#for the sake of keeping a plot-twist alive but...

[strqyr]

pretty much all we know about gretchen is what ozpin told oscar: that she enrolled at beacon academy despite her brother's wishes to become a huntress, and that she tragically lost her life on a training mission.

if ozpin knows something more about gretchen that he isn't telling, the show hasn't given much of a reason to suspect anything outside of a general "well, ozpin keeps secrets, so... who knows?" everything about gretchen seems to be rooted in becoming a huntress, whether she was ready for it or not—that is what oscar focuses on and asks hazel about after ozpin's explanation: "did she know the risk of being a huntress?" "she was only a child! she wasn't ready!"—, and thus hazel's desire to see a new world where the academies are no more.

now, ozpin's explanation is vague in a sense that he never states the cause of death. gretchen being a huntress-in-training who lost her life during a training mission implies grimm, but it's never actually stated so; if he is hiding something re: gretchen's death, that's what i'd be focusing on, since if he's blatantly lying, why didn't jinn bring it up? why didn't ozpin come clean later on during their captivity inside monstra, where hazel also played a major role? if hazel knows more, explaining why he blames ozpin so strongly, why never bring it up?

is ozpin hiding the whole truth of what happened to gretchen, or is he hiding a small part of it by omitting a detail or two, and if so, why? is he taking the blame to protect someone else? a question of greater good? the same as lying about lionheart's role in the attack on haven?

and that's why i'm now questioning if gretchen was a maiden. it would neatly explain why she was, supposedly, allowed to attend beacon when she "wasn't ready"—nothing new for ozpin there, and gretchen could be a combination of ruby & jaune in that way—but if that's the case... why never bring it up? they wouldn't need to specify which maiden she was if that's considered to give too much away (i.e. if she was the spring maiden), but any explanation from ozpin akin to "gretchen was a maiden and that's why i allowed her to attend beacon even if she wasn't ready, bc the risk of her being hunted down was too high and beacon was the safest place for her" surely couldn't hurt?

it also has a chance to make "no more gretchens, boy" ring a bit hollow, especially if gretchen was the spring maiden and involved in summer's mission, bc of what happened to penny afterwards; how is anyone supposed to prevent it from happening again, when no one knows what exactly happened to gretchen in the first place?

so. the academies. oscar asks hazel if gretchen knew the risk of being a huntress, to which hazel—who desired to see a world with no huntsmen academies—replies: "she was only a child! she wasn't ready!"

"they're supposed to be the defenders of the world," says glynda. "and they will be," says ozpin, "but right now they're still children. so why not let them play the part?" and it's a nice statement... if they weren't a part of system created by oz that encourages children as young as thirteen to pick up a weapon, and to learn how to fight.

why start training your "defenders of the world" when they're still children? what's the rush, why not wait when they're older?

is there more depth to what happened to gretchen, or is it exactly what it says on the tin: that the system is broken, and it needs fixing?

[starry-bi-sky]

I absolutely love your older brother Danyal Who left to protect Damian story, can you add on to it because I wanna know how he would interact with the family and maybe he knew Jason when he was in the league before he left or He would turn invisible and spy on the batfam to check up on Damian from time to time so he knows things about them

i've actually thought about Jason knowing about Danny in the League before! I made a little meme about it in one of my meme dump posts! Ultimately it's non-canon to the au and would have to be part of an offshoot branch or a variant of the au due to continuity reasons.

Meaning that if Jason knew about Danyal, I don't think Damian would have been able to keep his existence (and "death") a secret for long. Or at least long enough for it to be revealed that he was alive. Jason would have asked about Danny at some point, maybe even right away upon re-entering the family and seeing Damian there, depending on the context. I can see him asking whether in front of everyone and in private too, depending on that context as well.

Ooooo and! I just remembered this, but there's no guarantee that Danny and Jason would have even met while Jason was in the league too -- some depictions I've seen of this au have Jason around while Damian is still a baby, or as a young kid. The timelines are notoriously wonky. -- and Danyal "died" when Damian was five. Depending on the ages, the timeline, and all that jazz, Jason could have very well entered the League when Damian was five sometime after Danyal's death.

Or he could've been there to see Danyal, meet him, and eventually become close enough to him to figure out that Danyal deeply adored his little brother and everything he did was ultimately meant to be for his benefit -- in a twisted up way. Hey, we could even go a step further and say he was there the night Danny got his facial scar. It really would all depend.

But that would require me sitting down and recharting the timeline in order to fit that in without any significant plot holes; like deciding ages, how long Jason's with the League before splitting (ultimately he spent five years away from Gotham before returning. How many of those years am I willing to keep him in the au?), when he was there, etc.

Something I am simply not interested nor have the energy to do for this au this far in ashdgf. So for the sake of my own sanity and the continuity of the main au: Jason did not know nor know about Danyal in the League.

However its still a fun idea to think about! So some things I've thought about if Jason did know Danyal in the league:

- For the hispanic jason truthers: Jason sometimes called him diablito; 'little devil' since the whole 'grandson of the demon head' thing.

- Danyal had a habit of sitting right outside Damian's room at night to listen for intruders, something he's done since Damian was a baby after the initial attack that resulted in his scar. Jason would sometimes sit with him if he found him like that.

- If Jason was present -- both physically and mentally -- for the day Damian was born, he saw firsthand the way Danny was so happy to meet him. The light shining in Danyal's eyes as baby Damian latched onto his fingers is not something he could ever forget.

- This means he was also there the day Danyal got his scar a few days later. Bursting into the nursery with Talia and seeing Danny hovered in front of the crib, almost drenched in blood with his face split open, is not something he'll forget either.

- (fun fact, did you know that head injuries bleed the most even if it's a shallow cut? Danny's scar, which in order to still be prominent at 15, would be from his hairline to his jaw, would've been bleeding profusely. And scars shrink with age! This is not only because of healing, but because your body grows except the scar doesn't. This i know from personal experience -- i have a scar on my knee from 2nd grade that used to stretch horizontally from kneecap to kneecap and needed two large bandaids to cover. But now is barely any longer than the first joint of my pinkie. It has not faded.)

- Nor will he forget the thousand yard stare in Danny's little blue eyes as he looked up at Talia and, in a little voice, said; "They were gonna hurt Damian, momma."

- He and Talia both tried convincing Danny to use the lazarus pits to heal his face without a scar, Danny refused and kept refusing. It was proof he'd protected his brother and he wouldn't accept any of their reasoning. It hasn't impaired his sight or ability.

- Jason held his hand while the cut got stitched up. Danyal didn't cry once. He stared at the wall over the doctor's shoulder, and the only indication that Jason knew he was in pain was when his grip tightened in his hand.

- Jason left shortly after Damian turned three, so he was somewhat aware that Danny was going to begin distancing himself from Damian. Damian's memories of him in the League are fuzzy at best.

- When Damian joined the family and Jason was hanging around/reconciled with them, he asked Damian in the cave about Danyal. He said; "By the way, where's Danyal? I'm surprised he's not hovering by your side."

- He did not like the way Damian tensed up and refused to meet his eyes. When Damian finally revealed that Danyal was dead, he refused to believe it, and continued to refuse to believe it long afterward. Danyal? Gone? The little eldest demon was dead? That sounded completely unlike him. That boy was too stubborn and loved Damian too much to stay buried.

- They got into an argument about it right there in the cave. Jason thought Damian was lying to him, and Damian was not appreciating how much Jason cared nor him saying Damian was a liar.

- Jason has a few photos of him and Danyal and Damian in the league. All of them happened when Damian was too young to remember them. He has one or two photos of Danyal before he got his scar. He eventually shares these with Damian.

- I did have one idea where he found Danny in Amity Park once and had to be threatened by Danyal to not tell anyone.

okay that's all i've got for now. Onto the others!

"[or] would [he] turn invisible and spy on the batfam to check up on Damian from time to time so he knows things about them"

He wouldn't do this actually! Danyal is essentially in something like deep cover right now, and his whole reason for leaving the League is the belief that him being near Damian or the two of them being together is dangerous to Damian. That they will eventually be pitted against each other, and Danyal refuses to harm his brother in any sort of capacity.

The very last thing he would do is try and do anything that would indicate that he was alive -- including going invisible and flying over to Gotham to see Damian. The Waynes would figure out eventually that they were being spied on. They have experience with the paranormal and the weird due to Gotham shenanigans and basic hero craziness. They have incredible reflexes and intuition, you know how people can feel it when they're being stared at? That. That would happen, and when they can't shake the feeling of being watched, they'd get paranoid and seek out the cause of the feeling.

In some issues, afaik, Wayne Manor has protections against magical creatures. That place is more secure than Fort Knox; Danyal would not be able to get in or near it without triggering some sort of alarm.

And so, Danyal would do the opposite, and in fact would avoid Gotham like the plague -- in order to stay away from Damian, he has to stay away from Damia. And he'd probably avoid some of the cities where he knows his father's affiliates and allies lay, just to be safe. This is relatively easy to do since he's 15 and not leaving Amity Park any time soon.

If, for any reason, his foster family or school (for the 'visiting gotham' trope) made a plan to visit Gotham, Danyal would find a way to get out of it, by any means necessary.

It's just not a risk he's willing to take, and the 'deep cover' thing is something I mentioned in my Ellie and Damian Meeting oneshot (its in a reblog of my "danny and dani meeting" post). The only reason Damian hasn't immediately flown out to Danyal is because of two main reasons:

he has no idea where he is

Bruce forbade it for the time being because it could spook Danny off.

If Danny found out that Damian knew he was alive, knew where he was, and was going to come see him, there's no guarantee that Danny will just... stay. There's no guarantee that Danyal won't freak the fuck out and disappear off the radar, and then they'll be back to square one. Finding and meeting Danyal requires patience and proper planning, they can't dive headfirst into this.

Besides! Danny keeps tabs on Damian and his father (and eventually by extension his siblings) through news reports and articles about them! Sure not all of them are truthful, but the things reporting their actions, whereabouts, etc, he keeps and prints out and puts in a little shoebox/scrapbook in his room!

The folder on his father is huge because he started it a few months into moving in with the Fentons and it spans back decades. and Damian's is currently the smallest since he just recently appeared in public eye. Most of it is things like, Wayne Inc announcements for charities, galas, etc. Not tabloids or gossip. Positive publicity stuff.

He keeps them under his bed, and he pulls out his father's scrapbook to tell him about patrol whenever he comes back and needs to stitch himself up. It lets him pretend that he's actually telling his father about what he's done.

As for Danny interacting with the fam -- it'd be awkward but non-hostile! Danny's... not sure how to act with them, he'd be not unlike a skittish stray cat that you're trying to befriend who keeps running away. He only knows them from what he's parsed out from news articles written about them -- both civilian and hero -- and anything Talia's told him.

There's for sure a resemblance between him and Damian in more than just looks -- they both hold this sort of powerful or confident air around them that seems exclusive to the Al Ghul family -- and there's of course that pride in their abilities. They have similar speech patterns -- although Danny's more relaxed due to Sam and Tucker's influence. And they both share an intense care for animals and the environment that's also pretty standard for the Al Ghul family.

Overall though he's just... rather quiet. Snarky and witty, but quiet. Unsure and seemingly analyzing them, trying to figure them out. He's quietest around Bruce -- not because he's afraid of him or anything, but he's overwhelmed by him. He's wanted to meet Bruce since he was a child, and now he is and he doesn't know what to do. It's a strange feeling to have.

You can find him sitting in the same room Bruce is in and find him just, watching him. Watching him from various, obscure places. He seems content to just exist in his presence, and confused when Bruce speaks to him -- like he's not totally comprehended the fact that he's actually there in front of him.

Damian and Danny have perhaps the most awkward interactions with each other out of everyone -- they have old issues they need to sort out like Danny purposely distancing himself from Damian, and intentionally orchestrating their past interactions to result in Damian hating him, and Damian needs to figure out who his brother really is beyond what he led Damian into thinking.

There's a lot of one-sided yelling matches where Damian airs out his grievances at Danny, and Danny sits there silently and lets him. Danny apologizes to him for treating him so coldly in the past, that if there's anything he could go back and redo, it would be that. That he doesn't expect forgiveness from Damian, but he wants him to know Danyal's sincerity. He tells him that if he wanted, Danny could return to Amity Park and he won't bother Damian or his family again. Al Ghuls don't cry, but i think Danyal does when he apologizes to Damian.

[bumblebeehug]

every time i remember gruvia's double suicide i wonder how i'm not constantly talking about them rather than nalu. the emotional complexity between gray, the depressed guy who secretly thinks everyone hates him including himself, and juvia, the depressed girl who knows most people hates her (due to her past with phantom lord) but still manages to find the one who taught her to see the light in things - literally!! stopped her rain and all.

and then their beautiful progression where juvia proves her devotion, not only to her newfound love, but also to fairy tail as a guild - her newfound family. and gray slowly but surely has to face his past, in multiple ways, and slowly but surely juvia manages to chisel her way into his icey heart. and from that point there's some turmoil when juvia indirectly "kills" (releases) gray's father, her doubting her right to love him, gray telling her basically that if anyone were to do it, it had to be her, and that she freed his father rather than killed him.

and then the progression of acceptance - juvia staying strong and determined to keep loving the guy who never thought love was for him, and him slowly accepting her, even when he doubts his own power to protect her from any harm that could come their way

and then!! the horrific fate!!! them getting into a situation where they have to kill the other to get away from the situation alive, and juvia, who practically never stopped loving him, automatically wanting to sacrifice herself, knowing that gray, who might seem distant and cold, never could kill a guild mate. so she decides to take her own life, for his sake, but oh!! the plot twist!!! gray thought, like, the exact same thing! he only knew that juvia had to come out of this alive, but that there was no way she'd kill him, so he kills himself!! he can't imagine a future without her!

and then, after blacking out (thinking they're dead) gray wakes up, to his dismay, and he sees that juvia kept him alive, even as she herself was dying!!! so heartbreak and demon mode and he goes to kill natsu for being END and all that

but then the story progresses and they're both alive, and gray reluctantly admits that he wants juvia to himself, and then in the hyq we learn that he's working on himself to become a lad worthy of the love juvia has to offer, and that she's his will to live and his entire past present future and that they're rawdogging it in his dreams. kinda.

anyways i love them and i think i'll die, that's all, thanks for reading

[im-not-buying-it-ether]

Okay but now I feel compelled to wonder, in that fun AU of CC and Marilyn being Captain and Mary Marvel, what their lives as heroes would be like

Like, villains are the same for the most part with probable lack of antagonism with Sivana, he’s the dude who hired them for the dog in the first place with the public intent of a historical attraction at a park and on the side of the bus he’s campaigning for mayor. Other than that, villains seem to be the same from the brief moments we see.

They stay out of the limelight, they prioritize keeping their identities hidden for the sake of Billy and Mary’s saftey and childhoods, and they take their duties seriously.

But what’s tingling at the brain right now is how they’d interact with the rest of the world of DC, heroes and teams and whatnot, outside of Fawcett and the menagerie of characters there. We know CC accidentally stumbled onto some daring scene with Spy Smasher and the bunch (no joke, time was funky in Fawcett and CC was alive at that time) but I’d love to see him with other heroes

Like, say he fills the normal roles in comics Billy would’ve, joins JLI and, like his son, tries calling the other heroes out for acting like bigger juveniles than his actual kids and ditches bc apparently the people who save the world on the regular cant not try and fist fight the other every few hours. He’s on and off some team, focusing on his city and his family more and more, pops in for bigger fights when they occur but is mostly hometown based and handles his own issues.

Of newer stuff, I turn to YJ’s tv show for another idea. Aka, CC also being a chaperone for the Team at the same time Billy comes in but with a twist, turns out his kids have a percolation for magic and have been getting the hang of some spells so they’re joining the Team too while CC is on chaperone duty. So leads Billy and Mary’s attempt at a slow entrance into heroism that immediately backfires when they get captured, cue heartwarming scene of dad hugging his kids after a dangerous situation that follows him tearing the base apart looking for them. True dad fashion and all that. What becomes complicated is the World Without Grown Ups plot, in which I say have Billy and his had pre-the plot agree that Billy can have Shazam powers for super big emergencies and Billy definitely counts all adults disappearing as an emergency. Cue once more the fun father son bonding of Billy looking just like his old man with Shazam powers.

Onto Marilyn, who unfortunately doesn’t seem to have more beyond “clever” and “good mom” from comics, but she’s got her hutzpah and would probably be as active a hero as CC while still prioritizing her life and family over heroism. The whole Shazam thing is definitely more a job than it is what kind of person she is, she’s an archeologist and likes that profession more than she likes worrying about everyone else. She’s definitely more no nonsense and, if there’s a difference, she’d probably prefer the more grounded crime fighting than the mystical shenanigans CC would do in her stead. Billy and Mary end up closer to her in quality time since that focus of crime fighting keeps her grounded.

Also, the general vibes of the Captain Marvel tropes. Such as the identity shenanigans.

It is a fun thing of fanfic that, since his civilian identity is very vulnerable and people like their identity plots, Billy has his questioned or revealed a lot. Add in CC as Marvel instead and it flips a bit to be a man who is well known in his home city whose entire family, non-powered children included, could easily become targets if anyone knew who he was. And he’s deliberately secretive about it for that purpose, he’s protecting his children with his wife. So, perspective, there’s a new hero who comes in with a hero partner who is also their life partner. They have the power of actual gods and titans, they don’t explain anything past some nebulous Wizard they can’t name as to how they got their powers, they are very hush-hush on their normal lives but everyone knows they have to have one. It’s hard to contact them, you don’t know they’re working or traveling or with their kids because you don’t know they do work or that they have kids, so you worry what they’re up to for what seems to be every hour they aren’t begrudgingly saving the world with the rest of the heroes. You catch them talking to the other but the minute they hear you they clam up and change everything about how they were just a second ago, you could swear they were talking about digs or gods or bringing someone home but you don’t know anything because you don’t know them.

Cue the mistrust, the reveals, how it all goes wrong and someone gets hurt, be it the other when they don’t have their powers or their kids and suddenly you’ve pissed off the man who loves his family so much he was tearing the multiverse open to try and keep the timeline going where they were all alive and happy together and the woman who loves those kids just as much. Or, say that reveal had villains get both of the Batsons, and now those heroes have to look those orphans in the eye and beg forgiveness, and when fate still demands its heroes out comes two new ones that make it seem like the whole Batson sham was fake and no way Marilyn and CC were the Marvels, the marvels are still flying around after they’ve gone and gotten dead and buried. Cue those heroes looking at the new Captain and Mary Marvel, knowing it’s the kids they accidentally made orphans wearing the faces of the friends they betrayed.

[hanafubukki]

Hello I'm here to deliver angst :3

Imagine an alternate universe where Yuu is king Henrik's kid

They've been secretly dating knight of dawn for a while and even fantasized about eloping

When the war starts they get locked away in a tower like a prisoner for their safety, only knight of dawn and Henrik were allowed to enter

When the humans lose the war Henrik accepts defeat and offers his child as a war trophy to the general in exchange for being kept alive in prison

Yuu and knight of dawn are devastated by this but Yuu goes through with it for the sake of making the lives of the people that used to be part of their now conquered kingdom

Time passes by and Lilia is now in a poly relationship with knight and Yuu. Yuu had given birth to silver not too long ago

Yuu was collecting some berries while their husbands were home with silver. Just before they enter their cottage a group of Henrik loyalists attack them

Lilia and Dawn try to get to them but just before they could Yuu gets hit with a spell that transports them to the future

Cue the plot of twisted wonderland

Lilia and Dawn deeply cherish silver as he's the only remaining part of Yuu they have. They tried Searching, interrogating but no matter what they did no one uttered a peep about what spell Yuu was hit with and no amount of tracking spells could find them

Malleus was the first person to recognise Yuu as they were a parent he loved but wasn't allowed to be with publicly due to the senate push back

Hello Anonie 🌷🌺🌸

You know Anonie when I received this ask, I laughed because I was like “I won’t make Malleus and Lilia angst to cope I won’t make angst to cope.”

And then I received this ask as if it’s a sign and just ended up laughing. 😂

OT3 angst it is, except I’m feeling a bit rebellious and I want a happy ending so I’m going to give it to them to the best I can. 😌👏🙏

But also imagine being Henrik’s kid? Silver had a breakdown? Imagine your father being the one to cause so much grief and death? Yikes. 😮‍💨

Your father just gives you up for his own head argh. You can’t do anything because you’re royalty and you don’t want your people to suffer.

You willingly go to the fae side as a royal captive, leaving behind you lover and your people.

You expected to be treated terribly, but you’re not? You still get fae that looks down on you of course. But the fae royal treat you cordially enough. You even get your own guard, a well known one in fact, General Vanrouge.

He’s a surly one and one that makes sure to keep an eye on you for any suspicious actives…but he doesn’t treat you bad.

In fact, he’s rather nice to you in his own way. It’s kind of charming. Similar and yet different than your Knight of Dawn.

Eventually a sort of tie is formed between humans and fae per Levan’s and your cooperation.

And you suddenly find yourself…in a relationship with both Dawn and Lilia. Meleanor finds it hilarious and this is used as a way to ease relations between races. Let’s call it an arranged marriage of sorts 😂

You (royalty), Dawn (well known Knight), and Lilia (the General) would make for a great image of peace, wouldn’t you say?

You’re enjoying life. A beautiful baby, wonderful husbands, and funny in laws and their cute dragon kid.

Everything was fine, until it wasn’t.

You get attacked by loyalists. They asked you to be the figure head of the rebellion group and cut ties with the fae. Of course you didn’t, in the end you got hit with a mysterious spell.

You disappeared right in front of Dawn and Lilia’s eyes. No matter what they did, they couldn’t find you.

And this is where I’m going to twist your scenario Anonie. A plan is made. This is yet to be a world of peace. It will take awhile. So Dawn, Silver, and Malleus is put to sleep. Until peace is brought. So history won’t repeat itself as it did with you.

Lilia is awake, he’s takes the mantle of helping relations between countries with Levan. An ambassador of you will.

The first one to wake is Malleus like in canon.

Then you have Silver.

A couple years after, it’s Dawn.

Years pass, and most of them end up at NRC. Dawn is a sword instructor at RSA but also part of NRC as well. Easier way to spend time with family this way.

Then comes the day of Grim’s mayhem but the difference? Diasomnia was evacuated from the mirror chamber. They had to make sure Malleus and co were protected. They weren’t going to make the same mistakes.

So how do you meet Malleus and the others?

Well of course like in canon, Malleus realizes someone now lives at Ramshackle dorm.

You noticed glowing lights and they look and feel familiar. You run outside and is shocked to see Meleanor…no, it’s not her but Malleus. He’s all grown up.

Malleus recognized you right away. You both have an emotional reunion.

You were reunited with one of your boys again. 🥹💞

Soon after, another emotional reunion takes place with the rest.

———

Extra:

*Some time in the future*

You’re reading a history book for Trein’s class but half of what’s written…didn’t happen that way?

“This didn’t happen.”

Lilia, nonchalantly, “Don’t mind it. We had to change some things on how the war took place and ended.”

You couldn’t be happier, “Good, I hope that asshole of a father of mine died in misery and shame.”

———

[natsuki208]

Attack on Titan Hot Take! 🔥

Warning! AOT s4 spoilers for my friend

Remember when Attack on Titan was a story about mystery, survival and the remaining humanity fighting against terrifying man-eating beasts?

I sure do.

I rooted for the main cast to make it out alive and see the world beyond the walls but was also scared for who would lose their lives to the titans next. As Erwin would always state, it was a gamble. Traitors were revealed, some mysteries were revealed, it was enough to keep me engaged.

-

But after the basement reveal, it suddenly became a world war story about racism. Old characters drastically became useless or ooc, new characters were introduced but are not very memorable, unnecessary plot twists were thrown in and on a whole felt like a completely different manga/anime.

I do like some twists in stories with mystery elements, but these ones either felt out of place or made for the sake of adding more drama *cough* Eren’s mom *cough*

This is why some things are better off staying as a mystery.

I know only one person here will agree with me but idc. I’m saying my piece as to why I think Attack on Titan season 4 is highly overrated and deserves a full re-imagining.

That’s all for now.

[momo-t-daye]

"Now, Severus, the sword! Do not forget it must be taken under conditions of need and valor-" the portrait recited, an echo of Albus Dumbledore, a recording unspooling predetermined plans. It wasn't Albus Dumbledore, it was paint and canvas and curated memories and trained habits, it was a simulacrum that could only ever offer false connection and empty comfort.

Minerva thought it was a mockery of remembrance, hanging the portrait of Albus behind the desk Albus had once occupied. She had refused to enter the Headmaster's office a second time as staunchly as she refused to look at Severus with anything but hatred now. It was torture. Every parroted guile and canned expression of concern and impersonation of Albus' intelligence was another knife twist in the knot of grief and guilt that had replaced his heart in the last terrible year.

It was continuing on, another reminder that Severus mustn't let Potter see him, mustn't let Lily's son know of Severus' allegiance lest the child become a liability before he could be a sacrifice.

"I know," Severus said, curt, hoping to skip past the pre-recorded reminders of all the promises he'd given to a dead man.

He didn't need the portrait to press a hand against some invisible wall as though it wanted to reach him, he didn't need it to make that expression of determined concern Albus used to make when Severus had marched off to another terrible meeting with the Dark Lord for the sake of the Order and keeping the boy alive and as safe as they could.

Yet despite the mimicry of care, it wouldn't even tell him why he had to get the sword into Potter's possession; perhaps Albus hadn't trusted his own portrait enough to imbue it with that knowledge even as he had trusted it to continue to haunt Severus.

It was a ridiculous dedication to his little mind games, like that note on the inside of the firewhiskey label, as if Albus had feared that, left to his own devices, Severus might go and haunt himself off Dumbledore's plotted path with grief over his own wasted loyalty and rage at the fate sewn under Harry Potter's skin and memories of his once best friend. As if Severus wasn't an expert at closing his mind and shuttering his heart and ignoring furious wailing of his own ghosts.

The portrait was still talking, another formulaic warning to take caution while accomplishing Albus Dumbledore's plans.

"Don't worry, Dumbledore," Severus said, speaking more to himself, his disappointed devastated selves, than the portrait, "I have a plan..."

For Unofficial Snapetober 2023 prompts "Ghost" and "Remembrance" The idea of haunting ones own self/of seeing the ghost of your past self seemed like it would be suitable for Severus- Sev is different from Severus is different from Snape is different from Professor Snape etc. etc., right? I mostly work with traditional media and do a little bit of digital tidying up to try to get the colors on the screen to look like the colors on paper, but I had a bit of fun figuring out how to put the ghosts of past Snapes (young Sev, Teen Sev, and Professor Snape) haunting Headmaster Snape into the picture. I painted each of the ghosts separately- in dark orange over black inked lines- and then inverted the colors once it was scanned and put those as semi-transparent layers on top of the separate painting of Headmaster!Snape in Dumbledore's office (...I am not very good at drawing backgrounds inside of a building where furniture and walls have too many straight lines, let's just put the characters in the woods with trees and lots of nice wavy wobbly lines...). Also! Have you all read "Stronger than a Butterbeer" (https://archiveofourown.org/works/10786743)? It's such a precise gut-punch of "the absence of Severus" that haunts me so I just had to make a reference to it.

[uselesslilium]

as someone who considered reading ONK but didn't get around to it, what's the tea, if I may ask?

Okay, so. The general issue is that the writing has basically tossed all the established themes about the exploitation of minors in the entertainment industry and the dangers of toxic parasocial relationships between fans and celebrities out the window at the last minute in favor of ~dramatic twists~ while also stretching everything out to a truly exhausting degree.

For more specifics and spoilers, I'll go into more detail under the cut:

The way the main villain of the story has been handled is not only gross, but also extremely baffling. We had an entire arc that delved into his history as a child actor and victim of CSA and his relationship with Ai (the original murder victim). The arc concluded on a note of revealing that actually he was only ever a passive player in the celebrity murders, and in fact never meant for Ai to be killed at all, and it was his partner in crime who had been pushing things and being more proactive about it. He seemed to feel genuine remorse about the things he'd done, the twins both got a sense of closure and were able to let go of their resentment towards him, and the story was turning towards taking down the 'real' big bad.

...And then the following arc revealed that no, actually, he really was pure evil and his partners (including the original stalker who actually stabbed Ai!!!) were the Real Victims because he's got magic manipulation powers and thinks of nothing but murder all day, and the Only Possible Way to deal with him is kill him first.

This is what the protagonist, Aqua, who has suffered from severe suicide ideation ever since early childhood as a result of witnessing Ai's murder, decides all on his own before implementing a convoluted scheme to take out this villain in a murder-suicide. Which is framed as a clever and noble necessary sacrifice to protect his sister from this guy, even though a) he's already protected her once just fine with the help of the people around him, b) everyone around him keeps telling him to rely on others more and not take on everything himself, and c) his actual sister has straight-up told him that she only reason she can keep going is because she has him in her life. AND it's been excruciatingly dragged out over like three chapters now, landing it firmly into 'can we just get this over with?' territory. For me.

On top of that, all the girls have been sidelined hardcore for the sake of making this plan even vaguely plausible. Akane, the most competent woman alive, is not allowed to save Aqua the way he saved her or be a partner who could help him find another way. Kana, my personal fave, remains completely shut out of the entire main plot and trapped in pure love interest purgatory to the bitter end. All of Ruby's very compelling character conflicts have been glossed over in favor of brocon jokes, and even her feelings have been ignored for the sake of framing her as an inevitable victim who must be protected. And Ai herself has all the wishes she entrusted to her children left unfulfilled - there's no saving the person she first fell in love with, one of her children is going to die rather than grow up healthy, and in the end her 'true self' was never revealed to the world.

It's bad!!! Real bad!!!!!

[shadowqueenjude]

Coriolanus kills Dr. Gaul: post-TBOSAS

Coriolanus wasn’t sure why he had named his son Sejanus, really.

Actually, that was a lie. He knew exactly why he had named him that. As a punishment. A reminder of his worst mistake- not just the betrayal, but the lies. He had lost both Sejanus and L-

Do not say her name. Not even in your mind.

Coriolanus clenched and unclenched his fists. After all this time, it still haunted him so. It’s dangerous for an obsessive man to fall in love. She may be alive, or she may be dead, but either way she’d certainly live on in his memories.

In his dreams.

The guilt was unbearable. Much as Ma Plinth annoyed him, she was the closest thing to a mother he had had after his own died. She looked at him like he was her son, and it was like a knife to the gut every time. He had to do something to alleviate it- this pain.

Well, truly, not all the blame could fall on him. He had expected Sejanus to be taken back to the Capitol, maybe his father paid some people off, and that was it. Instead, a few days later, he was standing vigil at his execution. Dr. Gaul, the sadist. He had never forgotten the delightful glee she exuded as Clemensia had been bitten by those snakes. She did not value human life in any capacity; more than being the harbinger of violence, she relished it. Gloried in it. Had been ready to sacrifice his life for the sake of her twisted games.

She had to die. Coriolanus had long desired to end her life, and now, when all others would be preoccupied with the Hunger Games celebrations, would be the perfect time to carry out his plan.

He almost laughed at the position he found himself in. While several sweet maids prepared him for the ball tonight, his mind was plotting murder. He wondered how little they knew about the man they served; he wondered how little they knew about human nature itself.

He admired himself in the mirror. He wore a cobalt trenchcoat over a pale gold button-up and pants. His hair was beginning to curl at the ends again, and Coriolanus made a note to get them fixed later. Those curls were a sign of his youth; they brought back memories he’d rather not revisit anymore than he had to. Torturous sad and wet dreams in the night were bad enough.

He smoothed down a small crease on his shirt and gave a practiced smile. “You’ve outdone yourself ladies,” he said smoothly, and all three ladies preened. He didn’t mention their comical feathers and outlandish makeup that made them look like clowns. Best to keep those close to you on your side.

The first party hosted for the victors. All part of the show; it disgusted him really, that the people were so immune to it. He would never be immune to the deaths of others. He counted every life that had been lost in that arena, and though he deemed it a necessary evil to prevent more deaths, he’d begun counting their lost lives as part of his kill count.

Hundreds of deaths had come at his hands. And there would be hundreds more.

Innocent children. But at least he would be doing some good. At least he would be freeing Panem from Dr. Gaul’s brand of torment. What a terrible waste this ceremony was. Coriolanus couldn’t stop it, couldn’t repress that desperate part of him that still lived in the post-war times when there was nothing to eat but cabbage stew. To see the way the Capitol citizens flaunted their wealth…he wished to give them all a good punch straight to the teeth.

Coriolanus gave his ridiculous speech, being sure to use the words “honor” and “celebration” and “delight” and “victory” a thousand times to get it to sink in. He met the victor, a big burly male who reminded him of Reaper, which reminded him of the tenth hunger games, which reminded him of its victor-

For fuck’s sake. Coriolanus flexed his hands again. Just a little while longer he had to stay here before he could retreat to his chambers. Just another hour or so of entertaining these sycophantic fools who saw him as their social climbing ladder or worse, a pretty object to lay with. He drank one glass of wine, willing his face to go expressionless as women pawed at him, unbuttoning his shirt. He said calmly, “I’m not interested, ladies. I’m still mourning my wife, I’m afraid.” Lies. He had murdered his wife in cold blood four years ago. He had despised that bitch. The only good thing she had given him was his lovely son, who was currently being looked after by nannies. He didn’t want to overwhelm him with huge crowds yet. The woman murmured in disappointment, but they were only replaced by more. He hated how raunchy these parties got, hated that they expected him to join in the festivities. No, he would never touch them. There was only one person he’d willingly partake in such actions with, and she had scattered to the trees. Unable to bear it, Coriolanus left the party a lot earlier than he’d intended. He walked away from the main hall, seeking the men’s bathroom. He heaved into the sink, the memories flooding him. Lucy Gray’s smile, Lucy Gray’s laugh, Lucy Gray playing the guitar, Lucy Gray Lucy Gray Lucy Gray Lucy Gray Lucy Gray Lucy Gray Lucy Gray Lucy Gray Lucy Gray Lucy Gray Lucy Gray Lucy Gray Lucy Gray Lucy Gray Lucy Gray-

“Coryo,” a soft voice called. Coryo whipped his head around wildly. He could’ve sworn he heard Lucy Gray’s voice. But…no. He must have been going crazy.

He walked back to his room, feeling like there was a heavy weight on his body. The tears fell down his face, and Coryo didn’t bother to stop them. Most days he could get by without thinking of her, but on the days that it hit hard, he became absolutely miserable, and he could not focus for the rest of the day. He had to do something. Nothing like bloody murder to get your lost love out of your mind.

This one would be for her. His Lucy Gray, who Dr. Gaul had taken from him.

Were it not for Dr. Gaul, Sejanus wouldn’t be dead. If he hadn’t died, Coryo wouldn’t have lied to Lucy Gray. If Coryo hadn’t lied to Lucy Gray, she wouldn’t have run into the forest.

Flex. Unflex. Coryo took a deep breath, trying not to think of her earthy smell and warm smile, but he could sense it so clearly in his mind it was like she was there.

What method would he use to kill Dr. Gaul? How poetic would it be if he killed her with her own mutts? But he was sure she had gone to great lengths to ensure that they wouldn’t harm her.

But how sure could she be, really? They were animals, right? Once you took them out of their controlled setting, all bets were off. So, Coriolanus armed himself with his old Peacekeeper rifle. He sometimes kept it on him, for nostalgic purposes. Part of him believed nostalgia was only fit for a fool, but it didn’t hurt that the gun still worked.

He walked down to the labs located in the basement of this very building. Found Dr. Gaul tinkering with something, even this late at night. Twisted psychopath. “Ah, Coriolanus! Don’t you have a lovely party to be at?”

Coriolanus gestured down at himself, his hair mussed up, the top of his chest peaking out, the belt of his pants loosened. “Doesn’t it appear as if I have partied enough?”

Dr. Gaul let out a chuckle. “All those ladies jumping on you as soon as they get a chance, You must power through, and remember all this is part of the…” Coryo smirked. “Dance. All part of the dance.” A dance that would end tonight. Dr. Gaul clapped her hands delightedly. “Come, look at these lovely new mutts I am working with.”

Coriolanus looked over at them, pretending to be interested. In reality, they looked quite foul, with their mottled green skin and a forked tongue resembling that of a snake’s, only much longer. “Are those��chameleons?” Coriolanus asked with forced calm. In reality, the mere thought of these animals made him sick. This was the Capitol; such wild creatures shouldn’t exist in a civilized place.

“Partially,” Dr. Gaul said. That manic smile was on her face again. “Part chameleon, part snake, part my artwork. I call them chamelonakes.” Dumb name, Coriolanus internally scoffed. “They are venomous, can camouflage themselves, and their leaping capacity is much improved. They trust me, of course, but all others, they are trained to kill.” Coriolanus swallowed. “How do you? You know. Get them to trust you.” Dr. Gaul looked at him incredulously. “Why, the same way you’d get any human to trust you. By getting to know them.”

Hmph. Well, he didn’t have time for that. What if he went for a different strategy? He always kept a vial of poison on him ever since he’d killed Livia Cardew. You never knew when you would need to poison someone. While Dr. Gaul was busy cooing over some creatures, Coriolanus slipped poison into the food labeled for them. “Really? It’s that simple? They look very…dangerous.” Dr. Gaul simply laughed. “I thought you would’ve learned by now, Coriolanus, that animals are easily baited by food and basic necessities. Allow me to demonstrate.” She grabbed the food and stuck her hand into the cage with her bare hands. Coriolanus wondered if the creatures would even sense the poison, or if the poison he had used would even be poisonous to them.

He got his answer moments later as no less than three chamelonakes crunched down onto Dr. Gaul’s arm. Coriolanus wasn’t a vicious person, but he had to admit, some savage part of him reveled in Dr. Gaul’s scream, even as he backed several paces away.

“How does it feel?” Coriolanus asked. “To be bit by a venomous snake.” Dr. Gaul blinked. “What did you do?”

Coriolanus shrugged. “Nothing anyone will ever figure out. Just like they never figured out what happened to Clemensia.” He sneered at her. “You thought you were untouchable, indestructible, did you? So unbelievably arrogant; that was your demise.” The chamelonakes continued to crowd around the scientist, inspecting her suspiciously.

“I made you,” Dr. Gaul hissed. “Without me, you would be nothing.”

Coriolanus laughed mirthlessly. “No, you almost got me killed multiple times. You lost me my best friend and my girlfriend. You’re out of control; you relish violence, you sadistic witch. What Panem needs is control, not war. But you would be perfectly happy with another war, wouldn’t you, Dr. Gaul? More bloodshed for you, more dummies to experiment with. No longer. I always had it in me to be President; don’t fancy yourself some great guardian, Dr. Gaul. I will ensure your name is erased from history.”

“Without me, you’d still be rotting in District 12,” she spat.

Coriolanus only smiled. “You’re just angry because I’m better than you are now. Goodbye, heathen. No one will miss you. I’ve won.”

And just as he did after Livia had died before him, he said quietly, “Snow lands on top. Isn’t that how the saying goes?”

Dr. Gaul’s eyes widened before the light left them.

Coriolanus left her there. Some guards would find her in a few minutes, dead. They’d assume her mutts had killed her at last, and they’d be correct. No one would ever realize the role he had played in making it happen.

Snow lands on top.

[ask-zerotrio]

Epilogue/Author’s final note

Idk if anyone’s been paying attention to how the blog has been transforming over the course of the story, both in answers + meta blog layer, but I hope it’s been a fun ride! I wanted to thank you those who wrote really nice words again ;u; it means a lot, especially when I poured a lot into this blog (Probably more than I should lol.)

Anyway, I really wanted to do a full write up of the blog’s plot/timeline... A summary of the vision, if you will.

Arc 1: An idyllic universe

I’d be lying if I had this plot from the beginning, but the whole of it certainly came in a rush. Anyway, the beginning of this story was very much an AU where Sada and Turo did leave the crater, reuniting with Clavell and Arven before dying. It’s a universe where everything is perfect, and certainly one that Clavell of every universe dreams of, regardless of whether he’s romantically involved with anyone.

Arven gets to have his parents, Clavell gets to have his childhood friends by his side, Sada and Turo see that Paradise was never something found in the past and future.

Arc 2: A crumbling dream

Then, a desire to explore zerotrio “canon” overcame me, and I thought it might be fun to pursue a change in direction via story, as opposed to usual ask blog announcements/retcons. So... upon the mention of harm coming to the trio, Clavell assures himself that Sada and Turo are fine.

Thus begins the crumbling of this ideal world, with Clavell becoming sickly and grieving for something he doesn’t know... But Sada and Turo do. Throughout these few asks, whoever’s responsible for this dream is implied... and I think I’ll leave that for you to guess :)

Reality is rushing back at Clavell, and eventually time runs out for him. Sada and Turo know this, and I hoped I made it clear how apologetic they are (Love these complex, problematic, but fiercely loving professors lol. Their personalities are so intense, Clavell always in the crossfire)...

Arc 3: Zero Lab era

Suddenly, Clavell was no longer available to respond... as per his injury. Instead we have the Zero Lab Search queries: An opportunity for people to investigate what truly happened between the trio historically. No better certainty in happenings than real video footage, no?

An added plus was to show the trio’s early relationship together during the Tera Orb research eras... Fluffy filler between the grimness of what becomes of them.

Although the “footage” isn’t posted in chronological order, they are all still roughly dated to show a coherent-ish timeline of Sada +Turo and Clavell beginning to have different priorities for Arven’s sake. Arguments had and never truly resolved... logs of Sada and Turo’s absence in Arven’s young life... so forth.

Peppered amidst all these were little clues, as well as puzzles. I attempted to throw a red herring, wanting to keep Sada and Turo’s deaths a not so secret for longer.

Eventually however, we reach present day, with lots of footage locked or damaged. Clavell, Sada and Turo are never shown, but their impacts of their action are. (These poor poor wild Scream Tails haha.)

Arc 4: Present day

We finally arrive at the true present day... with Clavell facing off Protocol Sada and Turo on his own.

The reveal isn’t a crazy twist, nor did I really want it to. But the build up had been for a tragedy we already knew/are familiar with: that Sada and Turo died for their dreams....

But in these final moments where Clavell woke from a vision that felt too real, Protocol Sada and Turo weren’t immune to it either.

Zero Lab queries no longer function as they used to, and asking about the past hurts. Sada and Turo’s conscious speaks through the logs. (Its true workings I leave to your imagination, but I liked the thought of the AI and Protocol representing the two parts of a whole Professor.) We see the final moments of Sada and Turo in what is a death-defying retrospective.

What next... complicated/messy resolutions. Clavell saved, Sada and Turo “alive” but different. It’s more open ended than I intended, but I think it’s also alright to leave things to the imagination... 

The trio have always been in search of their respective treasures, and though it takes a long and rough journey...

... lost treasure can always be found.

[spicybylerpolls]

'Mike doesn't express sexual interest in the Phoebe Cates, the hot girl of the day, like his friends'

why am i the only person who doesn't see the mike/phoebe cates thing as disgust?

the conversation re: suzie goes:

will: girls go to science camp??

dustin: suzie does, she's a genius-

mike: is she cute?!

dustin: think phoebe cates, only hotter.

max: what's going on?

will: we're going to talk to dustin's girlfriend!

there's so much in this conversation, i especially love the walk-and-talk vibe of the scene taking its inspiration from shows like the west wing which pioneered that technique to keep characters moving and show larger objectives. the gang are not static, showing that meeting dustins's girlfriend and seeing his radio are top priority right now. however, the convo is about girls, and suzie, and not the radio, giving romance double importance and setting the tone for the season: nerdery vs puberty.

will's line shows his ongoing lack of knowledge of girls. ding ding ding! queercoding + great characterisation for will.

dustin's line then shows his respect of women overall, but with an emphasis on how amazing suzie is. supportive bf dustin!

notice how mike is the one to bring up physical attraction, and he even CUTS DUSTIN OFF TO SAY THIS. eager much? it's interesting that el is right behind him here, making this chat about hotness performative, as if he's asserting himself both in front of her and his friends. 'i'm a guy who can talk about girls.' this is a loaded characterisation for mike, and keeps the byler plot twist obscured, as it's meant to.

BUT mike is already making a face of incredulity when he asks if suzie is cute. dustin's response is more Supportive Bf Dustin (applause), but mike's response face, in the context of him being the one to ask if she's cute or not (a.k.a. turn the topic to the potential attractiveness of girls), does not, on the surface, mean he is disgusted with suzie or girls in general. it means he's incredulous that anyone could possibly be hotter than phoebe cates.

does this mean mike actually thinks phoebe cates is hot? NO. but he is currently PERFORMING masculinity and heteronormativity for el's sake and for his friends sake and for his own god damn sake. so that response face was not and COULD NOT be actual genuine disgust at phoebe cates and/or girls, because that would give his game away IN FULL VIEW of all his friends who is walking and talking towards and amongst. in the context of the scene, he's clearly performing the required 'bro' response to someone saying that it's possible to be hotter than phoebe cates: i.e. surely not, impossible, she's the hottest woman alive.

viewing this moment as disgust is totally misunderstanding mike and his performance of heteronormativity. it's still performance, but performed outrage/incredulity.

agree - disagree

if you don't agree, would love to hear why!

Please note that the purpose of this blog is not to be creepy or to make anyone uncomfortable. That's why I created the #spicy byler tag (I will tag all polls with this). If you don't want to see this blog or anything related to it on your feed, please block that tag. Not everyone is comfortable with this sorta stuff, and that's okay.

[pokelolmc]

Fixing TUE Part 2.5--How I'd change Dan's story.

This is my take on Dan's narrative as "Danny's evil future self" in my analysis of The Ultimate Enemy. You can find part two here:

(Part 2), Part 2.5, (Part 3)

The episode tried to play the "alternate timeline evil self" straight, but turning Dan into a Danny and Vlad fusion causes it to veer off the "Dan is Danny turned evil" mark and contradict the episode's previous setup.

I'll admit, I got a bit negative in the last post, so it's a good thing this is more about ideas for improvements.

The obvious choice is either: make Dan literally just Danny/Phantom as an adult, turned evil (to play into the original narrative) or keep the fusion aspect and subvert the narrative.

So, while it'd make for a much more straightfoward/correct "villain self" story if Dan really was just if "Danny woke up and chose violence", I think I'd stick with the fusion aspect. Because that leaves so many interesting questions to explore about identity and moral responsibility--and it'd create an interesting twist on the typical "alternative villain self" trope.

Let's say that the new version of the episode follows a similar portrayal of Dan to canon initially--"Dan is Danny's evil future self", "Danny is going to become Dan" (without Clockwork's commentary, since he knows better)--and Danny agonises over it (after he actually makes legitimate moral mistakes in the episode and feels guilty about it, like actively abusing his ghost powers to cheat the CAT).

Then he finds out how Dan was actually created, and it's treated like a plot twist. The final act reveals that Dan is a fusion of two ghost halves, and Danny's not responsible for Dan in the same way he thought he was. Alternate!Phantom is still a part of Dan, but Dan and Danny's dynamic is different now.

In-universe, maybe the reason Dan only identifies as Danny is he didn’t want to remember the truth of his creation, and went into complete denial. The fact that he was born from Danny and Vlad's deep grief/loss/loneliness/emotional pain was too much for him to confront. It was one massive, overwhelming, toxic concoction. So, he decided he’d rather forget it. Since Vlad’s human half was still alive somewhere and could meet him again (reminding him of his fusion nature), his mind could’ve chosen to disconnect from the Plasmius component of his identity.

Instead, he deluded himself into believing that he was just a Danny who turned evil after he lost his loved ones and “purified” himself of his painful human half, since Danny’s identity was the most convenient to appropriate (with his human half being dead,  and all) and the fusion woke up with Danny's logo.

Ironically, he didn’t actually lose his painful emotions. The halfa-splitting sorted deep emotional pain into the two ghost halves—based on the mental states/desires of the halfas when the separations occurred (eg., Danny’s desire to remove his pain). Rather than “ridding himself of emotions”, he became that negativity/pain incarnate, and it came out in the most destructive and monstrous way possible. After all, anger and wrath can come from a defence/vent for unacknowledged pain.

When Danny learns of Dan's backstory, he has to take a step back to process it all. He knows that Alternate!Vlad's too weak to kill him, even with the Ghost Gauntlets, so he reluctantly trusts his nemesis(...?) and makes a deal--if Vlad knows anything that could be used to stop Dan, give it over to Danny and he can go after Dan himself to undo everything in the past. No fight for the sake of a cutaway gag, here--we get some relationship development (on Danny's end, at least).

Vlad reluctantly agrees (he believes there's no way Danny can win, but he doesn't have much else of a choice--he's backed into a corner, and just thinks "What the hell? I've got nothing...")...and that triggers him to admit what happened ten years ago. Then he gives Danny the Ghost Gauntlets willingly and gets all serious:

"...Daniel?"

"...Yeah?"

"You have to promise me one thing?"

"What do you mean?"

"Just swear it!"

"O-okay, okay! Jeez! I swear. Happy?"

Vlad looks down pensively before his sunken, hollow eyes bury into Danny's with alarming clarity.

"If you fail...NEVER go to me. Leave Amity Park, move to another country, hide in the Ghost Zone...I don't care. Just...stay away from me, at all costs. If I chase you, run. Run like the world depends on it."

For someone who's never seen Vlad want nothing to do with him before...acting more like Danny's response to Vlad's advances in the past...it's bizarre. It prompts him to question what's really going on in Vlad's head in his own timeline, and what if there's something still in him like this?

So Dan's backstory actually affects the plot, and plays a role in the climax of the episode. And even though he doesn't show up in person, we address Vlad's responsibility in Dan's creation and he gets to contibute, willingly and meaningfully--by providing Danny with Dan's backstory (not just the Ghost Gauntlets Danny stole from him in combat).

It could come into play as a psychological weapon, to shatter Dan's denial— “I’m not you, Dan…I CREATED you!”, “You’re not me, you were MY MISTAKE!”, causing Dan to have a third-act breakdown (technically not main!Danny's mistake, since he's not Alternate!Danny, but he's putting it in the words Dan used in order to correct him). Then the Ghostly Wail can finish him off...or maybe he's strong enough that the Ghostly Wail doesn't end him, and it's the shock of the revelation that immobilises him enough for Danny to get him into the thermos.

[bionicle-ramblings]

Thinking about this post/thread and all of the possibilities it is as an AU

Possibilities such as:

Lhikan still being captured and, after some grieving, escapes and looks for the remaining Toa Netru; he sensed their transformations and he still had some of his own power because Vakama never made it to become a Toa

The other Toa Metru transform, but see they're not as string as they should be and someone's missing. They all assume he chickened out, but upon finding Lhikan realize he's dead

They're at a loss due what to do, but Lhikan trains them, honing their skill. He's a bit stone cold toward them but he is still teaching them

Everything is normal-ish, until it isn't, the world shifts to show the city in ruin, the Morbuzakh dying, a Karzahni plant finding them, all weird anomalies until they need to find Vakama's Toa Stone, which is back at his forge, where he died. There's a HEAVY amount of mourning from the group as they realize who their teammate was and see what became of him. The mourning doesn't last long as a feeling of "being watched" grows and their suspensions are confirmed when something invisible bumps into one of the other Toa and Onewa uses his tools to keep it in one spot

Plot twist: VAKAMA'S THERE, but it's not him, evident when he says, "Turaga Lhikan" before correcting himself, being shocked because he saw his own corpse, as his Matoran self, at least. He also has the Toa stone and offers to return it to Lhikan

Now EVERYONE is shocked and confused, even Lhikan, who is quick to point out how he saw Vakama die. Vakama, realizing what he's done, admits that he actually saw Lhikan die, and also get captured. Everyone presses for answers, but they'll have tonwait until they all escape because Nidhiki shows face and REELS at seeing the Matoran mask-maker he barbecued is alive and a Toa

After they escape, Vakama admits he isn't from this version of Metru Nui, saying version because he made and used the Mask of Time. When asked where it is, he admits he broke it, having used it to try and strike a bargain with Teridax to get him to leave everyone be, but inly ended up getting himself killed a lot and then ultimately leading to the mask’s destruction. When asked how many times he died, he falls silent and Lhikan realizes they need to find the great disks and remake the Vahi; If Vakama made it before, he can make it again, and that can help them fight

Vakama later discloses to Lhikan that he died 3,547 times before shattering the Vahi. It tore apart reality and sent Vakama spiraling literally spiraling, only stopping when he came crashing through the roof of his old forge. He explains that in the reality he's from, Lhikan died in Vakama's arms after he gave the Toa Metru their powers. Lhikan asks where the rest of Vakama's team is and Vakama admits they're outside of Metru Nui and Vakama needs to get back to them ASAP

On the flip side, Teridax takes control of dismantled Matoran and finds himself(We'll call him Makuta for simplicity's sake), and he quickly gives himself a rundown on the events he went through, and what his alternate self can expect. Makuta isn't worried because one of Toa Lhikan's chosen Matoran, Vakama, is dead. Teridax corrects himself: THIS universe's Vakama is dead. The Vakama that encased Teridax in protodermis, foiled his plans, trapped him in a time loop, and then broke reality and scattered him across it until they arrived at this point. So, yeah, Vakama is a threat. The other Toa Metru are small potatoes at the moment, but Vakama needs to be dealt with

Possible added bit of tension and, "no screwing around:" Vakama is experiencing the "consequences" of being in another reality, as in a reality in which he's supposed to be dead. It's mainly his mask power failing him, energy flaring out and body going weak, things that just aren't pleasant

In the final battle, fighting against both Teridaxes/Makutas, even with a weakened Vakama, the Toa Metru are stronger than ever and defeat both enemies long enough for Vakama to right the universe they're in. This universe's Vakama will be saved, Vakama himself will go back to his timeline, and things will be as they should, no matter how much it hurts to do so. It is bittersweet and a total gut stab for everyone, including Vakama, but for what it is worth, they are glad to have fought together and, even if they lose their memories of the events they went through, the team is grateful to have been led by two badass Toa. After that goodbye, Vakama uses the Vahi to set things right, fixing the timeline he's leaving by ensuring he doesn't die, making sure Teridax follows him back, and then making sure he himself makes it back to Mata Nui, where his Toa Metru are wating for him

[valenteal]

Okay so I just got into The Promised Neverland, the anime, I adore season 1. It was beautiful and heartbreaking and hopeful and unique. Season 2 isn’t half as enjoyable but I think this for different reasons than most people.

Everyone else is like ‘oh no they skipped over so much of the manga’ and I’m just like????? No??? Because the way I see it the whole Lambda thing is a cop out that makes exactly 0 logical sense. After season one they lost the plot. Simple as that. They did irrational things for the sake of drama.

I mean think about it, they didn’t want to actually kill Norman so they came up with this elaborate experimental plantation but it doesn’t make sense. Norman was the cream of the crop, the one they were looking forward to, they wouldn’t keep him alive and experiment on him and possibly make him inedible. When we farm animals do we do that?! It’s illogical. If they were trying to clone him I might get it but they weren’t. And then when Norman goes crazy from the torture (because drama!) part of his arguments is that the demons in charge want to maintain the status quo. They’re supposedly very happy with the current system. If that were the case they wouldn’t be doing those experiments at the cost of their best product!

And don’t even get me started on the whole ‘eating humans to be intelligent’ thing. Like… that’s not… where did that even come from!? But oh wait! There’s this super convenient solution! It’s so convoluted but also so forced, like… that isn’t how biology works. I get that this is a fantasy world but that’s too far.

If it were me, I’d have season 1 stay the same and just scrap season 2 for parts. I actually like Sonju, even if his appearance is a bit deus ex machina. His motivation for helping them is interesting and I think he creates a unique situation for the kids. I like the religious fanatic angle, and I like the kids having a mentor. If they’d just let things continue organically instead of forcing it… I mean Ray isn’t stupid, he wouldn’t carve the coordinates where enemies would see. He would have at least used code. They could have stayed at the base thing and built a freaking safe haven and then launched a quiet war against the farms. Guerrilla warfare, slowly rescuing more and more kids, building more bases. Do it realistically, none of this ‘one chemical weapon solves all our problems’ and ‘but wiping them out is wrong!’ quick fixes and simple plans stopped only by moral dilemmas. It too simplified but they try to disguise it with all the drama. It’s okay we took the cowards road and didn’t kill Norman cause he’s so traumatized we can barely recognize him! It’s okay we’re pulling easy solutions out of our asses because they trigger moral strife and end in the main characters struggling to choose the path of light! Drama!

Look, I haven’t read the manga yet but I don’t know how much more I would’ve liked it. It doesn’t matter if we get more context, it’s still just burying the plot holes and cop outs in more drama. We don’t need a simple answer, that’s not how systemic oppression is fixed, that’s not how war and rebellion works. There are plenty of ways they could have gone. Hell there are other, better ways they could save Norman! His shipment was abnormal and unscheduled, Isabella could have saved him or Minerva and his followers, something else, anything else.

I have feelings about this. Season 1 was amazing. Season 2 was just full of familiar cop outs disguised as “plot twists.” It was disappointing. This series had real potential.

[empty-pizza]

thoughts on harrow the ninth chapter forty-three

SHE REMEMBERS

AND I AM CONFUSED

LET ME KEEP READING AND GET MY BEARINGS ON WHAT'S GOING ON

this is fucky

it's not just retelling the memories harrow thinks she has

it's on some level a state of existence — where? not the river, is it? in harrow's mind? harrow was in some form experiencing it, but what part of harrow? when? underneath, in the subconscious? when she sleeps?

and are these somehow the real abigail and squad, or just in the mind? was this less false memories and more a play that abigail and squad were acting out for her?

has memories. a revenant.

harrow explains how taking away her ability to comprehend gideon takes away her ability to incorporate her, right. pretty much called a while back, after settling on memory fuckery over time fuckery. the crude systems she refers to include replacing gideon's name with ortus, naturally.

but she is, in fact, being haunted. hmm! hmm! a battlefield inside of her soul! raised an army to fight alongside her!

this is all being presented in a fairly lowkey way for something that PROVES WRONG MOST OF MY GUESSES ABOUT WHAT WAS REALLY GOING ON! LIKE YEAH I GOT A LOT RIGHT, ABOUT REMOVING MEMORIES OF GIDEON, BUT I FELL FOR THE RED HERRING THAT THIS IS JUST FALSE MEMORIES! IT IS A BATTLEFIELD INSIDE HARROW'S SOUL. THIS IS ALL ADDING UP.

this definitely justifies this plot beyond just like... being for the sake of a twist. no, it was necessary to get as much of it as we did. it makes it worthwhile both because it's a real, relevant plotline, and because it's about real characters.

hmmmmmmm. i could be entirely wrong that the narration is gideon. that the sleeper is gideon. i could be right, but i could be wrong. it could be the body in the locked tomb. why does it refer to The Body instead of My Body, then? hmm. but the sleeper honestly makes more sense as a representation of an invasive soul than as a representation of gideon. that said i still think there's a fairly good chance it's gideon. i dunno, i just think that's a bit cooler.

but also, harrow didn't do any of this intentionally, it seems? did silas kill himself for the sake of leaving this because he thought it was lame? but didn't he kill coronabeth too? she's alive. maybe that was just a memory, not the real soul.

hmm. is she really being haunted, though? we're running back to the question of, how truthful is it that she entered the locked tomb, and how truthful is it that she saw the body this whole time? because it didn't seem like she saw the body during gideon. she did tell gideon that she entered the tomb, so i still feel like god is just wrong when he says she couldn't have. but then why would this be only starting now, this invasion? was the soul just, laying dormant? maybe it only decided it wanted to take over once she became a lyctor, since that'd be more useful than just a plain old prodigy necromancer.

"what a waste of a woman, to have ended her life at the bottom of the ladder" harrow is referring to my pecking order, and no, abigail wasn't at the absolute bottom. coronabeth was.

some of this is explaining things that were already clear, like how she just replaced memories of gideon with memories of ortus. but other stuff is wild. like i think i said earlier, it's a ply she was directing. how the people involved in the play that realized some of the other people were parodies of themselves. ooh, i wonder if i can notice that in some of the chapters — notice that they're acting weird. if you're reading this, i'd love comments pointing out specific examples.

okay, so this is just while she sleeps. wild.

man. this is such a clever thing to do with the structure of your book. remix the first book in such a way that's re-interpreting the old ideas, re-exploring characters that didn't get a chance, and still make it a relevant new plotline.

man. i really enjoy where these mysteries landed. i predicted a lot, correctly. and that's satisfying. but other aspects shocked me and surprised me with what was possible. i try very hard to hedge my bets and not go all in on things i shouldn't be sure about. but as time went on, i still made one false assumption — i thought it was just false memories, since it seemed like memory fuckery was the main thing going on. and it was more, and i was fairly gobsmacked. good book. very ambitious.

i do wish it was earned a little more instead of just finally dumped on us. i would have enjoyed if the mysteries were something that waking-harrow engaged with more, that she tried to figure things out, at least attempted some deductions about what her old self's plans were. engaged with the letters more. but this is still fairly good.

i do think i wasn't like... hit as hard by these twists as i wanted to be. i don't know how much of that was my own expectations, or too much confidence in things that ended up short of correct. i dunno. on a technical level this is really cool and well done but my adrenaline isn't pumping (and that happens, with really mind blowing twists).

but hey! there's still over 20% of the book left for craziness!

[allaboutcinderella]

Did you know there was a Cinderella anime?

That’s right!

Known as:

- “The Adventures of Cinderella”

- “Cinderella Monogatari”

- “The Cinderella Anime Series”

Made in 1996, the series follows the tradition story of “Cinderella” with the main girl going on numerous adventures, gaining a deep friendship with the Prince and making lots of new friends (and a few enemies) along the way.

I watched this animated series a long while back on YouTube when the only copy I could find at the time was in French! I was pretty obsessed with it, awaiting new episodes to get uploaded so I could finish the story.

I recently looked the series back up and the entire thing had been translated to English! I was super excited!

The series begins at the start of Cinderella’s tale where her father, the Duke, is alive and leaving for a long trip.

We all knows what happens when he leaves. The stepmother shows her true colors and wastes zero time ripping Cinderella’s previous life from her, making her a servant.

I found this interesting she chose to do this even though Cinderella’s father is still alive. However, this follows the original telling of the story. I think it always adds more dramatic flair when the poor girl is orphaned and trapped in her own home, but there’s something particularly messed up about the father still being alive and knowing what’s going on, saying nothing. In this version he has no idea seeing as they do not write each other at all. So he’s none the wiser as to what’s transpiring at home.

The series also follows the original story line with that her stepsister Gene and Katherine are actually very pretty, just spoiled brats. The stepmother herself is also quite lovely but naturally she’s very bossy and harsh.

Cinderella is beyond sweet as honey, but once in a while has sass. Although she can be a bit too stubborn sometimes. Always having to pick some kind of fight with Charles, the Prince.

Almost every episode Charles sneaks off, disguised in his page boy Alex’s clothes and hangs out with Cinderella. The episodes have at least once meeting with the two friends getting into some sort of shenanigans.

I really like the idea of Cinderella and the Prince becoming friends before the ball. Not that love at first sight (or first dance) isn’t fun, but I think it gives the story something special when you know these two characters have that familiarity between them.

One con I will say about Cinderella and the Prince: some of their meetings are pointless. 😂

I understand they had a lot of episodes to fill but, once in a while I found them just talking for the sake of talking. This can be said for some of the adventures they go on as well. Did they contribute to the plot? No. Are they fun to watch? Yes. I’m not going to be too harsh about that small observation, but it was something I found kinda silly.

Now onto one of the best characters in the entire series is that of Paulette! Aka: the fairy godmother! It’s later revealed she was Cinderella’s mother’s best friend and had promised to watch over Cinderella if anything should happen to her mother. Now Paulette is not subtle, in fact she straight up dresses like a witch. So you can tell right away who she’s supposed to be! But regardless of that, she’s a sweet character and she loves to paint in her spare time. So wholesome! Throughout the series she keeps a watchful eye on Cinderella, helping her through her adventures and checking in on her every now and then. She also makes it so Cinderella has talking animal friends! So clearly she uses her magic for the right reasons.

A unique twist the series gives the familiar tale is that of Duke Zarel and Isabelle.

Duke Zarel is the Kings advisor and surprise surprise he’s a bad guy. (Why it always the advisors? Looking at you Jafar). His plan is to marry his daughter, Isabelle to the Prince, become part of the royal family and eventually overthrow the King to rule the kingdom.

Isabelle is unaware of her fathers true intentions and assumes her father is just extremely pushy in ensuring she marries into the royal family. She does genuinely like Prince Charles and doesn’t seem to have any objections to marrying him, but she picks up on his vibes pretty quick. He doesn’t like her that way but he’s polite and likes her as a friend. Eventually Isabelle finds another man who is in love with her and she runs away, leaving a note for her father and fully knowing he’ll be mad but she doesn’t care!

This puts a damper on Zarel’s plans but he somehow continues to try and overthrow the King one way or another. Again… a lot of his schemes contribute nothing to the plot, it just makes for new adventures for Cinderella and the Prince to encounter. I assumed each thing he attempts gets revisited in the next episode, but instead they brush past any previous evil schemes and continue on as normal.

If your favorite part of Cinderella is the ball scene then I have bad news for you… it’s not until near the end of the series that it happens. So the whole second half of the fairy tale gets kinda smushed together which bummed me out a bit because I think having the aftermath of the ball and having him be love sick for her for a while would’ve been good but, I’m not the writer.

Regardless of the ball being pushed so far back, I gotta say her ballgown has stuck with me since I first watched the series. It’s very unique!

By this time it gets revealed that her friend Charles is Prince Charles. It’s funny how shocked she is to find out even though his alibi was the same name and he did very little to disguise himself BUT it’s a fairy tale. She of course doesn’t feel worthy enough to be in his life EVEN THOUGH she has literally spent every day with this boy… so she really just goes to the all to say goodbye and wish him good luck. In doing this she loses her shoe, keeping the other one and the iconic search for the girl with the glass slippers ensues.

Another twist they toss in is that Cinderella refuses to try the slipper on because she is suddenly so overwhelmed with self doubt that she can’t even imagine herself as a princess.

But thanks to Miss Paulette and her animal friends, the Prince comes back and she is basically magically forced into the shoes.

The series is definitely something to watch if you love the fairy tale. Just know you’ll have to look past the weird plot points. 😅

Also keep in mind that it was originally in another language so the English dub may sound odd. But they overall I think they did pretty well with the translation.

Have you seen this series? What did you think?