#good but traumatized collector

[the-irreverend]

One trope that I'm such a sucker for is the one where the godlike, near-omnipotent "villain" is actually just a scared, traumatized, good-at-heart if however deeply flawed person that ended up doing bad things because of terrible experiences.

What makes these character so compelling is how their powerful state contrasts with the powerlessness of their situation. They are all good people, and yet thanks to the pain, suffering, and trauma they both witnessed and endured, coupled with the power they obtained, left them with a distorted and severely warped on how to be free of it.

Viktor wanted to remove people's ability to act and think for themselves because his experiences in Piltover and Zaun convinced him that taking them away would stop everyone from destroying each other and themselves.

The Collector took over the world and turned everyone into puppets, but only so nothing and no one could get between them and their best friend King, the last member of a proud race that was exterminated by their own siblings.

Asriel and Chara were two misguided but well-meaning children who, because of the horrible things they endured, became convinced that the only way to create a world where nothing could hurt them anymore was to achieve absolute power and erase everyone who got in the way of achieving that power.

It's no wonder I'm such a huge fan of all three of these fantastic pieces of media.

[melpomenelamusa]

Melpómene´s whump stories archive

To celebrate the new year, I've decided to share with you some of my favorite whump stories I read this year as a thank you to all the authors who share a little bit of their world with us 💜✨

My plan is to update this list annually and have it function as a sort of personal archive for me, hehe, but you can use it too if you'd like! 😁

Smile for the camera! (by @morning-star-whump ): A boy is kidnapped by a psychopath from the deep web. His parents and his little boyfriend try to find him (Andre Vazquez is the best character).

Shattered (by @oddsconvert): An anti-human-blood-drinking vampire doctor tries to save the life of a human who for years was the bloodbag of a vampire I really hate.

Total $hit$how (by @befuddled-calico-whump): 5 misfits escaping prison for their criminal records are hired by a mysterious organization to stop another mysterious, but more evil, sci-fi organization (Benji, my son).

Darius & Mianu (by @geode-crystal): A traumatized prince and his faithful knight/boyfriend want to live happily ever after, but something always happens.

The Bahkauv (by @deluxewhump): Three friends decide to buy a magical creature to study; but what seemed like nothing more than a monster or an animal may turn out to be a companion.

Overloaded (by @fleur-a-whump): The son of a supervillain wants to join the good guys, but discovers that "heroes" can be just as cruel as villains.

Blood and tears (by @whumpisgoodwhumpislife): A little half-vampire is suffering too much and a human decides to take care of him and protect him (They are both my babies).

Voyagers (by @sorrowful-hyacinth): A jerk sea captain captures a jerk mermaid prince and they torture each other. They both deserve it because they're such bastards, but you also feel bad for them and it's complicated.

Rehabilitation (by @sowhumpshaped): A former kidnapped victim is faced with her former torturer, who is now in a mysterious rehabilitation program that looks more like a torture prison. The moral conflict is strong in this one.

A taste of your own medicine (by @oddsconvert): Whumper gets kidnapped and torture along with his ex-whumpee by an even evil whumper. Only one person is having fun here.

With me (by @greatgigintheskiess): A bitter guy living in the woods accidentally rescues a little boy who escaped from an evil laboratory. Parental caretaker my beloved.

Humanity Collector (by @rabbit-flaying): A cosmic creature who likes to collect human things decides to add a real human to its collection (A cosmic horror one-shot).

Writemas 2024 (by @tildeathiwillwrite): A woman suffers the mysterious death (or murder?) of her husband. This is the kind of story I would love to read in a printed book and recommend to my entire family.

Whumpcember 2024 (by @kabie-whump): An evil wizard has turned Santa's reindeer into humans, who now have to live with their new bodies. A series of shorts with very interesting and cute characters that I definitely need to keep reading if I could.

The siphon (by @spencers-secret-whump-account): Like a bloodbag, but instead of blood is magic. Also, it´s lady whump in a fantasy setting and there will be lesbians (I hope).

Speedster (by @writinglittlepains): A superhero with super speed is captured, experimented on, and tortured by a supervillain who wants to steal people's powers.

Guilt & Revenge (by @what-if-i-just-did): A traumatized ex-bully is kidnapped by the kids he used to bully as a kid because he couldn't afford therapy and is brutally tortured by those who actually happened to be the ones who needed therapy.

[let-us-cultivate-our-garden]

Do you think TOH made people care and then ripped them apart for it?

I was still in high school when I started watching the series and I loved it. I didn't have good grades, I am neurodivergent and bisexual and was thought of as a weirdo and bullied and condescended for crying at school or acting like I was younger than I was and things along those lines. I related to Luz SO HARD. I wanted to be in the Boiling Isles. I imagined myself finding a way there. I had little 'imagine spots' and loved the mystery and the wild and unconventional aesthetics and I even got into some of the stuff you see on r/WitchesVsPatriarchy because of it. I couldn't wait for more story. I was sure everything would be resolved by the end.

Somewhere along the lines, the characters were no longer characters to me. They were real, and had real feelings and struggles and experiences. And somewhere else along the line, the Collector came, and Hollow Mind happened.

I was terrified. I kept watching, though. I wanted to know what would happen to everyone I loved. Hollow Mind was a great episode though, and I thought it and the rest of Season 3 were building up to something big.

They were not. They were building up to something extremely poorly explained that was erased in the last episode. No flashbacks. No face reveals. Caleb and Evelyn do not speak. We still have no idea what happened. How old were he and Philip? What made him trust Evelyn? Why was Evelyn in the human realm? What were the circumstances of the knife fight? WHY did Philip kill Caleb? How long was he looking for him? So many unanswered questions hand-waved in the finale, and anytime someone complains the response is 'but thuh shortuhning.' Boo fucking hoo. They had the time to explain things and they did not. If you weren't knee-deep in fandom and didn't read social media, you may not even know Hunter was a Grimwalker. You'd be left extremely confused about what Belos is and what the hell he wanted. And yet people use 'blame the big bad Disney' as an excuse. Less wasting time in Hexside tormenting students, more on what we give a damn about.

Speaking of Hexside.

I know all that shit with the puppets was supposedly 'necessary', but imagine if you'd been hiding from a potential genocide and suddenly everyone you love has been turned into nonsentient dolls by some unknown god and you're forced to hide and your remaining loved ones are missing and you're barely surviving, your life has been flipped, everything you knew is a lie and you don't know when or if it'll end. That's what it was like for them, and it is not treated like the traumatic and horrifying event that it was. It is joked about and used as a punchline and at best is unneeded filler that creates problems. And then there's Boscha - a girl treated horribly by the fandom and show both. Her friends have been turned into puppets and she is being used by Kikimora, she doesn't know what's happening, it's the apocalypse, she's sad and scared and confused and doesn't know what to do. She lashes out at people because of it. Perhaps she was so clingy towards Amity because her friend had vanished for ages and she finally knew she wasn't a puppet or dead. She is laughed at. Treated as an obstacle for Amity to overcome. Abandoned at Hexside. Given no real redemption. Just left to cry alone. And outside the show, fans will treat her like garbage. I have known people who wanted to tear her head off, or wanted her expelled from Hexside after becoming the least popular girl in school and losing all her friends. This is a teenager going through an unspeakably horrible event that will leave her with PTSD. She deserves exploration. She deserves more from the show and more from fans. Even Dana was asked once if she'd be redeemed - she said 'I think some people don't deserve redemption'. Or something along the lines. Bravo, Dana. Bravo, everyone.

And then the aesthetic switch. I praised the unique aesthetic. All reds and dusty colours and widespread. It made me really think of something abandoned. Someplace really wild. The Collector took over and turned it all star-themed and pastel, and it stayed that way. The Archive House stayed up. They call it the 'king's crown'. It remains a bland galaxy aesthetic with no trace of what they had in Season 1. They might as well reward the Collector for destroying the Isles.

And finally, Luz having to go back to human high school where she was bullied and had bad grades and didn't fit in. I used the Isles as an escape. I wanted to attend Hexside *so bad* and it was clear the show wanted the viewers to want it. So to have Luz go back and spend three years rebuilding the Isles whenever she went there - it broke me. It felt like my guts being torn to pieces. Everyone having to rebuild the Isles. Bland construction. Luz missing three birthdays. If I wanted child labour and bland construction and a horrible high school experience, I'd look at the world today. Luz was forced away from her home and into the place she deserved to escape from. High school is hell. And to top it off, what with current events, I truly do not want Luz abandoned here, among the rise of the far-right and schools doing jack-all for their students and some days when it seems everyone wants to kill each other. Luz does not deserve to be abandoned here, going to human high school and spending all her time in the Isles rebuilding it. No more fun. No more fantasy. No more adventures. Just construction. Everyday construction and a bland pastel star aesthetic replacing what I love. It's not weird anymore. I have lost the Boiling Isles. I feel this is reflected in the door redesign. The wooden Titan Eye design was all wooden, rough, mysterious and possibly alive. The new design is just a blah plastic pastel star design. It's boring.

Maybe I'm being a bit extreme, but I have held onto this for ages and no one shares my sentiments and it hurts like hell. If you could respond, that would be wonderful.

But yeah. TL;DR: This show made me care and then killed my escape and broke me and every character I love.

The Isles is dead, and this show has hurt me in the worst possible way.

I'm sorry that the show has had such a negative effect on you; it absolutely sucks to become so emotionally attached to something only for it to all fall apart in the end. It can feel like all that time and energy was wasted and that you were foolish to like it at all. But no, you did not waste anything. I think it's helpful if you reframe your thoughts because I am concerned about how much this show has affected your mindset.

The show did not break you. Its ending did not meet your expectations and you were disappointed by it. That's ok. A lot of people felt the final season was lacking, even when taking the cancellation into account. The joy and connection you felt in the early seasons still matter. They still helped you in a time when you needed it. Hold onto the happiness you felt and use that as a source of strength instead of blowing your disappointment out of proportion.

It also seems like you're connecting your experiences with Luz. Luz is fictional. She can't be affected by the real world. Within the context of the show, rebuilding the isles is necessary because the Boiling Isles is her home, too. It signifies a new age in which wild magic can flourish. She's choosing to be there as part of the community to rebuild a place that was nearly destroyed. Luz achieved her dream of becoming a witch. She can study and live in the Boiling Isles and visit her mom whenever she wants in the human realm. There is still fun. There is still fantasy.

Going back to the idea of reframing your thoughts: if something has upset you in a story, take a step back and look at it from the author's perspective. What were they trying to achieve? Does this fit in with the established world building and characterization? Did it upset you for narrative reasons or personal ones? So much discourse in fandom can be traced to the fact that fans have their own ideas of how characters should act instead of what is established in the story and what makes sense for that world. You need to look at a story from a narrative point of view instead of a personal one, that way any potential disappointment is not so emotionally-loaded.

Finally, to answer your question, no I do not believe that TOH was made to disappoint fans. Quite the opposite, actually. In the Post-Hoots and on social media, the crew talk about how much the show means to them and how touched they are about all the fan support they have received. Toh is a show made with love and a desire to please its audience--much to its detriment.

I really think the crux of your issue is that the show deeply disappointed you while everyone else loved it. That can feel incredibly isolating and as a Belos fan, I can relate. My advice is to find like-minded individuals so you all can healthily vent together while coming up with goofy head canons of your favorite characters. That's what I do (and endlessly complain about the lost potential. There is catharsis in it). Finally, move onto other shows and other communities, you will find better stories that will enrich you.

Stories can have a profound effect on people but not to the point that they make you feel "broken." My old mentor once said to "take the meat and throw out the bone." Basically, take whatever is useful for you and ignore the rest. You can do this with TOH, take whatever "meat" you found valuable and don't let the "bones" get you down.

I hope you take whatever meat you can from my advice. Please take care of yourself and surround yourself with people and things you love. Explore new stories, meet new people, and continue to grow.

The fantasy is not dead.

[sepublic]

I don’t think the time loop devalues Luz not having a natural destiny as established in Witches before Wizards, because there’s no higher power deciding what Luz’s life and presence means for her; There’s no actual God designing Luz as a savior before she’s born, it’s just the laws of physics preventing a paradox. A Puritan delusional about predestination tells Luz that it’s her ‘destiny’ to meet him, but she dismisses this as balderdash, which seems to me a deliberate acknowledgment by the writers.

Luz’s lesson in the second episode was that she wasn’t going to have an empowering good destiny that would give her everything she wanted like she hoped for; Luz would have to take agency to make people like her instead of waiting to be told she’s special. That still happened! Similarly, King wanted to have been special, decided he didn’t care for that, only to be a Titan after all and find misery in the fact.

And the time loop for Luz was one of the worst, most traumatic revelations she’s ever had, it’s a core factor into her suicidal depression, motivates her into almost sacrificing her dream and happiness out of guilt, the exact opposite of justifying it. It’s something Luz has to build herself back up from, in spite of not because. There’s nuance and irony. Because if Luz’s destiny as defined by Belos is to help him hunt witches by bringing him to the Collector, Luz defies this bad destiny by saving the isles instead.

Because Luz decides what her destiny is; Luz decides what she’s here in the isles for, it’s what Eda tells her when explaining that she’s no chosen one, in the same speech where Luz decides to make her fantasy happen instead of waiting for it to be decided by another. She literally made her destiny by starting the time loop with Lilith.

Luz has to be her own kind of witch, she has to once more choose for herself whether to stay or leave even after the loop, when she’s free of it. The Titan is just some dude can’t decide for Luz if she accepts his power and becomes the chosen one she worked to become, she has to choose and keep choosing.

Even the time loop, as Luz chooses to engage with it, goes against what Belos claims she’s meant for; Luz is also choosing to help and uplift a witch that Belos hates, and when the conflict is done, uses her last hours in the past to help Lilith self-actualize. It’s not her cursed fate to destroy everything she touches in both the isles and the human world, Luz has done so much more good, and the good is something she chose to do, something she helped make happen in spite of the bad, with those who accepted her help.

Luz coming across the Portal was fate; Not in the sense that it was all planned out by some higher power. But that it’s coincidence, and it’s something Luz chooses to accept and make use of in her own way, for her own purposes. After fulfilling the time loop and having no more obligations to temporal physics, Luz still chose to go back, saving the isles not just once but a second time.

The ending of Elsewhere and Elsewhen is Lilith the witch reassuring Luz that she doesn’t need to emulate Philip the human to do what he does; Lilith being more correct than she imagined, because that human is the system Luz was trying to avoid following in the first place. She doesn’t need to be like Belos, believing God has a destiny for her, to be special. Belos was wrong, Luz did not arrive to play the role set out for her, she’s the disruptor she’s always been, rebelling against an ancestor of the system.

Because people decide, people assign meaning, people choose, there is no higher power to attribute things towards. It’s just people and coincidence, you determine but not in a Libertarian kind of way because everyone needs opportunities and chances, to be better or to be a witch, these are things that should also be given and they don’t have to pull themselves up by their bootstraps to receive. But they do have to accept.

[alfredojesta]

CANDY POP

MANSION HEADCANONS PT. 1

I'm not going to add a backstory portion here because it'd be too much to write. I only have the fun facts! With some brief character analysis like always. I'll have a second post for his relationships!!!

CW: references to traumatic events, S/A, talk of hypersexuality (below the cut)

GENERAL HEADCANONS UP HERE!

♡ Age locked at 500 years old. Equivalent to an adult Genyr. Candy Pop was born 6000 years ago in the Forest of Light—a magical place located in a fantasy world.

♡ No birthdate, but he celebrates July 12th.

♡ He/Him, Trans Male, Bisexual.

♡ 5'8, but his heels add 2 inches which makes him 5'10, but his ponytails add 2 inches which makes him 6'0. So in theory he's 6'0.

♡ His name is Candy Pop, with the Pop. He's very insistent that everyone adds the Pop. No one is allowed to call him Candy unless he lets them. People like to call him Poppy or Pops.

♡ Candy Pop and Night Terrors are no longer fused together. Night Terrors has since been sealed away (within the object of Candy Pop's heart), but the effects of his corruption remain. For that reason, Candy Pop's emotions and his morals tend to fluctuate. He's inherently good, but troubled with dark thoughts, and a past of sin he can't repent.

♡ The corrupted (NT) traits come in flashes. It can be compared to mood-swings, lasting five seconds or five months. It's easy to distinguish for the most part. His cheerful, childish, sweet side is Candy Pop—he's somber and reflective, but hides it. He can be annoying, but it's easier to shut him down as he's more understanding. His over-dramatic, flirtatious, and violent side is all NT's influence. Everything is exaggerated. His emotions are all over the place, and it's way more difficult to calm him down.

♡ Candy Pop is a soul collector (a trait passed down by his father). He's mastered soul magic, and has the ability to steal powers from others. However, power stealing works the same as if he were to learn a new skill. He must perfect a stolen ability before he can use it efficiently.

♡ His hammer is named Pamela. She's magic! She can shape-shift into any object! Pierrot, an old friend, forged her. He harnessed the mana from crystals and fused it with the hammer.

♡ Candy Pop's eyes are naturally teal, like his mother's. After he fused with NT, they became magenta with a teal pupil. When he's happy, his eyes go teal. But when he's upset, his eyes go purple. Base state is magenta though.

♡ Candy Pop isn't a proxy, given he's strong enough to withstand Slenderman—equivalent to Zalgo's strength. He's under Slenderman's protection. Slenderman is aware that Candy Pop has Night Terrors sealed within him, and to prevent that from being exploited, Candy Pop gets to stay at the mansion (under a very detailed contract).

♡ He calls Slenderman "king" and acts as his jester, breaking into his office just to perform circus tricks. Candy Pop loves playing into the act, while Slenderman wants him to stop. Stop bowing down to him. Stop calling the mansion a kingdom. Stop delivering him scrolls and owl letters. BUT CANDY POP DOESN'T FUCKING LISTEN—

♡ Candy Pop used to have a room on the third floor, but a petition was signed to kick him out because he kept setting up traps in the hallway to catch Jason. Everyone fell for the traps except Jason.

♡ His room is now located on the first floor and has the best view of the courtyard. Candy Pop can be found there in his leisure. Sitting by the pond, talking to animals, climbing trees, or drawing with chalk. He gets to interact with a lot of people, too.

♡ Candy Pop loves Shakespeare! He sprinkles Elizabethan words into everyday speech. His vocabulary makes him difficult to understand, so he simplifies himself around illiterates. He has no distinct accent. Maybe British. He can speak all languages, including that of animals.

♡ He prefers to have intellectual conversation, therefore he speaks in long blocks of text. This basically means he yaps a lot and needs to be physically shut up.

♡ Candy Pop is involved with nature because of April Fools (his dead girlfriend). He gardens a lot. His favourite flowers to plant being roses, marigolds, poppies, and daisies. He keeps the Slender Forest clean and encourages proxies to work toward a better environment. Humans die there, but they can at least have a peaceful burial ground. (Candy Pop hates that humans have to be killed. He wants to keep them safe, but isn't able to. This sentiment was given to him from his time in the Forest of Light.)

♡ Candy Pop's soul-hunts can take anywhere from a day to a month. NT's cult attacks Candy Pop here and there. Major set back. Candy Pop also gets distracted by little things. That part is just him. But he can't help it that humans are so interesting! :(

♡ Hobbies, other than being a jester, include confectionery, baking, gardening, singing, arts and crafts, playing instruments (banjo, fiddle, harp, bells, etc.), reading, writing. He picked up knitting and crochet from Jason and Jill, which he's trying to perfect to impress either of them (mostly Jason, but Jill's reactions to his craft are more encouraging).

♡ He's banned from the mansion's kitchens after exploding it with Laughing Jack.

♡ His room is like a colourful library. There are shelves upon shelves of books. Random clutter everywhere. Trinkets, streamers, toys. Literally anything that goes missing in the mansion will be in Candy Pop's room. He likes collecting! :D

♡ Candy Pop doesn't always sleep in his room because he prefers to go to Nathan's house, or Jill's cabin. He tends to pass out in the forest after his hunts, so Jill picks him up.

♡ Candy Pop's fashion sense is experimental, but it keeps its circusy theme no matter what. He likes frilly clothes. Overdresses himself with accessories (hairpins, earrings, bracelets, and the like). Colour palette can either be pastel or gothic—both if he's feeling it. Candy Pop does simple makeup—unless he has a performance lined up. He curls his eyelashes so they look a bit swirly! ^_^

♡ His hair falls down to his calves. It's usually kept in three ponytails or a braid. He loves his fruit scented shampoos! Candy Pop lets the mansion kids put flowers into his hair. Lazari and Ben especially enjoy experimenting with giving Candy Pop funky hairstyles.

♡ Candy Pop sucks at using technology. He's forgetful, always needing to ask for assistance. It frustrates him, so he'd rather communicate via letters, or in-person meetings. However, he thinks videos and movies can be entertaining! He has NO idea how they work, but they're so silly!

♡ His use of slang is influenced by Nathan and Ciara. Otherwise, he speaks formally, and with as many references to Shakespeare as he can fit into a sentence.

♡ Spicy food will kill him instantly.

♡ He's vegan but makes an exception for dairy ice-cream. His favourite food is fruit salad and cabbage stew. But he tries inedible "foods" all the time. Like bath-bombs, or soap, or chalk, or lipstick. He gets shocked when they taste bitter.

♡ Candy Pop is terrified of mirrors. He refuses to look at his reflection. NT is always there. No matter what. He can't get that image out of his head. Candy Pop keeps away from reflective surfaces in general. Any and all mirrors tend to be covered when he's near. He gets others to check his makeup and outfits.

♡ He doesn't trust people easily, even though it may seem like he's gullible. Most people only know him on a surface level. Candy Pop hates talking about his past. Nobody knows the full story, not even his closest family. Because of how much hell he's lived through, Candy Pop can provide astonishingly good advice.

♡ Candy Pop's body is scarred from battles, self-inflictions, and little scuffles. He also has two scars on his back from Genyr wings that failed to grow on. Candy Pop likes to consider all his scars to be "battle scars"! It gives him a warrior-like image!

♡ His courage comes from his mother, who he believed was a warrioress. The stories his uncle told about her were the reason he kept going in dark times. Unbeknownst to him, those stories were made up.

♡ Candy Pop enjoys sleeping. He can control his dreams, so it's equivalent to going into an alternate universe for the night, where his life is a bit better. He experiences night terrors... from time to time, which sets him into a panic because they're always too realistic.

♡ One consequence of NT's corruption is that Candy Pop is involuntarily flirty with people. It isn't anything he's happy with, and creates lots of future issues if someone becomes attached to him. Candy Pop ends up feeling gross and yucky even if he doesn't go farther than flirting with people. He struggles to find any worth in himself outside of romantic or sexual desire. He can't help but believe everyone in his life will use him. He has to make himself useable, or else he'll get discarded.

♡ While they were fused, NT and Candy Pop never had a bond. NT put Candy Pop through so much emotional and physical distress. He despised that jester. For taking away his body, and replacing it with a weaker one. He couldn't even stay in his regular form for long... But he could shapeshift when he was in Candy Pop's form, and that meant he could enact his plans. Only thing is, since they shared the same body, they shared a consciousness. The first several months—years—decades—they shared a body together, it was horrifying for Candy Pop.

♡ Candy Pop was still young. Putting things into perspective, his entire life was stripped from him, along with every ounce of innocence he ever had. He didn't have anyone who could save him. Not a soul. All the other Genyrs were wiped out. His mother was dead. His father couldn't care less about him. The Gods weren't listening. It wasn't until centuries later that Candy Pop formed reliable connections.

♡ When Candy Pop finally grew "comfortable" with sharing a body with NT, NT became more and more insatiable. Candy Pop started giving into everything NT said, not refusing because if he laid low and gained NT's "trust", it'd be easier to get rid of him when the time came. But NT was also arrogant, angry, aggressive. And he'd take out his frustrations onto not only his children and partners, but also Candy Pop. NT found other ways to torment this one.

♡ Candy Pop has moments where he's averse to touch—severely. He'll distance himself from everyone. Only a few people can help him out of this. It's appreciated, because he thinks he's going to die alone. Candy Pop is, otherwise, a physically affectionate guy. He doesn't let just anyone touch him though. Again, his trust can be difficult to earn.

♡ Candy Pop copes with his trauma by being a jester. Surrounding himself with friends and family. Pretending like things aren't as bad as they are. And that's about it.

(dividers by dollywons) ☆

YAY! THAT'S ALL FOR THIS!!! backstory stuff would in fact take me a million years to do so that's going to be in another post i'll make at... some point. thankkk you!

[xiakato]

WINTER- Interview With The Collector(M)(TW)

“Thank you for making the time for me Miss Kim,” You say as you set down your recorder one last time. Her red hair perfectly contrasted her ghost like skin, her eyes uninterested in this whole ordeal. 

“Let’s hurry this along, my pets are quite restless,” Her eyes dropped to the blood swirling in her glass.

“Of course, Kim Minjeong. One of the Twelve elders,” You smile slightly as your pen is ready to take notes of her mannerisms, notes of anything. 

“Sadly,” She takes a sip, her eyes fluttering up looking at you, “You’re like me, an Elder.”

“I’m merely a newly turned vampire, nothing more Madam.” 

“You must be like the Second Elder,rare occurrence that is.” 

“When did you get turned?” You ask her to try to set the interview back onto track, off the topic of you.

“It’s been so long, I remember that snowy night. My blood soaking into the snow around me. I was left for dead. The raid of my little village was traumatic to say the least. The screams of the children, the blood splatter still as vivid as it was in my mind all those years ago.”

“Who turned you?�� 

“The one that started everything, The First Elder. A fearful man, one not of this world.”

“Where did you go afterwards?” 

“I followed him around for a little bit before I found my own way, well more like I was forced to find my own way. Which led me to the other girls, quite a collection of beautiful women.”

“What do they call you, the collector Madam?” 

“Follow me,” She stands up, her heels adding little to her height, she’s small. Adorable in your eyes yet deadly. You follow her closely behind, your eyes are shown a sight you weren’t expecting. The cages, the blood splatter, “One of the unfortunate duties of an Elder, I was placed in charge of the criminals, breaking them into my pets.”  

You look around the cells, each one of the “inmates” have a collar around their neck, their eyes fixated on her as she seemingly glides across the room. They have a scowl looking at you, after she leaves their sight, “They are… unsightly.” 

“Very, but they’re cute sometimes. Other times, they’re nuisances.” 

“So why not treat them like actual inmates?” You inquire as you follow closely behind her back to her room

“When I first got this assignment from the First Elder, I did treat them as such, regular beatings and torture. But after half a decade, it grew stale. So I changed my methods… is that a problem?” She looks at you, her eyes staring into your very soul. You could only shake your head as a slight smile etched itself across her face, “You’re going to have to meet the First elder eventually. He dislikes people with the powers of an Elder to be unaccounted for.” 

“How do I meet him?” You ask as the two of you make it back to her room, as she wraps her hand around your tie, pushing you back into the chair. Straddling you, her dress bunches up around her thighs, your eyes lingering little longer than they should’ve as she makes you look at her. 

“He will meet you,” her lips graze across your neck, shivers run down your spine as her fangs do the same. She takes off your tie and tears your shirt open, buttons scattering across the floor. Her fangs sink into your neck, your hands squeeze her thigh, and her ass. The pleasure seems to increase ten fold. She finally pulls back, the crimson red staining her lips and dripping down her chin. The beauty of the sight before you, a living painting straddling you. You kiss her, getting a taste of your own blood. Her arms wrap around your neck, as your hands find the zipper of her dress. She pulls away standing up, letting her dress fall to the floor. Red lingerie that matches her hair, perfectly matching with her milk white skin. She smirks as she watches your eyes travel across her body, turning around, slowly walking to the bed and leaning to it. Her eyes invite you over, you walk over in a trance, “Good boy,” She whispers into your ear as you kiss neck falling back onto the bed, her nails glide across your back as she fully takes off your blood stained shirt. Your fangs find themselves deep into her neck, her blood metallic yet the sweetest thing you have ever tasted, her moans in your ear drives you crazy. Pulling away from her neck, stained in the crimson liquid. You can’t help but smirk. Pulling off her panties, soaking wet, She spreads her legs for you to get a good look. Your tongue licks circles around her clit. Her hand gripping on your hair as the other grips the sheets as you eat her out, your eyes never leaving her face.  Her back arches as you eat her more diligently, letting her taste flood your senses, “Fuck! I-I’m going to cum!” She screams as she cums, drenching the sheets beneath her. 

Backing up, pulling off your trousers. Letting your cock out of its confines, she slides down onto her knees between the bed and you. Peppering kisses up and down your shaft, her tongue licking you from base to tip. She finally takes you into her mouth, only managing to get half way down your shaft before she gags, her soft cold hands stroke as she swirls her tongue around your tip. She smiles as she can feel your hardness in her hand, pulling you out of her mouth, spit bridges the gap from her mouth to your cock. You can’t hold back and shove yourself back into her mouth. Your hand wrapped up in her hair as thrust in and out of her mouth. Tears falling from her eyes, you pull out watching the spit fall from her mouth, the tears staining her cheeks. You pull her up off the floor, pushing her back onto the bed. Spreading her legs quickly, she’s wetter than before. You stretch her out with your tip first before sliding in the rest, She’s the tightest you’ve ever had. Her moans start to fill the room, as you bury yourself in her, “Fuck,” You can’t help it as you start to thrust slow and hard, her nails already digging into your back. Pushing her legs back as you pick up your pace, getting into the mating press. You fuck her faster and deeper, making sure she can feel all of you. 

“FUCK! You’re so fucking big!” She screams out as her nails draw blood from your back, Her legs shaking as you sink your fangs back into her neck as you give her your all. Her sweet blood and her. Her,her,her,her,her,and just her in general overwhelms your mind, body, and soul. Pulling away from her neck and pushing fully into her, looking down at the stomach bulge. She smiles running her hand over it, “Fuck me, make me yours Y/n,” She doesn’t have to tell her twice as you start pumping into her, your climax is coming and quick as she tightens around you as she reaches hers adding to the soaked sheets. You thrust faster and harder into her pussy as you reach yours, filling her with your load. You catch your breath still buried in her, “You better keep fucking me.”

[rex-shadao]

The Lonely End of Belos

Or why Hunter, Caleb, Evelyn, Lilith, Collector, or anyone that Belos personally wronged didn't get to be the witness to his demise.

I admit, I was a bit unsatisfied with Belos' demise. After all the build up with Caleb hallucinations and Grimwalker bones, I thought he would fall into the graveyard pit, see the ghosts, and realizing all too late it's his fault before he melts into a pile of bones.

Prior to that, before Thanks to Them, I speculated on Belos' fate would be him being hunted down by an angry mob of humans led by Jacob Hopkins believing him to be some kind of cryptid monster either threatening the town... or offer a rare opportunity to get rich on the news. And then he falls apart like an animal.

And when Watching and Dreaming trailer hinted at Belos possessing the Titan, I wondered how they were going to defeat Belos without resorting to revenge or poetic irony (since Belos is this big final boss that the heroes would blow up like with the core). I thought perhaps they would turn Belos into a Palisman tree and make him give back all the Palisman he devoured in a twisted form of redemption. Perhaps they'll remind him of his past and start a mental collapse that causes him to lose control of the Titan as he sees images of Caleb. I was pretty sure Caleb would show up just before Belos dies, giving him the realization that he's damned.

But his actual demise... feels empty. He did fall apart as I expected and there's sense of loneliness in his demise, but... no Caleb. No Evelyn. Nothing hinting to his past. Heck, I don't think the name Philip is even brought up once. It feels like we've been cheated out of a cathartic demise, and I spent the hours since the special aired trying to make sense of this choice and why. Why is there no Wittebane lore.

And ultimately, I make this conclusion:

Belos refused to open up about his past. It's quite telling the Collector spilled everything of his Freudian Excuse from being bullied by the Archivists to being wrongfully imprisoned by King's Dad to his desire for friends and being accepted. Him opening up communications of his insecurities allowed Luz, Eda, and King to empathize and help him. To teach him kindness and forgiveness. To teach him the value of life through death. And through their teachings does the Collector become better and ultimately redeemed.

But Belos? We know he had a traumatic past and a lot of insecurities with his brother. We know he's a lot like Luz and the Collector when he was a child. But unlike them, he never opened up about his insecurities. He forcibly molds them into abstract ideas and rules. For the greater good of humanity. For the good of your souls. He always tries to make it non personal, thinking it makes him selfless and pure.

But what he ends up creating is a caricature of himself. A shallow representation of his former human life. The Hollow Mind portraits released this week on Twitter shows tragedy with the happy memories being free of scratches and burns. Those were the original looks. But in the actual episodes, even the happy memories were scarred and burned. As Understanding Willow reveals, if you burn the memory pictures, you essentially erase them from existence. This means that Belos barely remembers his past. Now that I think about it, Belos never actually used the word brother at any point. Just an old friend. At first, I thought he was trying to avoid triggering trauma memories regarding Caleb's murder, but now I wonder... did he actually forget Caleb was his brother?

Because if he did, then it explains why he never seem to make the connection that Eda and Lilith may in fact be the descendants of Evelyn and Caleb. He only remembers Evelyn's first name but can't remember her face or anything that would link her to the Clawthrones.

And then it hits me. Despite being the big main antagonist of the series... Belos has only one personal connection to our main trio: Luz the Human. Eda, he dismisses her as an Owl Lady outlaw who isn't important in the grand scheme of thing. And King, he thinks it's a weird dog demon, not a baby Titan. But Luz, he's obsessed with because A) she would help him learn the Light Glyph and find the Collector and B) she's the first human he has seen in centuries.

Thus, it is Luz that Belos focuses on the most. It's Luz that Belos wants to form an actual connection since Caleb's death. And when you think about those witnessed Belos' demise... Luz is the only one that Belos has any genuine interactions with. Eda, King, and Raine... they were all background pawns or obstacles, not even worth specializing personal grudges towards like he would with Lilith, Hunter, Evelyn, or even Caleb.

So in spirit, Luz is the last lifeline for redemption and forgiveness. And Belos blew it. He was so obessed with Luz due to her human status but he never gave anything about his past to her (Luz only got Belos' backstory from Masha). He assumes that being human alone is sufficient enough for speaking terms. And he choose the best looking human look for her: A non-broken nose Philip Wittebane. Just as how she saw him in Elsewhere and Elsewhen. The ideal adventurer and hero of the 17th century. He evidently forgot that this bearded Phillip destroyed Luz's respect for him. This Philip lied to her and betrayed her and Lilith. This Philip was not the hero Luz envisioned. After all, the Philip she idolized in the diaries was clean shaven. He could have chosen that form... if he actually remembers that.

And then he sloppily try to make himself sound like he's freed from a curse, sloppily using the term dark magic instead of wild magic, and taking great pains to even say that he did horrible things, even under the excuse of a curse. He has no idea on how to make himself relatable when it's all there within him deep down. He just uses the surface-deep level of relatability and Luz doesn't buy it. And the boiling rain melts away that skin deep humanity, revealing a rotting ghoul barely clinging onto life, screaming of how witches are evil and unforgivable as he crawls to Luz. Notably, he still doesn't give a reason as to why he thinks they're all evil. We all know what it likely is, but Belos never confirms it to Luz.

Belos is virtually on autopilot, repeating the mantra of humans are superior and witches are evil. He never speaks about how Caleb was "stolen" from him by a witch. He never speaks about how Gravesfield taught that witches are evil. His memories almost completely erased by his self-inflicted denial, all he can think of is wiping out witches and saving humanity. A caricature of his former self.

And by failing to swayed Luz, he's completely alone. There is no Caleb now. No Evelyn. No Hunter. No Lilith. No Grimwalkers. No Flapjack. Just Luz whose connection he tries to forge is now a shallow parody because of how much he doesn't understand her at all. But she wouldn't kill him since that would give him a known company at his last moment. Instead he meets his end by those that he doesn't even see as personally important beyond pawns. Though they have a lot of personal grudges against the former Emperor and tyrant, Belos only sees strangers at the end of in his long life.

Philip Wittebane is nothing more than a faded memory of a bygone era. He died with his brother Caleb, regulated to just folklore ghost stories told in Halloween of Gravesfield. To some, they may never really exist in the first place since 1613 is a very long time.

The creature that resembles Philip is just Belos and he is little more but a parody of a man, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

[pjsk-headcanons]

Woof woof 💪😼 rise and grind

rui wasn’t messed up from the fact that his classmates didn’t want to hang out with him, they thought he was trying to hurt them of purpose so they tried to stay away from him, which is why he’s sorta hesitant about his ideas (EVEN AFTER THE RUIKASA EVENT !! he just doesn’t voice his concern because tsukasa prefers to be traumatized or some shit idk)

akito has a tongue piercing because ena wanted one but didn’t know if it would look good on her, so she looked at him and went “hm. close enough.” he didn’t hate it, he wears it in lives, but takes it out around their dad because he doesn’t know about it

cluster b mafuyu

honami is an excellent driver due to being kanade’s housewife

kanade can’t drive and if she does her hair gets in the way and she crashes and maybe even kills someone 🤧

akito goes “YOINK” when picking something up. anything at all.

mizuki is transfem so what if rui was transmasc and they swapped names 😯

if an stops listening to music she becomes evil (she’s very adhd and need constant stimulation) (i got this from the evil spotify meme)

emu is a sticker collector and has a hard time making the commitment of sticking them to things, so her closet is filled with them to the point where her clothes barely fit

rui is a fnaf truther he wanted to be william afton is middle school but without the child murder

-language anon

.

[ben-drowned-me]

hi! could you write some general hc for Jeff and Toby? Also could you talk about more about your canon plsss?

✧.* gen jeff and toby headcanons

-aaa of course !! i love jeff and toby so much

for my canon, I like to think that i just kind of make the characters more real. For most of their original canon stories, or for the fanon versions of them, their characters are made to be just killing machines with a little bit of angst and the story of whatever caused it. I base them off my favourite versions of their stories (or combine), but i give them flaws and little quirks that make them into an actual character rather than a person. I also try to write in how they are all traumatized people because thats usually brushed off. I wouldn't mind going into more detail if you'd like :3

jeff the killer

 incredibly close with liu before everything went down, now he just feels guilty being around him

hardcore metal and punk fan. Screeching Weasel, Benighted, To The Grave. stuff like that

Has night terrors. Rooms with Ben because he's the only one who can calm him down when he awakes. 

Soft spot for animals (usually prefers cats but doesn't say anything to Smile)

Grew up in a very strict catholic family

Is the self-proclaimed "white boy" of the mansion but is hispanic

Pushes his emotions away until something really triggers him

When he finally gets triggered, it does not end well

Full breakdowns. Rage, Depression. He goes through all of it in the span of like 2 days. 

Everyone gives him space except Ben

No mirrors in his room. Avoids ones outside

phantom pain from the burns 

he looks absolutely atrocious. Probably the worst of all the creeps but to be fair he went through severe body trauma

For a grown man, he's on the skinner side 

still really fucking strong though

Can't sleep without noise. One of the reasons he rooms with Ben so much bc hes loud

Messy room. Does not clean, does not know where anything is

only really uses the top of his face to show emotion because he's scared of re-opening his mouth scars

He would spend hundreds of dollars at bath and body works but all the scents he picks up would clash so badly

the kind of guy to say no when someone asks for something but then get 3 of it

listens to british rap unironically

toby rogers

mentioned before, but hates waffles. Any classic breakfast food he dislikes but those are the worst

a collector. His room is filled with small little trinkets he's picked up. Has a rock or button collection

Probably the worst of the creeps emotionally

Was raised in a pretty toxic environment.. Never learned how to manage his emotions. Has too many of them and they change too often so he kind of just. explodes

Usually extreme rage or goes nonverbal

is autistic idc

very ! bad ! ptsd

nervous around male authoritative figures

initially refused to eat at the dinner table since it was a requirement of his fathers, but is getting better at it

soft spot for kids, will let sally dress him up and do his makeup

religious guilt though he was never religious

finds EJ to be very good company, he enjoys the atmosphere

speaking of EJ, he taught Toby a lot of medical care since he's not always available

sleeps on the floor pretty often

kind of an asshole sometimes

master of sarcasm tbh

[logolepsy-babble]

Watching Guardians of the Galaxy and I feel like assigning Marauders characters Marvel characters (mostly Guardians)

James Potter - Peter Quill

- Honestly the vibes are there.

- Both very goofy and Peter is extremely strong but also a bit of a weirdo who goes by codenames. Sound familiar?

- He’s mischievous, it fits.

- Likes people that try to kill him.

- Too trusting.

- Arrogant

Regulus Black - Gamora

- Gamora and Regulus are both cold.

- Gamora betrayed Ronan like how Regulus betrayed Voldemort.

- Very violent.

- Very hated by the public for working for a killer.

- Speaks cryptic.

- Bad relationship with sibling who is hated.

- Knowledgeable.

- Differing morals to Ronan/Thanos (Voldemort).

- Sheltered.

- Died while trying to save the world from Thanos (Voldemort).

Barty Crouch Jr. - Drax

- Became a killer for revenge when Thanos killed his lover.

- Violent and blood thirsty.

- Horrifying and unhinged (in a comical way sometimes)

- Jokes are odd af, but enjoyable and sometimes hilarious.

- Smart but definitely not street smart

Pandora Rosier - Mantis

- Very kind hearted and takes care of others.

- Very soft spoken and hard to dislike.

- Comforting person to the point of wanting to protect her.

Rubeus Hagrid - Groot

- Doesn’t entirely think before acting.

- A big oaf. /lovingly

- Extremely strong and knowledgeable but doesn’t use brain a lot of the time.

- Man of few words.

- Good friends with Rocket.

Remus Lupin - Rocket

- An animal that was experimented on (Technically Dumbledore “experimented” on him).

- Silly.

- Extremely smart and overlooked in that case.

- Very determined.

- Brutally honest.

- Insecure.

- Good friends with Groot.

- Angry easily.

- A bit insensitive sometimes.

Sybill Trelawney - The Collector

- They’re odd. I just can’t think of anyone else.

- Collects odd shit.

Voldemort - Thanos

- It just feels right idk

Rudolphus Lestrange - Ronan

- Following Thanos (Voldemort)

- A cruel killer who doesn’t care about who dies.

- Betrays Thanos when is stronger (HC Lestrange would do that to Voldemort if he could)

Bellatrix Black - Nebula

- Sold off by family in hopes could serve them better.

- Killer and violent.

- Traumatized from constant criticism.

- Not seen as human due to loss of something crucial (for Bella her sanity, for Nebula her body)

- Plausibly enjoys killing.

Sirius Black - Scott Lang

- Went to prison (LMAOOOO).

- Though got out of prison, went back to crime.

- Protective of family.

- Tired of people.

- Falls for the confident and intelligent people. (I will argue Remus for this even though technically in this AU they wouldn’t get together 😔 Unless he’s a werecoon… 🤨).

- Very good at sneaking around and mischief.

- Good at thieving.

- Brings best friend into everything.

Remus Lupin (Alternately) - Hope Pimm

(- Haha his mother’s name.)

- Sassy.

- Very blunt and doesn’t take shit.

- Falls for the dorky person.

- Intelligent and very creative.

- Wants to prove self as worthy with every possible task.

- Overworks self.

- Confident.

Evan Rosier - Dave (Ant-Man)

- He’s a background character.

- Chill, but a criminal.

- I think it’s funny so I’m doing it.

Couldn’t Figure Out:

- Yondu

[mdhwrites]

if you've seen Steven universe how would you compare it to TOH? I've seen many takes that TOH is Steven Universe 'done correctly' which drives me up a wall, especially since TOH has a lot of the same flaws as SU (pretty much everyone has to be tied to steven in some way- the same way everyone's gotta tie into Luz, White Diamond pisses me off for the same reason the collector does and dear god both finales are messes and the worldbuilding is also kind of messy) but pretty much everyone can agree that Steven Universe's themes of restorative justice are good, its themes surrounding interpersonal relationships and intergenerational trauma is good- I've seen people justify how TOH handles its villains 2 ways "its doing steven universe's restorative justice but like correctly" or "its about killing your oppressors, which steven should have done" which is dumb. Idk this fandom has a huge hate-boner for SU and Amphibia in general though. I also saw someone have the take the collector and belos where foils which... Is weird I can see where they come from but they never are put together in a way that highlights their similarities and differences. So what are some actual comparisons that can made between the shows outside of LGBT characters and surface level stuff?

Sadly I have not seen Steven Universe so I can't really comment on much of it. I've seen the first episode (both halves), decided the gems were insufferable to me and Steven was okay and went on with my life because at the time, I was a full time college student and a part time Walmart employee. I do like some of the songs that have reached me but I never got an in with the show, especially since my early experience with it was much like Gravity Falls where I heard a lot of high concept stuff about it but not much about why I would actually enjoy a given episode, what was enjoyable about the characters, etc. like that. Honestly, the only criticism I know of for it is that people hate the ending.

BUT.

I have seen one other thing. I have seen about twenty minutes of the Steven Universe movie. With that I can say one thing definitively even if it's not clearing a high bar: The Diamond's turn to good is better than the Collector's because they have literally ANY reason to listen to the person preaching at them. The Collector doesn't. In fact, he has no reason to reform and it is drastically out of character for him to care about... Anyone?

Let me start on the Diamond's side because I don't have a lot to say about this but it is something I'm surprised I haven't heard anyone talk about: They were clearly traumatized by the loss of Pink Diamond. Whether or not you think this is a good part of the plot isn't what matters, the point is that this is a literal fact to the story. This grief has gone unresolved for literal decades (just going by Steven's lifespan, someone in my Discord provided the context that they blamed themselves for her DEATH, not just disappearance, for CENTURIES which only bolsters the point I'm making) and has festered in them a desperation for their old comrade? Friend? I don't 100% know but you get the point. So when her son arrives and can't be kept by force, they're going to be pretty amenable to listen to whatever demands means keeping him around. Is that great? No, I wouldn't say it is as the question of what happens when Steven dies is there but it works for forcing them to consider the consequences of their actions and how they may need to change to have the life they desire. It is a compelling force for the first step of change. It's not amazing but it is at least functional from a narrative standpoint, an emotional standpoint and from a character standpoint. Not that it's great but that it is functional. You can string together how this works without having to just invent bullshit.

The Collector has none of these three because he's the literal fucking worst.

I've talked about this before but the Collector isn't the child the fandom treats him as. Even if we try to disconnect the second season version of the Collector, who very much so knows what death is and the consequences of his actions, S3 Collector does have a foil to Belos: He's an actual colonizing piece of shit. Not in that he is literally colonizing places but in mindset. Everything to him is something to be used for his entertainment or enrichment or it is to be stripped of all rights and brutally oppressed until it fits the role he desires. This is what happens when you become a LITERAL. FUCKING. DOLL. And he even has enforcers like the armies colonies would use that have wildly more powerful magic, i.e. technology, in order to make that oppression more seamless. Remember: Hexside is actively hiding from roaming stars that he just has going around the Isles that hoover up people, making at least those who resist into dolls immediately without question, and then bringing them to him to be new play toys in his game. That is explicitly what he has been doing to the entire Isles for MONTHS once S3 episode 2 happens.

People do not matter to him and this even extends to King. When King steps out of line, The Collector cracks the whip. He's even willing to KILL KING for having the gall of caring about anyone other than him. Those death games would be just as lethal to King as it would be to Eda and Luz after all. And if you actually do divorce S2's "PLAY AMONGST THE BONES!" line (which is fucking awful because you have to remove literally all of the first appearances of a character which is usually considered, you know... Bad) and believe that he doesn't know what death is... He knows what pain is. He knows what torture is. He knows the despair of being trapped in a space where you can't move or act or do anything except watch as an observer on a world that could destroy you at any moment because your prison is all of your being.

And then he makes people into dolls, with consciousness, without a second thought. He is willing to BREAK people in order to make them play along. His literal plan was to shatter the bodies of the Owl House trio over and over and over again until they were subservient to his desires. That is WORSE than just wanting to kill them. And he only stops to throw a tantrum because he fails to succeed and starts whining about it like any selfish asshole not getting his way. Not like a child: Like a selfish asshole.

So with ALL of this, what does the show do to try to make him consider the consequences of his actions? Well... Nothing. It claims it's trying to do something but the tour with the trio is much more a circle jerk about how amazing the show was and how much could have happened if not for the shortening ("That sounds like something that could have been its own spin off!" Or whatever King says to Eda talking about her and Raine's time at Hexside) than it is about talking to the Collector. There's a couple lines here and there, talking to him about what works for making friends but does it stick?

No, the Collector learns nothing and in mocking Steven Universe, they make that clear. The Collector is told that people are complex and you must show compassion. Rather than actually believing this, he uses it like a blunt hammer, just like all of his other solutions, to make a problem of his go away. That's why he hugs Belos and assumes it will work. He is not considering the complexity of humanity or the person he is applying this to. It is just to solve a problem so he'll get praised and go back to playing his games. Nothing. More.

And then he fucks off instead of fixing the damage he'd done because why would he stay? Why would he help? He hasn't learned anything and he doesn't want to help these people. He has NO motivation for why he helps save the Archive except otherwise he loses his sweet crash pad. So afterwards? He's gonna go somewhere where he can be himself and not be scolded for it because this toy is no longer fun.

Edit: He does stay to change everyone back from dolls. That much more falls into the "It's the ending, we have to have the problem only he can fix be fixed by him" despite the fact that he is responsible for so much more destruction that would theoretically be pretty easy for him to fix as well. He only does what is demanded of him for the sake of a happy ending, not because of character motivation, not from how I see it at least.

The most condemning part of this is that it's all around Luz. All around someone he doesn't like. He sees Luz as trying to take away his only friend after all and, you know, he is correct about that. They don't even try to hide that fact during the tour. They're still clearly upset with him and not even trying to be his friend, they're just lecturing him. It doesn't work from a character perspective, a narrative perspective or an emotional one. King MIGHT have with better writing, there's a reason I always wanted the Collector redeemed by one of his games forcing him to have to kill King by the rules he made before breaking it and having to face how that's unfair and cruel to others since they wouldn't get that leniency, but that's not how the show plays it. King is an unwilling servant for one episode and then VERY against the Collector in the next until after the death games. When he first shows up, King isn't trying to mediate, he is ready to fight just like the other two. He's not the Collector's friend and he never was so why would the Collector bother listening to him?

That is why me saying the Diamonds, even with my limited knowledge, works better than the Collector is almost literally the worst you can do when it comes to something like this. All the setup is wrong, the catalyst requires explicit retcons and don't work with the character and the payoff is... Nothing. Literally nothing. The only way to have done it worse is to have had everyone praise the Collector before he then stabbed Amity and no one acted like that was a problem. It can only function because we are TOLD he's redeemed even if he never shows it.

Andrias standing alone as a farmer, accepting the punishment for his actions and trying to make better on them, is such better payoff to a redemption arc than anything the Collector gets and his redemption was in character and setup by his past. So then let's get to one of your last points: Why is it that the TOH fandom rags on SU and Amphibia so much, especially for their endings, when theirs is such shit?

Well... Because that's the reputation of TOH. That it is the 'good' one. That it is better than almost all other media. The show itself, with moments like the Collector mocking the SU ending by hugging Belos, reinforces this. As such, for you to criticize TOH as failing in a department that other shows are not rapturously praised for is to fall out of sync with the show itself. As such, all other works must be placed beneath it, especially if those are widely believed to have a flaw in an element to then raise TOH up with. This is part of why so many people want to say the Amphibia ending is wrong because the Amphibia ending is brave and controversial and saying something while the TOH ending?

I mean... Do you really think the Collector's the only part of it objectively flawed like this? Because if a major redemption for your big bad is botched this badly, you can bet other problems exist. I've talked about them at length. But there are probably people out there who would call me the Lily Orchard of TOH if I was better known.

See you next tale.

======+++++======

That last line isn't an endorsement of Lily Orchard btw, just that I have to imagine it's the label I would be given. What little exposure I've had to her works is... YIKES. Just fucking yikes. My Discord has really enjoyed every time I've live reacted to a video of hers they've posted there. sigh

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

[a-e-redacted]

I kind of always wondered in your fic why Eda has let Moon live in the owl house when it makes King sort of clearly uncomfortable and puts him in an inherently unsafe position. I know Eda also can’t really take Moon somewhere else and I feel that but I think King is never 100% safe if Moon is just there. I think Moon could totally kill King (again) thinking he’s getting a rise out of him and only realize what he’s done after the fact, and IF he managed to bring King back through some means he’d never be allowed near him again.

I think it’s a combination of being too far into bringing Moon into the family by now, along with an (un)healthy dose of denial on Eda’s part. She has good intentions and is a fierce mama witch but that doesn’t mean she’s thought everything through or makes the right call in every case. While Eda isn’t intentionally repeating the patterns of her mother, she might do well to be a bit more cautious.

Now that King and Moon have had a bigger fight, it’s an issue she’ll find harder to ignore.

And I say this with all the love and affection in the world for Eda Clawthorne. She’s one of my favorite characters of all time in any media ever, I relate to her a tremendous amount and most of this fic is from her POV.

But MoonShadow was never meant to be a clean cut story of morally pure characters doing morally pure things. It’s a messy story of flawed people doing their best to navigate life in unstable circumstances. Sometimes they succeed, sometimes they fuck up.

Not gonna’ lie, I wrote and rewrote the latest chapter (64) multiple times over the past five and a half months, trying to get just the right amount of nuance. It’s a different dynamic than we see in a lot of portrayals of King and The Collector and I worried that I might upset readers by their antagonistic interactions in this chapter.

Moon and King are foils to each other, and I wanted to stay true to the complexity of their relationship in the MoonShadow verse. Since the fic was drafted before season three, the Archivists aren’t really a component of the story of the Titan Trappers. Their inclusion in canon drastically changes The Collector’s position in the conflict and simplifies the redemption process.

Without that aspect in MoonShadow…it’s a lot messier.

I do think Moon has a few more inhibitions than they did since they did experience King dying once before and were traumatized by it. That, along with the house rules helps keep Moon in check somewhat, but their extremely volatile personality does have a tendency to get the best of them at the worst possible times.

Unfortunately Moon still hasn’t quite learned the concept of compassion for others. How they treat Starfishie is especially indicative of this, I think.

Moon’s “concern” for King’s well-being is strictly because of how it makes THEM feel personally. Their protectiveness towards the Owl Family is possessiveness of those who make THEM feel cared for and provide THEM with affection. It’s still all based on what Moon is getting out of it.

King has some extremely valid concerns and reservations about sharing his house and family with The Grand Huntsman themself, but he doesn’t necessarily hate them - despite his recent outburst.

He’s as fascinated by Moon as he is afraid of them, and he does feel for and relate to them. After all, he did release them for a second time, bringing them physically to the Owl House. However he’s also aware that this would be considered unbecoming for a Titan, and he’s desperately trying to live up to his legacy.

King has always been someone with a penchant for extreme dramatics (he actually has this in common with Moon) and it stands to reason that this would manifest in different ways as he moves into adolescence. He has a lot of complicated emotions regarding Moon and it was simpler just to attack them and yell at them (again, for reasons that are very much justified).

Now, however, at the end of the chapter, King is starting to rethink some things.

And WOW, this got long. But thank you so much for the ask. MoonShadow has been such a fun story to write and it makes me happy to know that it’s made you ponder things enough to take the time to share your thoughts!

[lilmissnatcat24]

Out of Eden Masterpost!!!

A Mass Effect fanfiction trilogy. The events of the games had Shepard not been on Eden Prime.

Book One: Turn Left (completed)

Delia Shepard, traumatized and addicted to red sand after Torfan, has found a quiet-- albeit boring-- life on the Citadel as a Drugs and Trafficking Officer. When one of her informants is found dead in an alley, she's forced to team up with Detective Garrus Vakarian: an unfeeling, stiff, full of himself douche. But as they work together, they find that a dead mole is the least of their issues. Trouble is brewing, enemies are at every turn. And to top it all off, Shepard has sworn off friendships completely after the Alliance. So why can she barely function without Vakarian?

In another dark corner of the Citadel, Archangel has decided to sign up for an anonymous sex club. What's the worst that can happen? He's matched with a human he knows only as the Commander, someone who he can demand to obey his every rule and whim. As their meetings progress, Archangel finds himself getting closer and closer to the Commander. Can lust turn into something more substantial?

TAGS:

Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn, Slow Build, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Detective Noir, Sex Club, Anonymous Sex, Canon Temporary Character Death, Murder Mystery, Drug Use, Dom Garrus Vakarian, Whump, Smut, Heavy Angst, Alien SexAlien/Human Relationships, Dual POV, an overly sexual elcor named candy, Earthborn (Mass Effect), Ruthless (Mass Effect). Fake/Pretend Relationship, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Identity Porn, Minor Character Death, Torture, Blood and Gore, the dove is so dead i brought it back to life and then drowned it in its own piss, i wrote this with a diet dr pepper and a dream

Fic Link: x

BOOK TWO: Electric Sheep (ongoing, updates Saturdays)

Two years after the death of Garrus Vakarian, Delia Shepard finds herself stationed on Horizon when the Collectors attack and kidnap Kaidan Alenko. When a mysterious shadow corporation by the name of Cerberus comes to her rescue, she sees is as not only a way to save Kaidan, but to possibly do some good in the universe. But there's a mysterious turian who follows her at every step, one that may be more than he seems on the surface.

Garrus Vakarian is alive. He's 30% cybernetics, embedded with a control chip and surveillance devices that track his every move, and doesn't care about anything anymore-- but alive. He has one sole mission: to destroy Cerberus from the inside out. But when Shepard happens back into his life, he's forced to make the harrowing decision of whether to complete his mission, or to risk it all for the woman he once thought he couldn't live without.

TAGS:

Lovers to Enemies to Lovers Again, Slow Burn, Slow Build, Alternate Universe- Canon Divergence, Minor Character Death, Gore, Torture, Blood, Lots of Disturbing Imagery, Dual POV, Earthborn (Mass Effect), Ruthless (Mass Effect), Whump, Eventual Smut, Heavy Angst, Unrequited Love That's Actually Very Much Requited, Mind Control, So Much Pining Even I'm a Little Disturbed, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, A Children's Show Called the Electromenon That Teaches Shepard About Basic Physics, Hurt/Comfort, Found Family, OC Central, Yet Another Cliffhanger Ending (Sorry About That)

Fic Link: x

Fic Cover: x done by the absolutely stunning @milkywayes!!!

[ccaptain]

do you have advice for new roleplayers? x10

OH BOY, DO I.

( Disclaimer before you read this monumental thing: these advices are all from my personal experience while I was staying into a pretty toxic RPC before coming here and starting to heal and make friends, other than developing other hobbies aside from roleplaying. I briefly reference a small drama I had on my Sampo that solved itself, and nothing else.

I sound old, tired, traumatized and jaded, because I am. Take my advices with a grain of salt. )

1. You should be careful of who you allow into your mains/affiliates. Expecially when shipping. A person who is just as smitten with your ship as you are, that gives off a warm energy and will put effort into showing you just how much they like the couple you're roleplaying and does so consistently > someone who essentially lovebombs you for a month, and loses interest when they think you've been ''bagged'' like a collector's item. You're not a fucking carton of milk, and the effort you put into your writing should be met with the same effort to prioritize and do stuff with you. Being ''lovebombed'' is essentially what happened to me on my Sampo and why his muse for me is non-existent now- also, why a ship for him that I particulary like now summons no emotions in me. If it feels particulary intense, it should bring out your gut feeling instead of making you feel flattered.

Be kind, be open, make friends and have fun, but also be wary of weird behaviors.

2. A good partner doesn't dismiss your feelings, or tries to pretend those don't conveniently exist because it inconveniences them. Your feelings and hurt should be addressed and respected, and you should not feel like a doll picked off the shelf to be played with for a while when engaging with someone. If you feel cast aside for someone new and shiny and it unnerves you, step away from the situation entirely. The person who sent me to therapy used to do this to me all the time, expecially when they were in the wrong and caused me harm: complete dismissal, or ghosting until I had to drop the issue and act like it never happened.

Be wary of dismissiveness and generally about a person being unpleasant to you or doing stuff that makes you feel weird. If there's a problem you bring to their attention and they don't apologize and try to see your point of view as a mature and empathetic person would try to do, politely part ways and go on your own after trying to converse about it with them. Successful or not, you WILL have communicated what you felt, and that's your priority. If it's a problem that doesn't get solved, walking away is always an option.

Make this not the hill you'll die on- but the hill you'll kill the other person over before leaving. Invite them on a treasure hunt to find out who the fuck they think they're talking to, if they think you can be disrespected and cast aside like you don't matter.

3. No priority? Return the energy to sender. As a main/affiliate of someone, your character or ship should receive a minimum of priority over others, in terms of replies, ask memes and threads while someone splits their attentions over other stuff. At least, this is what the concept of affiliates/mains seems to entail to me. Why would anyone put someone as their main or affiliate if all they're going to do is make them engage in a chase for attention and put them at the bottom of their priority list? At this point, don't make them into one of both of these things. It doesn't make sense to me, but let's move on.

If you don't feel prioritized and like you're the last wheel of the cart when it comes to being replied to, sent memes or unprompted ask while everyone else is being sent things, having ideas discussed with and being started stuff with, what you should do is take a marginal note of this and reply to other stuff in the meanwhile. Give priority to those who show you a warmer energy and consistent interest. You should try not to assume that something is being done maliciously, unless there's a problem. And, if there's one, you gotta have trust in your roleplay partner that they'll bring up to you to have a discussion. There can be carelessness and flakiness, even somebody being so comfortable around you that they think nothing of this can be an issue, but most of the time these are solved if brought to notice to the other person. It happens.

What I advise you with, however, is: set a clear boundary, and refuse to chase for attention. It creates a dangerous dynamic where you could be taken advantage of, and this comes from a person who was made to chase others consistently in order for these people to see me after the first month of ''lovebombing'' me, creating a ship and showering me with attention and friendship. Set clear boundaries, say ''if the effort becomes one-sided I will break the ship'' and stick to it. If you see somebody sending to everyone long, poetic unprompted asks but it's never your turn to get one, prioritize other people who fit your roleplaying style better and that you know will send you unprompted stuff, if this is what's important to you. Don't chase, be on even footing with your partners, or politely part ways with them and walk another road.

Never, and I repeat this for your own good, NEVER chase after someone who sends you weird mixed messages that induce anxiety.

Acting interested, then dismissing you for unknown reasons? Unacceptable behavior. Making you feel more like an intern entertainer than a roleplay partner and making you feel like you have to struggle or cater to them in order to notice you? Unacceptable behavior, again. Showing you attention, then pulling back and stuffing you at the bottom of your priority list? Unacceptable behavior.

As soon as something makes you feel weird, politely excuse yourself and move on with the people who have an interest in you.

4. You should ALWAYS be proud of your writing. Even in the days that you produce something that, for your standards, sucks, you should be proud to have written something at all. And if one day or some more you can't write, be proud that you're giving yourself time to kick yourself back in gear. You should do at least one day per week where you find a particulary good piece that you wrote and simply preen in front of it. This was all you! We should totally make this a weekly or monthly thing.

Look at your writing with affection, even in the worst days, even when you can't write for the day. Stop thinking ''oh nooo I didn't wrote anything today'' and think ''I'm just resting so I can give my partners replies my all when I'm good, at my own pace''. Your own pace is your own pace. People that love you will stick to you no matter how ''slow'' you think you are at writing.

5. See the red flags and LEAVE. My first suggestion, when you find yourself in a situation that gives you a dose of stress that starts to limit your creativity or makes you not want to be in a place, is the same advice that I'd give to someone being bit by a zombie: cut away the infection site and clean what's left, hoping for the best. I'm speaking from experience that me staying in a mentally and emotionally abusive situation with a friend/roleplayer, aka the Person that sent me to Therapy, has left me with some lingering effects despite me recovering with time. It is to be expected.

I was not being seen. The effort that I put into my writing was not being recognized. My ideas would slide off them like water on a duck's back. I would never get prioritized, and I had to see everyone else receive thoughtful, long stuff as memes or unprompted things while it was never my turn to receive one. It felt like being the weird kid again at 8 years old, and nobody wanted to play with me. I felt small and insecure. My behavior changed drastically and instead of extroverted and chatty I turned quiet and anxious. I was afraid to share my ideas, because if this person didn't liked them, maybe my ideas sucked. I burned myself out trying to make ideas that appealed to them, but didn't appealed to ME and felt wrong on my character. I would be aknowledged in a panicked state only when they felt me pulling away and getting ready to move on. This happened many times.

If you are in a situation that's making you question your worth, EVEN OUTSIDE OF ROLEPLAY, leaving is always an option. Saying ''this is not working, see you around'' should always and foremost be your option should the stress start affecting you too much. Staying in situations where I should have left before it did any permanent damage has left me with, you can say it!, very permanent emotional damage. I would be more normal and less anxious if I left, so I'm advising you to leave red flag-gy situations as soon as possible.

Don't stay to do damage control. Stay because you don't have to control the damage, because there's no damage to control.

6. Don't ''compete'' with others for attention. Sometimes, the roleplay partner that you really want attention from will be more focused on someone or something else. Mutuals that usually like your stuff will be busy/away and won't always like your stuff. This is not my first warning that getting attention can become addicting and turn the enjoyment of writing into an attempt to try and produce stuff to cater to everyone's tastes to get that attention back on you. Doing so will create an awkward air around you, and will also burn you out. Attention is addictive. I had people banking on me chasing them for attention, and chasing me desperately when they noticed that I was interested in another partner or simply doing my own stuff, ''lovebombing'' me back into chasing them. It was not pleasant, nor healthy. These people didn't knew how to entertain an healthy behavior.

I'm specifically wary of the first month/month and half of engaging with someone, expecially if it's a ship. There are a few ways that tingle my Spidey Senses, but this is getting long already, and I can't reveal all the aces up my sleeve, lol. I usually wait to see if I'm an exciting novelty for them and if the attention diminishes considerably after that month/month and half, or if their enthusiasm keeps going without issues and the interest is still present. I also give a glance at how they behave around their other partners before I jump into anything with anyone, what happens when someone new starts roleplaying with them, etc. Which is how things should be done. Friendly and open, but wary until trust is being actively built and there's no anxiety-inducing weirdness.

7. Obviously, set your own pace to not get overwhelmed. Going away from all that stuff where the Old Jaded Sam warns you away from weird people, seriously. Say ''today I'm going to respond to this this and this'' and try your best to reply to at least one thing, or seeing the drafts pile up will be overwhelming. Don't be afraid to drop threads or asks, just warn other people that you're going to without feeling bad and plot something else for when you feel like it and when it's comfortable for both of you. 

It takes time to make quality, and quality has a vast range of descriptions. What you write is quality, no matter if the day was bad, no matter if you don't feel like it is. Trust me that it is.

[sepublic]

            After Thanks to Them and its whole theme of Death and Wanderers, I like how For the Future has this consistent theme of Vulnerability, Adolescence, the role of Adults, and Failure.

         Like, there’s the obvious storylines with Willow and Luz, who refuse to show vulnerability and don’t forgive themselves over failure and weakness, don’t want to accept love out of shame. There’s the resolution of people accepting others into their life, admitting they need help, instead of maintaining this isolating sense of being a powerful individual.

         Boscha? She’s deadly terrified of being vulnerable and couldn’t protect Cat and Amelia, and that’s something Kikimora can latch onto, like smelling blood in the water. She tells Boscha she can’t show weakness around her fellow students and must be an iron-fisted dictator to compensate, while also acting as the toxic adult that Boscha craves guidance from.

         The Collector? Perhaps our most vulnerable antagonist of all, sure he has the most godlike power, but the episode repeatedly emphasizes that he’s still a kid. A scared, lonely kid who doesn’t want to be left by himself and even meekly asks for the companionship of a plush to protect him. A kid VERY vulnerable and open to the threat of Belos, who creeps into his bedroom when he’s asleep, and then manipulates the child as a puppet. He’s been failed by the adult Collectors in his life, who slaughtered potential Titan friends, as well as by King’s dad, who imprisoned him.

         Even Belos himself counts; This is easily the most vulnerable we’ve ever seen Belos, his lowest point. Sure he was but a mere drop between Seasons 2 and 3, but here we really get to see just how much this dude is suffering, how much his body is falling apart. Turns out he CAN’T fully recover like we’d feared, his limbs are trailing behind Philip, eventually tearing off.

         We see exposed bone, we see how Belos struggles and how he’s haunted by visions of Caleb and the Grimwalkers he killed, it’s a rather humane depiction of his grief. Belos isn’t sound neither physically nor mentally, which is a far contrast to how he’s usually been depicted, cool and collected and always with a plan. Belos is free-styling here and making up stuff as he goes along, and while he’s pretty good at it, he’s clearly at the end of his rope here in regards to his plans, with four hundred years building up to the Day of Unity wasted by an eavesdropping assistant with a grudge.

         Likewise we have Hunter; He is traumatized by the loss of Flapjack, so he builds up a wall of aggression directed at his abuser in order to cope and feel less helpless. He NEEDS to feel in control and like he’s doing something, like he has agency and is enacting power against another, but that just isolates him from the others. It concerns Willow, and Hunter’s own walls merely encourage hers as well.

         When Hunter reiterates to Willow and Gus how much they mean to him? He’s lowering his defenses, admitting vulnerability. Admitting he’s scared and he isn’t the macho, aggressive hero out to avenge his best friend that he was pretending to be. He needs help, he NEEDS Willow and Gus. And he cares, deeply. As does Willow, who conceals herself in an armor of thorns in denial of her pain, afraid it’s a betrayal of her growth into a stronger person.

         Camila too! Camila is trying not to show how scared and freaked out she is by the Boiling Isles, because she needs to be a strong parent for Luz. She feels that she has failed Luz (who’s trying to be mature in looking after her mom), so Camila has to make up for it by being the supportive mother she needs, even trying to engage in combat with Kikimora, only to be endangered in the process. But in the end, Camila supports Luz not by being the tough and implacable adult who hides everything and worries Luz to no end as Eda did…

         No, it comes from Camila admitting that she too has made mistakes. That she’s struggled and tripped and stumbled, just as Luz has. And this confession of her own vulnerability inspires Luz, because she realizes her mother DOES truly relate to and understand her pain. And knowing that her mom can overcome this, gives Luz the hope to do the same for herself, and realize she’s not isolated; She can share her vulnerabilities with someone!

         Plus the running parallels of the Collector and the students at Hexside being chaotic and dangerous, but ultimately… they’re also vulnerable, they need help. They need an adult or someone to look after them, someone to rely on, and without that things just fall apart. The episode ends with the Collector feeling deeply betrayed and hurt, used, all over again, so he begins to retaliate with genuine anger this time. Boscha admits her need for Amity, and ultimately accepts that she needs help and allows the other students to work with her in taking down Kikimora.  

         Belos? Fundamentally a scared child who lost Caleb, the person who looked after him. His precious caretaker, and his entire crusade against witches, the grimwalkers, are all an extension of Belos not wanting to admit how scared and lonely he is. Willow sobbing as she admits she misses her dads, it’s an admittance that all these kids are still kids.

        Sure, there’s the power fantasy of kids being able to have agency and do something, but TOH also reminds us that it’s nice and necessary to have someone to rely on and look after you; Being able to obliterate any enemy doesn’t feel like much if you don’t have any friends, if whatever adults you do allow are toxic, like Terra or Odalia. Hence the running theme of adults who DO understand and care and ultimately come around (be it Camila or the veneration of Bump, Eda and Lilith consoling King), as well as that search for a place of belonging.

        And it makes sense. The empowerment of these types of stories, where the kids conquer the big villains? Find a family they can truly call as such? It’s because people are still hurting and need help and that’s okay. You can forgive yourself for that. People like Boscha and Belos of course struggle with becoming too co-dependent, but that just furthers the lesson of vulnerability being something you have to healthily acknowledge and deal with in order to survive. Admitting weakness is, paradoxically, a strength in and of itself. Characters come to term with their failures as parents, protectors, and leaders, while others feel haunted or punished no matter how hard they try.

[theerurishipper]

Every now and then I still see arguments about how "Chat Blanc and Ephemeral were meant to inform us that Adrien couldn't take part in the final battle," the implication here being that there is no possible way for Adrien to ever react in a convenient manner to this news, and that his only reactions could be "he loses control and goes berserk," or "he gets controlled by his dad." I have already expressed my views on these takes, which is that they are excuses and justifications for bad writing. But I still feel that in trying to insinuate that they are valid explanations for Adrien's inability to be part of the finale, the point of those episodes is missed, and I'll elaborate on why they aren't even good excuses now.

Despite what Thomas Astruc may suggest on Twitter, that the problem is not with Adrien in these episodes. As evidenced by episodes like The Collector and even the aforementioned Chat Blanc, Adrien is perfectly capable of fighting his father. The issue that presents itself in these scenarios isn't that Adrien can't control himself and can only react poorly, it's that Gabriel chooses to hurt his son. None of these situations happened because of anything Adrien did, they happened because Gabriel manufactured the situation into something that he could use to gain control over his son.

The issue here isn't that Adrien finding out makes him react poorly (which is a hot take of its own), the issue is with how he finds out. In both Chat Blanc and Ephemeral, Gabriel manipulates the situation to his advantage. He knows Adrien's identity before Adrien knows his or even knows that his own identity has been compromised. Gabriel is in control of all the information, and he engineers the situation to cause the most traumatic reaction in Adrien so that he can exploit it and take advantage of Adrien's distress. The issue here isn't Adrien's reactions, it's the fact that Gabriel is in control. By framing the message of Chat Blanc and Ephemeral as proof that Adrien can only react poorly to Gabriel's revelations and abuse and using that as an excuse to justify him sitting out the conclusion to his own arc is bafflingly weird to me.

And it just ends up sending the message that Adrien is apparently "too emotionally immature" or whatever the salters say, and therefore he can't ever find out about his father, or it'll only cause disaster. The blame for not being able to walk out of the situation and continue fighting the good fight with no negative effects whatsoever is placed on Adrien by insinuating that it's some inherent flaw in him that he'll never overcome, rather than acknowledge that things only happened the way they did because Gabriel specifically manipulated events and information to achieve his desired outcome. Rather than blame the abuser for his actions, the blame is placed on the victim for his reactions. That's not good.

And it ends up with the alarming implications that abuse victims are irrational and too emotional and are to blame for their reactions instead of it being the abuser's fault for driving them to this point, which is some gross abuse apologia. Indeed, the finale of Season 5 takes this one step further by having Marinette lie to Adrien about his father, because knowing would surely have him react in ways that are inconvenient for herself and everyone else to deal with (this is the writers' motivation, not Marinette's). And we can't have Adrien's trauma matter other than when it is beneficial to Marinette, now can we?

But I digress. Back to my point.

There is a simple solution to the problem of Gabriel taking advantage of Adrien. Since the issue is that Gabriel is able to manufacture the situation to his advantage because he gets to know all the information beforehand, have a reversal of that and have Adrien find out first. Have Adrien find out that his father is Monarch first, and that way, he'll have time to process everything and react to it with the support of his loved ones before he goes to fight his father with clarity and asserts his freedom. It would be a great extension of Adrien's arc of reclaiming his agency and freedom from Gabriel to have him be in control of the situation while Gabriel is blindsided.

A part of Adrien's arc is about finding relationships in which he has unconditional love and support. Have those come into play as he confronts Gabriel. Have them actually matter. There are so many ways to do this.

Have Marinette be present alongside him and have her be able to support him in a meaningful way as he faces down his father.

Have Felix prove he cares for Adrien by telling him the truth about his father and his amok.

Have Nathalie actually support Adrien by letting him know important stuff and giving him his amok back.

This is a non-exhaustive list, but my point is that there are so many ways to override the very specific situations that were present in Chat Blanc and Ephemeral and tilt the scales in Adrien's favor. It would be a better way to deal with this than to just dismiss the point of those episodes by making it seem like the problem lies with Adrien and his reactions than the fact those things only happened because of Gabriel's specific manipulations.

But there is one very simple solution to this whole issue, and it is right there in Season 5 itself. There is proof written straight into the show that Chat Blanc and Ephemeral are not the status quo. See Marinette giving into Gabriel's threats in Chat Blanc and contrast that with her going up against him and defying him outright in Pretention in a way more personal confrontation. The difference between the two episodes is that Marinette is allowed to grow. She is allowed to develop as a character and prove that she is different from the Marinette who gave into Gabriel's threats. So if she is allowed to change and develop as a character and react differently, then why can't Adrien?

Adrien's major problem in any of these situations is that Gabriel is a controlling asshat. To ensure that these situations do not happen, Adrien needs to break free from Gabriel. I posit that the easiest way to allow Adrien to not react in ways that "don't end well," is to allow him to grow and develop as a character. It would allow him to start truly breaking free of his father in such a way that when the time comes for the final confrontation, Adrien is not so easily susceptible to his manipulations and can fight back against him. It would allow him to have agency in the situation that he did not have at the times Chat Blanc and Ephemeral took place.

But unfortunately, the writers did not want to give Adrien growth and development and agency, because that would mean making him something other than Marinette's prop and love interest. That also seems to be the point of the amok rings, since their only relevance in the story is to make up a reason so that Adrien cannot go against Gabriel and needs Marinette to do it for him, and the show presents this as some great quandary to which there is no discernable solution other than simply removing Adrien from the battle altogether so that Marinette can complete his arc for him. And it sucks.

In conclusion: