and the cake a rat stole from him once)

26. Who would she hate the most out of the other Dream Friends?

Mark. His obnoxious whimsy drives her mad.

(Obvious answer aside, I think she also doesn't get along with DMK. And I think she has a very contentious relationship with both the Mage Sisters and Elfilin at first, although she eventually gets over both. (I know Elfilin isn't technically a Dream Friend, but to me he is. He's like... a part of the group, y'know? The only reason why he's not a Dream Friend is Forgotten Land didn't exist at the time Star Allies came out. He's a Dream Friend in all but name.))

TARANZA:

2. Favorite canon thing about this character?

Taranza has approximately two traits in canon, however, I love them both. This guy is INSUFFERABLY pompous, dramatic and prideful, and this guy LOVES HIS EVIL WIFE. He even has a tragic backstory. What more could one possibly ask for?

Also he's just... like, really cute. He has maybe my favorite design in Kirby. That helps too.

7. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like?

As much as I bitched about how some people don't do it earlier in this post, there are just as many people who do utilize the Wave 3 group dynamic to its full potential and it's always some of my absolute favorite Taranza content. Buddy's at his best when he's with his pals.

Also, call me a basic bitch, but I still think the divorce/dead wife jokes are funny. Like... not if overdone/made into all that he is, but in a vacuum? Yeah, that shit's hilarious, sorry.

8. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you despise?

Sanding him down to make him a palpable softboy. I think Taranza is ultimately a good person, but I think he can have an ego sometimes (Yes, even despite his trauma and any insecurities said trauma may have left him with) and can get caught up in things. He's willing to do anything for the people he loves to a dangerous degree, regardless of the harm it causes anyone else. If I see one more person portray him as an innocent victim in Triple Deluxe as opposed to a nuanced, morally gray character I'm going to go outside with a hammer and start smashing tomatoes with a rock. He DESERVES to have flaws.

Also I hate how many people either make his entire personality Sectonia or neglect her importance to him entirely. The latter annoys me more thought because I am famously a #womanhead. It makes me so fucking angry when I see people like... completely ignore his history with her and one-dimensionally reduce her to either his evil abuser or a perfect angel of a love interest he needs to Get Over so he can mash faces with another character they like more. I'm not saying I hate the idea of Taranza moving on, because I don't, but the sheer disrespect most people show Sectonia with the way they write it is like. Staggering. Do better.

23. Favorite picture of this character?

All Taranza images are good Taranza images, but here are some particularly charming ones

This one, which really highlights whatever the hell is wrong with him

World's most precious Muppet creature

And capable of so much unrestrained joy

MARX:

22. If you're a fic reader, what's something you like in fics when it comes to this character? Something you don't like?

I don't actually really read fanfic (I'm more of just a writer), but when it comes to Marx depictions in general, I don't like how most people tend to take him too far in one direction or the other. I feel like people either make him some kind of #lolrandom complete sociopath who only lives to like... exist as a plot device to torture other characters in a way that's exceptionally unfunny or as a sweet, just kind of goofy guy who's not actually that bad, both of which are boring. My favorite Marx depictions portray him as someone who presents himself as a deliberately provocative edgelord but cares deep down and really just wants attention.

26. Who would be his favorite prank target?

Dedede, Bandee, Coo, Susie, Elfilin, and, of course, Kirby, all make excellent targets depending on what exactly he's planning to do.

[fallencomrade-a]

@xiongsi.     »     злючка.

          “  𝐃𝐎 𝐈 𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐊 𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐃?  —————  it would have been easier to work alone;  she had requested       (  DEMANDED  )  it,  but 𝓯𝓾𝓻𝔂 had  𝚘 𝚝 𝚑 𝚎 𝚛  plans.    &&    IT WAS FOOLISH,  given their HISTORY.   zofia feared 𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆;      &&      what 𝕕𝕚𝕕 frighten her lied 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩 within bucky barnes:        𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐎𝐋𝐃𝐈𝐄𝐑.   glazkov was  (  𝖎𝖘  )  hellbent on eliminating her;   &&  he employed HYDRA several times  ——  requesting that they send their 𝓿𝓮𝓻𝔂 𝓫𝓮𝓼𝓽 to do the job.    what the 𝚁𝚄𝚂𝚂𝙸𝙰𝙽 𝙲𝙾𝙼𝙼𝙰𝙽𝙳𝙴𝚁 𝚏̲𝚊̲𝚒̲𝚕̲𝚎̲𝚍̲ to realize was that HE had created someone   (  𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 THING  )   whose survival instincts were untenable    (  𝔩𝔢𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔩  );    && she would do       a n y t h i n g to ensure viability     ————————      𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒊𝒇 𝒊𝒕 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒌𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒉𝒐𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒈𝒐𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒂𝒚.

𝐈𝐓 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐈𝐍𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐓;      surely,     THIS is what he 𝔀𝓪𝓷𝓽𝓮𝓭      ———      someone that could stare death in the eye  &&  tell it to go fuck itself.   𝐁𝐔𝐓,   𝐎𝐇   ——————   how 𝚞̲𝚗̲𝚏̲𝚘̲𝚛̲𝚝̲𝚞̲𝚗̲𝚊̲𝚝̲𝚎̲ for him:  𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍 𝐇𝐘𝐃𝐑𝐀’𝐒 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐈𝐎𝐔𝐒 𝑻𝑹𝑶𝑷𝑯𝒀 𝑨𝑺𝑺𝑨𝑺𝑺𝑰𝑵 could  best her;    though he certainly did try   ——   &&   it would ALMOST be 𝚕̲𝚊̲𝚞̲𝚐̲𝚑̲𝚊̲𝚋̲𝚕̲𝚎̲ if it were not for the f a c t that he 𝓷𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓵𝔂 succeeded.  

          𝒂𝒏 𝒆𝒚𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒏 𝒆𝒚𝒆    (  𝕥𝕠𝕠𝕥𝕙 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕒 𝕥𝕠𝕠𝕥𝕙  ):    it is not  𝚛 𝚎 𝚟 𝚎 𝚗 𝚐 𝚎  she seeks,    but 𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍. she is not confined to her 𝚐̲𝚛̲𝚒̲𝚎̲𝚟̲𝚊̲𝚗̲𝚌̲𝚎̲𝚜̲     —     𝒘𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔;     though her 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 is wearing THIN,  “ я бы сделал больше если бы ты не всегда был в моей заднице при каждом удобном случае.  ”     FIST𝖈𝖑𝖚𝖙𝖈𝖍𝖎𝖓𝖌 at the chest of her 𝕖𝕟𝕖𝕞𝕪;    an 𝓪𝓫𝓻𝓾𝓹𝓽  s h o v e sends him stumbling back    ————    “  wait!please.  ”           𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒃𝒖𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒕 𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒖𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆;           𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 in her 𝚑̲𝚎̲𝚊̲𝚛̲𝚝̲.      it does not 𝚖̲𝚊̲𝚝̲𝚝̲𝚎̲𝚛̲ how LOUD he screams    —    𝕙𝕠𝕨 𝕞𝕦𝕔𝕙 𝕙𝕖 𝕡𝕝𝕖𝕒𝕕𝕤:    𝙸𝚃 𝙸𝚂 𝙵𝚄𝙴𝙻.      &&    if he were  SMART  …  he would keep his 𝓶𝓸𝓾𝓽𝓱 𝓼𝓱𝓾𝓽,  “  𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐏. 𝐓𝐀𝐋𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆.  ”  

𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖗𝖊 𝖎𝖘 𝖆 𝖈𝖔𝖓𝖓𝖊𝖈𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓 𝖙𝖔 𝖇𝖊 𝖒𝖆𝖉𝖊 𝖇𝖊𝖙𝖜𝖊𝖊𝖓 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖙𝖜𝖔;     odea is fully informed of her secrets   —————   &&    it      is  𝚍 𝚊 𝚗 𝚐 𝚎 𝚛 𝚘 𝚞 𝚜.  SHIELD knows nothing of nøkk; 𝚘𝚗𝚕𝚢 what has been released by NATO   && not even 𝚝̲𝚑̲𝚎̲𝚒̲𝚛̲ files have on record that 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕪 are the 𝒔𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏.          𝐈𝐓 𝐈𝐒 𝐀 𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐎𝐅 𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐔𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐘; 𝓹𝓾𝓫𝓵𝓲𝓬 𝓼𝓪𝓯𝓮𝓽𝔂   &&   she CANNOT allow herself to be 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝.  truthfully,   had james not shown up when   he did, odea would be 𝖓𝖔𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖒𝖔𝖗𝖊 than another 𝚍𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚋𝚘𝚍𝚢     &&     she was 𝕊𝕆 ℂ𝕃𝕆𝕊��     ——     𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒖𝒏𝒔𝒖𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒇𝒖𝒍.  &&  𝐍𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐊𝐒 ���𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐔𝐂𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇𝐃𝐎𝐆 𝐅𝐔𝐑𝐘 𝐒𝐓𝐔𝐂𝐊 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇.  

          𝙸𝚃 𝙸𝚂 𝚂𝚃𝙸𝙻𝙻 𝙰 𝙼𝚈𝚂𝚃𝙴𝚁𝚈 how they even found out about him  ———  it makes her 𝚠̲𝚘̲𝚗̲𝚍̲𝚎̲𝚛̲ who LED them on this trail;     𝖘𝖔𝖒𝖊𝖔𝖓𝖊 was clearly trying to oust her    &&      she 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒅𝒐𝒖𝒃𝒕 that the 𝕄𝕆ℝ𝕆ℕ in front of her would use himself as bait 𝓳𝓾𝓼𝓽 𝓽𝓸 𝓼𝓹𝓲𝓽𝓮 𝓱𝓮𝓻,             “  naze anata wa koko ni iru nodesu ka?  ”    𝖋𝖚𝖑𝖑-𝖋𝖔𝖈𝖚𝖘𝖊𝖉;  she NEVER sways eye contact   &&   she 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 to 𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠𝚕𝚎𝚍𝚐𝚎 the  m i l i t a n t𝕡𝕣𝕖𝕤𝕖𝕟𝕔𝕖 lurking over her shoulder despite how 𝒊𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 it is,  “  soreha glazkov,  kare shitte iru.  ”

                “  kare wa nani o shitte imasu ka?  ”                   “  anata ga iru koto nokku.  ”                   “  soshite seikō wa anata no nochi ni kuru SHIELD to kankei shite imasu?  ”                   “  kare wa watashi ga anata ni sorera o michibikanakattara watashinokazoku o korosu to itta.  ”                   “  otōsan ga inai jikanda to omoimasu ka?  ”  

           “  𝐍𝐎!  𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄; i won’t sa  ——  wrist twitching, 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚐𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚛 𝚒𝚜 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚌𝚔; whether he spoke     up or not,   he was 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲.   glazkov is NOT one to leave 𝕝𝕠𝕠𝕤𝕖 𝕖𝕟𝕕𝕤   &&   would have d i s p o s e d     of him the 𝚜̲𝚎̲𝚌̲𝚘̲𝚗̲𝚍̲ he stopped being of 𝒖𝒔𝒆.   at least she spared him some  𝚖 𝚎 𝚛 𝚌 𝚢;   it would have been a  𝓱𝓮𝓵𝓵 𝓸𝓯 𝓪 𝓵𝓸𝓽 𝔀𝓸𝓻𝓼𝓮 if it were ANYONE else.  &&  though it were a split second decision,   there is no guilt       (  ONLY RELIEF  ).  gun lowered   —   at least  now,  this bought her 𝐀 𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐋𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 to find him before SHIELD did.

    &&  𝐒𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐎𝐄𝐒 𝐑𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐈𝐑 𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍;     𝐔𝐍𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐔𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐋𝐘,  𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐘 𝐖𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐀𝐌𝐄 𝐏𝐀𝐆𝐄.

                “  𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐈𝐃𝐍'𝐓 𝐇𝐀𝐕𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐘𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆.  ”  

    𝘋𝘖 𝘐 𝘓𝘖𝘖𝘒 𝘋𝘐𝘚𝘛𝘙𝘈𝘊𝘛𝘌𝘋 ?

     ❛   —— no.  ❜   he  responds  stiffly  from  the  shadows,  pausing  for  a  beat ...   before  taking  a  jab  of  his  own  -  one  that  he  knows  will  leave  a  deep  impression,           especially  coming  from  the  mouth  of  THE  WINTER  SOLDIER.       ❛   you  look  COMPROMISED.  ❜        a  minute  flicker  of  dark  brows,  daring  her  to  disagree  with  his  assessment.  

     THEY SHARE MANY SIMILARITIES.    that  much  is  undeniable.   man - made  WEAPONS  forced  to  do  terrible  things  in  order  to  survive  ;;  BRUTALLY  trained  &&  used  for  the  benefit  of  others.  he  does  not  know  her  entire  history,  but  he  has  obtained  enough  that  he  can  at  least  paint  a  picture.      theirs  is  a  very  common  story   ;;   not  the  first  in  history  to  be  used,  abused  and  weaponized  -  and  certainly  not  the  last.  they  are  good  at  what  they  do  and  what  they  do  is  UGLY,  but  neither  he  nor  bozák  are  the  types  to  flinch  at  what  they  once  were  or  who  they  are  now.            they  have  long  since  accepted  the  garishness  of  their  own  reflections  and  do  not  look  for  PITY  in  the  faces  or  company  of  others.  they  are  both  capable.    they  are  both  useful,  their  talents  highly  sought  after.   &&  they  are  both  very,  very  DANGEROUS.     

     the  difference  that  separate  them  however  places  them  on  two  completely  different  playing  fields.  she  runs  HOT,  as  if  birthed  from  the  magma  of  earth’s  core.   churning,  burning  lava  -  set  to  ERUPT  at  any  notice,   by  even  the  slightest  tectonic  shift.     &&  they  used  to  call  him  VOLATILE.    hydra  had  no  clue.         she  is  governed  by  her  emotions,  regardless  of  her  determination  to  appear  as  if  she  is  anything  but.    it  oozes  from  her  -  this  ignited  INSTABILITY.     anger.  impatience.  arrogance.  contention.  she  simmers  &&  boils  beneath  the  might  of  her  emotions.           ————   where  as  he  is  as  cold  as  ICE.    his  emotions  are  muted,   STAGNATED   -   d i s t a n t .      logic  bests  opinion.     caution  overtakes  curiosity.  ORDER  conquers  chaos.     bozák  may  be  efficient  and  frighteningly  talented,  but  she  is  also  sloppy  and  loud    &&    her  inability  of  self  -  restraint  makes  her  predictable.           her  entire  presence  SCREAMS.  

     THIS MISSION WAS DOOMED FROM THE VERY START   -   the  moment  she  was  assigned  to  it,  and  bucky  is  starting  to  think  that  fury  knew  it  would  end  up  just  like  this,  or  at  least  had  anticipated  that  it  might.  aggravation  rolls  through  him  like  a  storm,  chest  tightening  with  irritation.    it  lives  &&  thrives  inside  of  him,  but  the  only  visible  indication  of  its  existence  is  a  heaving,  heavy  sigh.   when  he  gives  his  debrief,  he  is  going  to  make  a  number  of  things  very  clear  to  the  director.         the  first  and  most  important :  don’t  waste  his  time  on  pointless  missions.  whatever  test  he  is  orchestrating,  barnes  wants  no  part  in  it.  he  can  play  whatever  games  he  wants,  so  long  as  they  do  not  involve  him  or  his  skills.  he  is  a  good  asset  and  a  talented  soldier,  non - existent  to  the  world  with  very  gray  morals.    he  has  very  little  to  complain  about  and  makes  very  few  demands    ;;    he  does  not  consider  himself  to  be  a  very  complicated  person,    but  he  does  not  like  his  time  or  his  energy  or  his  talents  wasted  on  things  that  do  not  concern  him.            

     the  second ?    his  opinion  of  ZOFIA  BOZÁK.     &&  boy,  does  he  have  a  lot  to  say.     the  first  and  foremost  being  that  bozák  is  the  definition  of  a  LIABILITY.          not  only  is  she  not  worth  the  effort  to  keep  on  active  duty  but  she  is  also  a  THREAT  to  every  mission.   she  is  incapable  of  following  orders,  incapable  of  listening  or  working  together  as  a  team.      she  is  sneaky,  slippery  and  self - serving  -  with  missions  of  her  own.  &&  she  is  very  obviously  hiding  something  from  them.  any  resources  granted  to  her  would  only  be  wasted  because  she  would  only  use  them  for  her  own  self   -   gain  and  not  for  the  benefit  of  the  mission.  any  mission  assigned  to  her  would  be  compromised  because  she  has  her  own  objectives  and  if  the  two  did  not  coincide,       she  would  very  clearly  secure  her  own  over  theirs.      he  would  strongly  advise  that  fury  cut  his  loses  and  move  on ...       the  only  reason  barnes  can  postulate  that  fury  keeps  this  girl  around  is  because  having  her  as  an  enemy  is  more  dangerous.           ——  but  enemies  can  be  eliminated.    &&  liabilities  should  be  removed,  without  hesitation. 

    there  is  obviously  a  piece  of  this  puzzle  he  is  missing.  something  bozák  knows  that  fury  does  not.  something  fury  knows  and  is  keeping  secret  from  everyone.  either  way,  james  is  in  the  oust  on  both  sides,  kept  in  the  dark  while  both  attempt  to  pull  &&  pluck  at  his  strings.  he  does  not  have  the  time  nor  the  patience  for  this.  he  ABHORS  mind  games  and  understandably  so.  given  his  past,  he  thought  fury  might  give  him  a  fucking  break.  maybe  this  is  the  other  man’s  idea  of  retaliation,  for  the  attempt  on  his  life.  he  does  not  want  to  jump  through  hoops.  he  wants  to  complete  his  missions.  that  should  be  enough  of  an  incentive  for  fury  to  utilize  his  talents  appropriately  and  not  waste  his  time.   he  will  make  it  clear  though,  upon  his  return.   this  is  the  first  and  last  time  he  is  to  be  paired  together  with  this  particular  agent.     THEY DO NOT MESH WELL.

     she  bites  back  at  him  with  her  vulgar  tongue,  but  the  barb  fails  to  pull  a  reaction  from  the  cold  man,  his  composure  maintained.    the  soldier  stares,  unimpressed  &&  bored  by  the  melodrama.   his  previous  assumption  has  proven  accurate.  he  was  smart  to  mistrust  her  and  her  intentions.  if  he  had  arrived  when  he  was  supposed  to,  odea  would  already  be  dead.  it  is  apparent  in  the  VIOLENCE  of  her  handling.  the  female  had  no  intention  of  questioning  their  target.  so,  the  question  stems  -  why  is  she  so  desperate  to  secure  his  silence ?  what  does  this  man  know  that  she  wants  to  keep  hidden ?  there  is  a  flare  of  curiosity,  he  must  admit  -  but  it  is  muted  like  every  other  emotion  trapped  inside  of  him  and  it  is  not  strong  enough  for  him  to  pursue.               finally,  they  have  reached  their  mission  objective.   secure  odea.   radio  contact.   rendezvous  and  debrief.      from  here,  it  is  all  so  very  simple.  they  are  so  close  to  mission  completion ...       

     𝙶𝙻𝙰𝚉𝙺𝙾𝚅...    it  produces  a  reaction.   brows  dip,  furrowing  with  thought  -  eyes  flickering  down  to  the  concrete  floor  in  tandem.     for  a  half  second,  he  becomes  distracted  as  mind  chases  after  that  name,  which  echoes  across  the  dark  outer  edges  of  his  subconscious.      a  memory  exists  -  one  attached  to  that  name  -  and  it  is  not  a  happy  one.        somewhere  beneath  the  ice  and  blood,  there  runs  a  link  which  connects  glazkov  with  the  winter  soldier.          he  knows  it  is  there,  somewhere  inside  his  head,  painting  his  GRISLY  past,    but  his  mind  is  too  DAMAGED  to  bridge  the  gaps  and  too  weak  to  grab  hold  and  pull  it  into  the  light.    his  throat  tightens,  choking.    breath  held,  burning  in  his  lungs.  aside  from  the  minuscule  shifting  of  his  focus,  his  composure  does  not  break.  he  has  perfected  this  art,  of  STOICISM   -   and  over  the  years  had  learned  to  use  it  to  his  advantage.    hydra  believed  him  to  be  empty - headed  -  the  wipes  rendering  him  BRAINDEAD  -  and  thus  were  careless  with  their  words.  so  many  people  brimming  with  arrogance,    enjoying  the  sound  of  their  own  voice.               there  is  great  opportunity  in  silence,  in  ANONYMITY.    to  simply  listen  could  prove  to  be  the  most  dangerous  &&  greatest  weapon.    

     despite  his  composure,   there  is  an  undeniable  lick  of  panic  and  heightening  frustration.   he  hates  this  feeling  -  suddenly  exposed  to  the  pitfalls  of  his  own  mind,   his  own  memories  -  knowing  that  the  answers  he  needs  exist  somewhere  inside  his  own  head,   but  being  unable  to  recover  them ...    it  will  take  time  and  tremendous  effort  to  pluck  each  one  free  from  the  barbed  wire  tangled  around  his  mind,  james  knows  this.     he  understands  the  way  his  damaged  brain  works  and  why  it  behaves  the  fucked  up  way  it  does,  but  understanding  does  not  ease  frustration.             too  many  things  which  exist  in  his  past,    too  many  things  he  does  not  know  about  ...         and  it  always  leaves  him  feeling  exposed  &&  vulnerable.  he  repeats  the  name  inside  his  mind,  commits  it  to  memory  and  makes  note  to  follow  up  on  it  later.  for  now,  there  is  nothing  he  can  do  but  grit  his  teeth  and  maintain  composure.

     with  aggrieved  realization,  barnes  recognizes  that  glazkov  and  bozák  are  connected ...   and  this  is  disagreeable  because  if  there  exists  a  link  between  glazkov  and  the  winter  soldier,  there  is  a  potential  that  a  link  also  exists  connecting  himself  to  bozák.     &&  god,  he  hopes  not.      he  wants  to  be  rid  of  bozak’s  story.  he  FEARS  he  may  have  just  fallen  deeper  into  it ... 

     their  target  is  dead  seconds  later,  the  gunshot  muffled  in  part  to  her  silencer.  it  does  not  soften  the  sound  of  odea’s  heavy  body  smacking  against  the  ground.      ——  he  feels  the  pull,  the  sickening  tug  of  TIME.          the  chain  of  events  which  lead  him  from  then  to  here ...          carefully  planned  outcomes  violently  shifted,  the  future  shaped  by  hands  which  are  not  his  own.  deviation  from  the  expected  and  now ...  the  FALLOUT.          for  a  moment,  the  soldier  is  as  still  as  DEATH  itself,  eyes  as  dark  and  as  treacherous  as  the  ABYSS  -  boring  into  her.    she  is  quick  to  dismiss  his  anger,  brushing  him  off  with  a  child’s  pretension  and  some  poorly  fabricated  rebuttal  which  they  both  know  is  a  complete  LIE.   she  pretends  like  it  does  not  matter ...       cavalier  when  she  is  knows  how  IMPORTANT  mission  objectives  are  to  him.  he  does  not  expect  her  to  care,  of  course  not  -  but  the  least  she  can  do  is  SPARE  HIM the  piteous,  lazy  attempts  at  commentary  ...  he  does  not  need  her  MOCKERY.   it  does  little  to  quell  the  heat  of  his  temper.        &&  he  does  have  one.        she  should  pray  she  never  unleashes  it ... 

     BLOOD  POOLS  across  the  floor,   stretching  from  the  bullet  wound,   odea’s  brain  matter  and  skull  fragments  scattered  around  his  head  like  a  macabre  halo.  dying  before  their  eyes,  the  intel  they  were  sent  here  to  retrieve.   he  does  not  move.   he  does  not  breath.      she  has  come  here  to  do  what  she  aimed  to  do  from  the  very  start  and  now  that  she  is  done,            zofia  disregards  him  and  her  act  of  DEFIANCE  with  a  contemptuous  side  glance.  as  she  turns  to  leave,  barnes’  eyes  slide  away  from  her  and  onto  the  corpse  of  odea  instead.   

     so  many  people  brimming  with  arrogance,  enjoying  the  sound  of  their  own  voice.     there  is  great  opportunity  in  silence,  in  ANONYMITY.   to  simply  listen  could  prove  to  be  the  most  dangerous  && greatest  weapon.     

     he  does  not  allow  her  to  get  far.      

    ❛  NøKK.  ❜   the  name  echoes  off  the  walls,  LOUD  against  the  sudden  silence.  &&  for  the  first  time  that  night,  it  is  his  opportunity  to  sound  pretentious.  they  both  know,  if  nothing  else  -  even  if  she  did  manage  to  silence  odea,  cutting  them  off  from  obtaining  the  information  shield  was  after  -  he  was  still  able  to  gather  this  one,  small  piece  of  intel.    at  the  moment,  james  is  unaware  how  VITAL  the  single  piece  of  information  is,   but  he  has  it  now    -    and  he  will  use  it  as  a  weapon  if  he  needs  to.   flinty  eyes  flicker  away  from  odea  and  land  like  knives  between  her  shoulder blades.       there  is  a  flicker  of  curiosity  which  rumbles  softly  inside  of  him,  but  more  than  anything  -  it  is  IRRITATION  that  fuels  him.  ANGER  incited  by  mission  failure.  he  wants  to  shake  her  the  same  way  she  has  shaken  him  ;;  wants  to  dig  into  her  skin  just  as  she  has  slithered  beneath  his  own.  he  wants  to  make  her  PAY.  this  single  name,  NøKK  is  his  way  of  doing  so.  

     HE  DIDN’T  HAVE  ANYTHING.       funny.       eyes  return  to  the  corpse  at  his  feet  and  for  the  first  time,  the  GHOST  takes  a  step  out  into  the  light,     side  -  stepping  and  circling  around  the  dead  man.  he  makes  the  comment,  sounding  pleasantly  conversational.    ❛  seems  like  he  had  more  than  perhaps  even  fury  presumed ...  ❜      his  boot  comes  forward,  pressing  against  odea’s  shoulder,  kicking  him  over  onto  his  back.  barnes  stares  down  at  glossed  over,  dead  eyes  -  unperturbed.       

    he  fires  his  question,  and  hopes  it  shatters  through  her  like  a  bullet.  

          ❛  WHO  IS  NøKK ?  ❜        eyes  flash  dangerous,  from  corpse  to  agent. 

[0xa00001]

james is big on the idea of choice. I use the words "has to" in reference to his decision to start up his cell of dedsec, but the fact is it was always a choice. “has to” is passive; it implies nothing could be done to prevent the outcome of the situation. but choosing is taking deliberate action, owning your decision and whatever consequences that follow. ownership of his choices is how james maintains his independence in a life pathetically devoid of it for so long, and it's also why james cannot be forced to do a single goddamn thing he doesn't want to— because james refuses to be held accountable for actions he did not choose to take. if his plan goes wrong, that's fine; that's his plan. he'll own the mistake and the disaster that results. 

as a result, he has very little patience for people who are quick to blame others, or quick to say I had no choice. because in james' mind, there is always a choice. the choice might be hard, it may be dangerous, but the choice is still there and needs to be made. choosing to not act is still an act of choosing in and upon itself, and james sees inaction in the face of evil as tantamount to evil itself.

(there's wiggle room there, of course; some people are well and truly fucked over by others. james would never blame a victim of abuse for being unable to leave, for instance, so it's a little more gray than he likes to think. but the abuser? they absolutely choose to be like that, and james will choose to destroy them.)

this emphasis accountability carries over into members of dedsec and, more importantly, dedsec's targets. because those people have made the decision to value their goals over other people, and they choose to hurt people to accomplish those goals. and that's just it: they choose to hurt people, and dedsec loves nothing more than stripping power from people who knowingly abuse it. they could have used it to help, but they did this instead.

the words emblazoned on their digital epitaph are this: you did this to you.

so when james says I had to start dedsec, that's not entirely what he means. because james park always has and always will play a game of calculated risks, weighing lives, assets, and information against the complications and benefits of any move he makes. james is contingencies stacked on contingencies, a plan for pretty much every outcome— because he can't predict everything, try as he might— with costs carefully considered. decisions are made deliberately, and improvising when plan goes to shit is something he struggles with for a long time. in those early years in the yakuza james bluffs, acts like he has his shit together just long enough to catch himself and get back on track, but nothing will ever frustrate him more than being in a situation he didn't anticipate. that heavy emphasis on accountability comes back to bite him: because if james believes by necessity he chooses everything that happens to him, then when he's put in a situation he doesn't like, that must have also been his choice. he missed something. he didn't account for something. a refusal to let others control his life means he thinks everything bad that happens is also his own doing, even if it's not. because of course it's never that cut and dry.

and so dedsec too is a calculated risk. but this one scares him— scares him more than any do or die plan ever has, scares him more than staring down the barrel of a gun, because it's not the cold math of assets and income. this math is moral, this is the math of doing the right thing, and how is he supposed to weigh the systems he's surrounded himself with to protect him and the people he's grown to trust against the idea of making real, true change in the world? people who he knows by definition will become targets of the thing he's leaving them behind to create? people he knows have more power than him, and he’s unsure if he could beat if it came down to it?

it scares him because he cares now, and cares enough that the thought of death is no longer an impediment. scares him too because isn't he one of those monsters he's now seeking out to destroy? for the first time he feels unworthy and, worse, he feels unworthy of a goal he himself chose to try and accomplish.

and it's not that james doesn't think it'll work. he wouldn't do it if that wasn't the case. but it's that he realizes the severity of what he's giving up, how the plan he's going for is idealistically naive at best and downright suicidal at worst— and how he feels, despite the fact that he knows this will kill him, that he's going to do it regardless.

well, it's better than dying for someone else's profit, anyway.

james believes the world can be a better place. look at what he operates under for years, the power struggles, the ruthlessness of the yakuza. he sat quietly for years while he burned from the inside out about how little these people care beyond their own status and profit— how even james didn't care, for a while, beyond control and security— and will step over countless others to attain them. from the very beginning the thought this is wrong grew under james' skin, fed by rage and impotence, until it became a tumour so large ignoring it was a greater task than doing something about it.

and maybe that's what was truly terrifying about it to him— the fact that, for the first time in his life, james felt like he had to do something. and that thing he had to do was throw away literally everything he had ever known and chase the idea of good.

it may be the wrong decision, but fuck it, it's mine.

[traitor-boyfriend]

I always thought that Kyle spoke out more (in comparison to Wendy). He speaks out against Cartman significantly more so than Wendy does, and gives speeches when it's risky to do so (end of season 19, in a room full of guns no less that could of easily turned on him). I think Kyle's morals are also more rigid than Wendy's as well. Wendy shot a women into the sun simply because of jealousy, and lied to viewers about Smurfs in order to one-up Cartman. I think she's actually more cunning than Kyle

i understand where you’re getting that kyle speaks out more than wendy, and that was one point i made that i was a little iffy on, but i think it’s a matter of scale; you see infinitely more of kyle than you do of wendy, and almost every wendy-centric episodes revolves around her fighting some real or perceived injustice. she’s very vocal. bringing cartman into it also complicates it b.c one of their uniting shared characteristics is that both kyle and wendy despise cartman, and they’re both two people he’s very easily able to goad anger out of. i still maintain that kyle is slightly more likely than wendy to let something slide off his back. when you observe the way he interacts specifically with cartman, he doesn’t always flip at one of his insults especially if it’s just in passing. kyle also is less likely to speak out against other background characters like mr. garrison or some other authority figure as well as speaking against general situations that she deems unacceptable where often kyle remains passive or silent -- that goes more to wendy. so while we see more of kyle speaking his mind b.c we see more of him, i still believe wendy generally is more forthright in expressing her opinion (esp when it isn’t wanted)

i’d have to disagree w the second point almost entirely -- except for labeling wendy as more cunning than kyle, which is something i definitely think is true and largely what i meant by first calling wendy more manipulative. i think ‘cunning’ more accurately fits what i meant by that. but while kyle is pretty obviously the most moral of the main boys, there are a lot of instances where kyle turns on a dime if 1.) there is something he wants to get/have happen to him if he does or 2.) it will keep him out of trouble, specifically w his mother. kyle isn’t infallible and he’s susceptible to selfishness like everyone else. i think, again, it’s a matter of scale as you see instances of this w kyle more than you do wendy. few examples would be:

 - good times with weapons; kyle initially panics and agrees with cartman’s plan to kill butters b.c he’s afraid of what his mother will do to him, still goes along with the plan to disguise butters as a dog and take him to the vet despite knowing it’s wrong

- crack baby athletic association; don’t think i really need to go into detail about how amoral the entire plot of this episode is (also feel it was incredibly ooc for kyle but! still there)

- freak strike; kyle is just as eager as stan and cartman to use butters to get him on maury and exploit the othering of disabled people b.c they’ll receive a prize

there’s more but those are the first few that come to mind

i deliberately left out the mention of ms. ellen w wendy b/c it takes place so early in the show when wendy wasn’t much else other than stan’s girlfriend and their decision to use that ep as an opportunity to play her up as the Jealous Harpie Chick when it’s not really at all who wendy is now, despite the fact that she does get quite jealous and defensive of her relationship w stan. and in the smurfs episode -- was wendy -actually- in the wrong though? it touches on that morally gray area in which you have to ask when the ends justify the means; wendy understood that cartman took the platform solely to spite her and wouldn’t relent, so she plays his game to usurp him which really is for the greater good. that’s why i think ‘cunning’ is more an astute observation about wendy. whereas kyle for the most part simply tries to directly counteract cartman’s schemes in archetypal good vs evil fashion, wendy will indulge him in order to manipulate the situation to her own (and everyone else’s) benefit

[hubakon1368]

#honestly GUN is a pretty interesting and complex entity especially under Tower #I don't like how fans disregard this nuance and make them purely evil to vent their frustrations against the real world military #I get it I really do #but it's definitely more complicated than that. GUN is more morally gray in the games

Preserving @movie-robotnik-positivity's tags

Shadow's relationship with G.U.N is interesting. He doesn't seem to hold any resentment towards them and will even work with them if it helps his goal, but he also won't hesitate to go against them if they become an obstacle.

Commander Tower overlooks Shadow's trangressions as a way of paying him back for saving the world, but also because he's the only other living person who understands his grief.