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ladyjenise · 10 months

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Thoughts on why Ganondorf makes "that face" in Tears of the Kingdom

I'm several months late, but I didn't want to post spoiler stuff when the game was fresh and, frankly, I had quite a whack summer. So here we are.

Anyway, onto the meta: my thoughts on why Ganondorf makes "that face" in Tears of the Kingdom.

Yes, this face:

One of the first things I want to do is credit some rad metas that helped me along in my thought process:

-Discussion of Ganondorf's facial design from a technical and creative standpoint

-Discussion of Ganondorf's outfit

And now to the actual meta! Will include spoilers for Tears of the Kingdom.

When the screenshots of Ganondorf making "that face" first hit the internet, there was a lot of lol and wtf, which was fair. Most people weren't that far in the game yet. Actually, not sure it was even out yet (there was an early leaked ROM floating around at some point pre-release). I don't want to dwell much on people's initial reactions as I think if you're here reading you've already processed your initial feelings on seeing it. And your initial reaction of LOL WTF is fine. Out of context, it probably made little sense.

But let's talk about context: Ganondorf makes this face after killing Sonia for her Secret Stone. He's literally laughing over her dead body as Zelda calls out vainly to the fallen queen. It's a very heinous, dramatic act. And I think, in context, that confused people even more because his face, on first glance, feels over the top and silly for such a serious moment. However, it's not there because Nintendo's devs don't know what they're doing. At least, that's what I'm trying to argue here.

Let's discuss the build up to this scene in the story chronology: Ganondorf tries to use moldugas to attack the fledgling kingdom of Hyrule. It goes badly because Rauru, alongside Sonia and Zelda, are able to use Secret Stones of the Zonai to fend off the attack. It's a very lopsided victory.

Ganondorf takes a moment to pout before observing the Secret Stones. Ganondorf correctly observes that brute force will not be enough. Not one to sit back on his failures, Ganondorf is clearly already hatching a new plan. End of scene.

We next see Ganondorf at the court of Rauru and Sonia, bending the knee in what we know is a false act of fealty. Of course, this scene is a reference to the plot of Ocarina of Time (where we spy on Ganondorf through a window as he bends the knee to the King of Hyrule, who is out of the shot). it's also a glimpse of Ganondorf the schemer.

If you had not met Ganondorf before playing Tears of the Kingdom, you might actually think Ganondorf is just a mindlessly violent guy (and he is that too, don't get me wrong). You might not have expected this dude to roll up to the court of Hyrule and start playing the political game. His character design looks like the exact kind of guy who could punch your head clean off your body. Just look at him:

He's a brick wall. He looks like a big tough guy, and maybe he's just some big dummy who only understands violence. It's a stereotype Nintendo has subverted again and again with his character. And there Ganondorf is at the court of Rauru serving backhanded compliments like a pro. And while Rauru assures Zelda that he knows Ganondorf is up to shit, he's really got Rauru convinced that he can handle him. As we shall see, Rauru was mistaken. But that's Ganondorf for you. His character is about subverting expectations. This is what makes him so very fun.

Even his costume, with the reversible robe, tells you a lot about who he is. On the outside, a calm, clever, cultured man. On the inside, he's ready to fuck your shit up. I love it.

Back to the scene.

After assuring Rauru he simply wants to play nice and have the protection of Hyrule, Ganondorf serves some cunty lines implying Rauru is an interloper and an outsider etc before leaving. And it's at this point I noticed that when Ganondorf takes his leave, he makes this really flourishing move with his arm that made me stop and think.

You can probably find the scene online somewhere, but here's a screenshot of what I mean:

And note that he also uses his sleeved arm, creating that extra diva flourish as he goes. We also get a real good fast look at how colourful and different his sleeve is. He's turned his back to Rauru and the others after swearing his fealty. His changeable nature is displayed to the player. It's a nice wink and nod to Ganondorf's later betrayal. Only Zelda has a real inkling that he's really, really bad news and probably shouldn't even be there. But if you've played Ocarina of Time, you understand that Zelda isn't listened to until it's too late.

Returning to the flourish itself: Ganondorf didn't have to do this. And Nintendo didn't have to waste animation time having him do this. But they did. And they did it again when he laughs over Sonia's body. And they do it again when he swallows his Secret Stone. They just. keep. doing. it.

Why?

Why do all this extra dramatic animation for Ganondorf?

Those familiar with kabuki (a classical form of Japanese theatre) are probably screaming KABUKI, and I would agree. I didn't immediately get there at first only because my background was in another form of classical theatre: Greek (ask me about my unversity minor lol). I'm not going into a deep dive on either classical Greek theatre nor kabuki because that's a lot, I'm not really an expert or super familiar with the details, and I also think their Wikipedia pages will probably give you a decent summary of what you might want to learn details on. However, classic Greek theatre is old as shit and has a lot of great stories with characters you'll recognize. I recommend.

What I need you, dear reader, to understand about classic and ancient forms of theatre is their emphasis ON emphasis. It's a lot of what we might think of as exaggerated elements, over-the-top forms, and straight up spelling shit out to the audience. Real archaic shit. Because the world we are watching in these memories IS archaic to Link. There's 10,000 years between the memories we see and Link's time. It's like we, as Link, are viewing a kabuki play or a Greek play about stuff that happened then. It makes perfect sense to have Ganondorf act like he's in an ancient play. And that's how you get shit like this:

This is all theatre.

But why is ancient theatre so weird? It's not. We think it looks weird because it's unfamiliar to us. Most of us don't grow up watching ancient plays. Even those of use who read Shakespeare in school are usually sweating through the now-archaic English (it was only 400-ish years ago!) You're not equipped, and that's cool.

And honestly, if you are familiar with Ganondorf, he truly is a creature of theatre. Just look at this castle he builds in Ocarina of Time:

He destroyed Hyrule Castle to build this giant fucking castle levitating over a pit of lava. Like why? Because he CAN. Because he can't do anything in halves.

Also, his outfits. Look at this shit. He can't tone it down. I don't think he could if he tried.

Coming back to Ganondorf's face when he kills Sonia: when Ganondorf's face contorts and he starts to laugh evilly, we are told in very certain terms that he's made a critical choice. If you weren't sure before, you're being told now: He's evil. There's no going back from this. And he's embracing it. There is zero remorse. Killing her was the act he needed to move from man to monster. It's very important that you, the player, understand this. It's a moral thing. And I don't mean like "If you like this character after you are a bad person" type of thing. That's not what I mean here (and what people who have weird obsessions on the internet often misunderstand just so they can start fights over dumb shit). What I mean is that the storytellers need you need to understand your character's motivations for wanting to fight this guy.

And the next scene plainly shows what I'm talking about: Ganondorf takes the Secret Stone and literally turns into a demon king. He's no longer a man. He's this other, immoral being now. Bye bye, human Ganondorf, hello monster Ganondorf! That's it.

Going back to his eating of the Secret Stone, which changes Ganondorf from good ol' demon king to the for realsies demon dragon, he says some lines about giving up his "body" and "mind" and, frankly "everything", just so he can win. But also it's a desperate last attempt at keeping hold of the power that has so horribly blinded him to the truth.

That last part is ironic for Ganondorf, a man who was clever enough to get into the heart of Hyrule, steal their powerful relic, kill the queen and ALMOST become king. Because that's his ultimate failing. He's smart, clever, and his wins get the better of him. His addiction to power means he never stops to consider he might have weaknesses he cannot yet see, or that, as Rauru warns him, his arrogance and blind faith in his own abilities and talents might be his downfall.

In a way, the story is just as much about Link searching for Zelda and Zelda trying to figure out her role in the world as it is about the fall of a powerful man. Is it tragic that Ganondorf let himself become so corrupted by power that it would slowly transform him from man to demon? I guess it depends on who you ask, really. (I think it's fucking cool)

#legend of zelda #ganondorf #tears of the kingdom #spoilers #tears of the kingdom spoilers

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that-ari-blogger · 2 months

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A Special Kind of Hypocrisy (Stayed Gone)

If you have been following my blog for a while, the fact that I take issue with the rules of writing will probably not be a surprise. I think that there are generally accepted guidelines, but these are tools and the best stories use them in unexpected ways.

“Put your readers in the action,” Darksouls is phenomenal and most of the stuff in that story has already happened. “Make your writing flow,” Turtles All The Way Down goes out of its way to feel jagged in order to portray the discomfort of its protagonist’s mind, and that is a book that shattered me for a solid week and a half.

“Show don’t tell”. That one is tricky. If an audience sees something, they are more likely to believe it, so it isn’t a tool for good writing, it’s a tool for making writing feel real. If it’s played straight, it can evoke a feeling of safety and trust, or can evoke emotions in a reader that are difficult to achieve otherwise. If subverted, this idea can present unease, deceit, or even hypocrisy.

Let me explain.

CONTENT WARNING: Not much in this one, but a standard warning because of the show I’m analysing. Gore, foul language, etc. Read at your own peril.

SPOILERS AHEAD: (Hazbin Hotel, The Family Plan)

I feel like clarifying everything I am about to say with the fact that tropes aren’t bad, and that subverting everything doesn’t make for good writing. Stories are about using what you have to build something, and if that something is just a box you can put things in, it doesn’t need to be complicated.

For example, The Family Plan is a perfectly fun movie that I really enjoyed, and it doesn’t push any boundaries at all. It’s just got Mark Wahlberg playing a cooler version of himself and some road trip shenanigans crossed with a spy thriller. It doesn’t invent at all, but its tightly written, well shot, and genuinely quite funny.

I think we look at art these days from an overly critical fashion, evaluating how it contradicts tradition or makes a point that will be remembered for generations, and some stories are aiming for that, but some just want to be a fun ride, and that’s ok.

Some stories, however, want to be controversial, and want to ask questions. Most notably in this context, Hazbin Hotel.

Hazbin Hotel’s selling point is that it dissects morality on an intrinsic level, and part of this is done by the character of Alastor, whom is objectively a villainous character, but who serves as a protagonist for the majority of the season.

Alastor has a song in the pilot, but because I’m not covering that for my own reasons, let’s talk about his musical introduction to the actual series, Stayed Gone.

This song introduces Alastor as a villain, but not an especially powerful one, and I feel like that’s kind of the point. Alastor certainly has an ego, but he’s a parasite. He works by twisting people’s intentions into benefiting him. He’s a schemer, a talker, a forger of Faustian bargains. This song sets up what kind of evil Alastor works with, and it isn’t brute force.

This is exemplified by the music choice, in that Alastor doesn’t add anything at all to it. This is Vox’s song; Alastor just changes the direction a little.

From that perspective, this song depicts Vox more than Alastor, and explores how he causes his own downfall with the barest of inputs from his ex. Remember what I said in the start about show don’t tell? Let’s observe it in action.

Starting with the runup, because this feels heavy, right? It feels like someone is marching with that Mortal Combat style of walk that lets you know they mean to mess someone up. This sound is implicitly threatening.

Part of that is that it is so calm. There is nothing going on here, no fancy movements or anything of the sorts. The base line is the same two notes played an octave apart on repeat. It’s an A then an E played twice, then a few lower notes that rise higher before resolving back to that E. It's like the creature is taking a breath as it moves. A big, lumbering breath for a massive creature. It feels steady and adds variation.

Meanwhile, the higher chords are exactly the same as each other. A Major repeated four times, then the bottom two notes shift down by a semitone each, to throw the listener off balance.

But its more than that, right? These notes make you feel unsafe, there is intrinsic malice to the steadiness. I sent a friend of mine who knows music better than I do a message to try and work this out, and they mentioned that the higher notes give add suspense, which I think serves to make the bass part feel even heavier by comparison. They give you a moment to weight for that strike, like pulling back a bow string, and they give you something higher to contrast that low tone.

Then we get Vox’s singing voice. He’s been talking and vaguely rhyming up to this point, but now we get a song.

Also, there's a drum now. You would think this creates cohesion, but its offset, adding to that feeling of unease. It matches the second note of each bar to further accent the force of that first step by giving it some backwards force, then the same drum plays twice, once off the beat, once back on. Again, we’re lurching.

But notice how Vox’s sentences interact with the bars. Vox is the only thing that messes with the standard rhythm established by the backing music. Where everything is the same beat repeated each bar, Vox talks quickly for a bar then regains composure.

This is enjambment, linking ideas between thoughts and giving vox momentum. Now that weight has direction behind it, and judging by his word choice, that being the repeated use of the pronoun “you”, that direction is towards you.

Skipping ahead for a moment, I’ve found a ton of disagreement in the online sheet music for this song as to whether there is a tempo change for when the TV goes live.

If there is, you could analyse it and point out how it portrays the superficiality of Vox as a person and how he presents as someone less in control of himself when on camera. Maybe there is a question of which the real Vox is, the composed version or the manic newscaster. Maybe.

On the other hand, maybe there is nothing there, and I am going to wield executive privileges gained from this being my blog and go with my favourite one, this one. (I also used this one, for the record, I just prefer the first)

The score I followed gets so much more complicated once the television starts going, and so do the visuals, honestly. Everything about Vox gets so much more complicated, every joke is earning your attention like a TikTok, terrified you’ll look away. This is how advertising works on YouTube by the way, at least the adds that have to contend with the skip button. They compress everything into five second chunks because they need your full focus.

There are a few jokes in here of note. I would be foolish to not mention the venison pun, but none of them are of particular importance, which paradoxically makes them extremely important.

Notice here, he presents two versions of himself. The purpose of a conversation is to have two different perspectives come together, even if they are similar. But this is the same guy pretending to be varied.

Nothing that Vox says means anything at all. It is all one liners and insults, there is nothing going on behind those eyes, and that is exactly the point. He is all talk, no show.

Vox says he’s powerful, he says he will mess up Alastor’s day, his music makes you feel scared, and yet he is empty.

There is a disconnect between what he tells you and he shows you, which is made even more obvious by his obsession with Alastor. Everything he is saying is “Alastor doesn’t matter, he’s insignificant, meaningless, that’s why I wrote this song to tell him as such.” It’s like an ex who is insisting the breakup hasn’t affected him.

Which, side note, sets Vox up as the type of villain who doesn’t respect boundaries. He’s a stalker obsessed with someone who will not reciprocate his affection.

Vox is the personification of those “I can fix him” twitter incels that view sexuality as a challenge to be overcome. He’s one of a triumvirate of chronically online villains, and trust me, there are people out there in real life who are worse than him.

In his watch through and analysis of Hazbin Hotel, @ohnoitstbskyen posited the idea that, since Alastor doesn’t sing his own song at any point in the actual series, we don’t get any moments of interiority. I would like to politely disagree.

Alastor’s entire deal, as presented in this show, is being a Machiavellian schemer. Like I said earlier, he’s a parasite. What we learn about his interiority here is that he doesn’t ever bother to create, he just steals and repurposes.

It’s that thing about Alastor where the show doesn’t tell you what he wants, it just shows you how he works as a person and how he moves towards his goals.

Case and point, here Alastor just takes Vox’s song and makes it his own, offering questions about Vox’s strengths and pointing out the hypocrisy. Although it's interesting what Alastor choses to highlight, because that does shed some interiority.

“Is Vox as strong as he proports? Or is it based off his support? He’d be powerless without the other Vees”

In other words: look at this guy, he has friends that he relies on.

Now, the Vees are awful human beings, Valentino especially but Vox isn’t too great either. But by far their least bad trait is the fact that they support each other. Again, they are cruel, vile entities, but they are cruel vile entities together.

To my knowledge, Vox doesn’t ever deny that he is working with others, or even obfuscate that knowledge.

It would seem that Alastor, in his attempt to criticize his opponent, has revealed something about himself. That sounds a bit hypocritical to me.

Speaking of which, Alastor is entirely hypocrisy. He spends the entirety of the series talking a big game about how strong and powerful he is, but he never actually demonstrates that. He turns off the electricity in the city, but that’s not strength, that’s flicking a switch. He makes threats, and yet doesn’t back any of them up.

“You still pissed he almost beat you that time?”

“Almost” is a key word in that question, it would seem Alastor has a bit of an ego problem.

Which leads me back to the concept of tell don’t show, because if you don’t show your audience something, they don’t trust it. Alastor and Vox are paired up because they both keep talking and proclaiming their intimidation factor, and yet neither of them actually demonstrate any power beyond that which is normal.

Yes, they mow down mooks, but so do Angel Dust, and Husk, and Sir Pentious.

Before I finish up, I want to talk a bit about how performance can affect personality, and with that I want to contrast a cover with the original.

This is a cover by Annapantsu, Cami-cat, and Chloe Breez. I highly recommend checking it out.

But I want to note how different the acting choices are to the original. I’m not saying one is better, I’m saying they are different.

First, Anna’s version of Vox is so much wilder than the original. Like, the version in the actual series rockets between emotions like a greyhound on skates, but when he is in control, he usually has that malevolent smile that tells you he enjoys messing with your perceptions. I don’t think Anna’s version of the character would ever smile except in that forced, news presenter way. This character seems permanently unbalanced and making only the barest effort to present as otherwise.

She also seems like a more active character than the original, who can only react to Alastor’s advances. This version of the character might make an appearance in a later episode beyond the gratuitous dad-watching-the-big-game commentary of the final fight. Maybe she rocks up to the hotel while Charlie, Vaggie and Alastor are on their quests for allegiances in order to just menace the characters in a way they are completely unprepared for.

Meanwhile, all that posturing has been put onto Alastor. Who has one main difference in performance, but one that shakes up the rest of the song. This version of Alastor is put together, just like the show. She’s casual and almost disinterested, just like the show. She’s detached and hands off, just like the show. Until that final verse.

Then she growls, and that little break in character implies that this version is concealing a much more physical menace. The best way I can put the difference is this: For the original version, it seems like transforming is an effort and something that he becomes. For this version, I think the transformation is Alastor’s natural state, and it is taking every fibre of her being to hold together the façade of civility.

Final Thoughts

I despise the concept of genre, and this is actually a good example of why, because… what is this song? Is it pop? Is it rock? Is it jazz? You could argue it is anything, but I would argue it doesn’t matter.

This song is fun, that’s all that matters. It sets up two villains, one of whom I think could have used more screen time in the series, but ho hum, and the other who got so much screen time and yet remains so mysterious.

Next week, I’ll be covering It Starts With Sorry, and I am genuinely shocked by how many people don’t like that number. I think it’s great. Stick around if seeing me argue that point interests you.

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#rants #literary analysis #literature analysis #what's so special about...?#character analysis #hazbin alastor #hazbin hotel #hazbin vox #hazbin hotel alastor #hazbin hotel vox #annapantsu #chloe breez #cami-cat #meta #meta analysis

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raccoonfallsharder · 1 year

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here are a few sneak previews of what we’ve got going on (this is really more to organize my thoughts and force myself to come up with titles than anything else)

upcoming rocket raccoon fics behind the cut

1. Window Across the Galaxy

aka long&angsty. hoping to start posting on Sunday or Monday.

Slooowww burn + eventual smut. elements of hurt/comfort because rocket is the saddest-angriest boy. Slight AU starting pre-GOTG volume 1 (but will hit most of the same major plot points).

Rocket is captured by a Ravager crew hoping to get rich off the excessively large bounty on his head. Throwing a wrench in everyone’s plans is the Terran girl they hired to do some freelance assessing on a recent haul of goods they’ve seized from a Xandaran luxury liner. Oops.

She looks at the rusted bars, and back to her brute of a tour guide, and sighs heavily. Slowly, she turns back to the cage, swaying toward the bars so she can peer in at eye-level. She’s immediately face-to-face with the creature. His ears are still pressed flat against his head, fur bristling, and he’s gazing back, clearly suspicious and probably - justifiably - feeling more than a little bit mean. She’s suddenly certain that if she got close enough, he’d take out her eyes. There’s no helping herself, is there? One corner of her mouth twists up in exhausted resignation and she nods. “Welp,” she says solemnly to the raccoon, “fuck me, my dude.”

2. Blackmail Material

(codename: pwp???). will probably post part 1 in a week or two.

just pure fucking smut. this was gonna be two parts but I'm leaning toward three now (smut // fuff // smut). probably takes place sometime after endgame but before volume 3? not that it really matters tbh because there is NO FUCKIN PLOT HERE. ur girl's got a praise kink so that'll definitely be featured per usual.

basically: rocket finds your vibrator.

“I’ll tell you what,” he offers up, still grinning that shit-eating grin. “I won’t say a word and I’ll give it back to you. You can even keep whatever batteries are in it.” That sounds too good to be true. You raise a brow and cross your arms in front of your breasts. “If?" “If you let me watch you use it,” he challenges, eyes daring you. “For science.”

3. Domestic Scenes in Space Travel

(codename: ok sweatshirt girl.) i dunno -maybe post the first one by mid-august?

Comics-inspired but not exclusive - just a buncha feel-good fuffy one-shots and equally feel-good smutty one-shots. Series of slice-of-life readerxrocket one-shots following The Very Boring Adventures of Space Pilot & Sweatshirt Girl.

“Just try not to push any buttons or pull any levers till you know what they do.” You snort. “I fully intend to keep my hands completely to myself unless I have your explicit permission to touch.” Rocket leers. “That could be fun.” Your eyes narrow. “Space Pilot, I’m gonna need you to focus on the task at hand so I don’t end up accidentally jettisoning us.”

4. Other Duties As Assigned

(codename: schemers, dreamers, & multicalendar memers) i don't have an intended outcome for this fic yet so while i am VERY much enjoying it, i first need to grapple with whether or not i'm okay posting something that may be unfinished. i usually try to avoid that.

I have no idea whether this will get smutty or not (probably, knowing me?). Begins five months after The Snap.

Natasha Romanoff is an administrative nightmare - a fact that does not go unnoticed by the (interim) captain of the Milano. First she demands that the remaining two Guardians of the Galaxy be reachable via a primitive Terran messaging system, and then she can't be bothered to read the frickin' emails.

Thank fuck she's hired a new assistant.

**THIS MESSAGE IS ENCRYPTED** To: <[email protected]> From: <[email protected]> Subj: re: WHAT THE FUCK RED Date: Monday, September 24, 2018 7:34am well that’s probably the nicest message I’ve gotten since I hacked the internet I’m gonna have to kill your boss though

(a super-secret spoiler sidenote - i have a formula and I shamelessly overuse it, so there are no surprises here: girl falls first, raccoons falls harder. every fuckin time friends.)

#rocket raccoon #rocket raccoon fanfiction #rocket racoon x reader #gotg rocket #rocket raccoon x oc #rocket raccoon x you #reader insert #gotg fanfiction #guardians of the galaxy #rocket x you #fanfiction

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princess-of-the-corner · 4 months

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Thanks for the reblog on the Lila post!

Also seeing as Lila & Heroes Dy came up, I had a theory regarding that for Queens Second Chance. Obviously your story but its a thought. (Also I may blur over to 12 Kwami/Altered Butterfly lore a bit, apologies its habit XD)

So, LB & Chat know the gist of what went down in the future & that a big event is coming up on Heroes Day. What is the plan once QB spills all the tea?

Cos some part of them would just like to have Ladybug on hand to either deal with illusions or give a public statement to calm panic.

But this is also the only time Hawk Moth leaves his home base before 'whatever' he did in QB's original timeline that fucked them all up.

This is too good of a chance to waste!

Stage 1: Recruitment!

QB wants to recruit all the other heroes, Fu is strenuously against it, feeling that the original timelines bad end proves his point. However, he is compelled to at leas give them a test.

Kim doesn't, not just cos of himself though Luka probably can't/won't be picked for now cos Sass may be semi out of commission & regardless Fu wants Sass far away from HK. Max has a fifty fifty chance of being recruits given the powers of Voyage but he may be deemed a bit to "In his own head". Kagami is recruits as she already has combat skills & can & will fight even when lacking in powers.

Stage 2: Remove or ambush key Akuma.

The most important Akuma to Hawk Moth's plan or the most dangerous that will still show up are:

Nadja, integral for spreading panic Kim, because he can make more Akuma Volpina, the entire plan relies on her after all Sandboy, like fuck any of them want to deal with that again Minon, not integral to the plan but if she has dolls of them, they're screwed.

Minon is easy just swing by her house the night before & grab the dolls, promise her they'll come play with her later. Sandboy is harder, but maybe his family suddenly found themselves winning a deluxe holiday or basically any other reason to GTFO of Paris.

Kim could be handled by telling him the truth but there's fear HK won't show himself if things don't go too well, same for Nadja & Volpina. So rather than take them out before hand or right away the plan is to basically wait in ambush.

IE, Ladybug, Rena & Carapace will stealth up on Nadja to both drop her Akuma and make a public announcement on her camera to keep Paris calm.

Queen Bee, Chat & Kagami will be stalking Kim's flight path in order to ambush him the second Hawk Moth shows his face as Kim stayed in hiding to surprise Akumatize people.

This let's them reassure Paris, keep Kim calmed down so there's no new Akuma and catch HK flat footed. his army might be an issue but that is also what Kagami is for.

IE, she goes all Wind Dragon and blasts them away to clear a path to Hawk Moth. Then Carapace either needs to trap him or all of them in a shield so they can curbstomp his ass.

3: The Wheels come off

As fun as it'd be for this go succeed and end in a rousing round of Gabriel stomping. Gabriel is, for all his issues commanding an army, a good schemer. He will notice something is off either before this goes into motion or right when everything starts going to hell.

He's too proud to quit just like that though and does still have his army and so hopes to brute force it. Still, he almost certainly calls Lila in to act as his shadow and body double if shit goes south.

If its like canon, Nathalie may also make for the Peacock right away even if it means a big risk to her life.

Or Gabriel's survival instincts kick in & he starts manifesting a Familiar. early.

Whatever the case, with a combo of Lila & outsider intervention, he escapes.

Chloe likely destroys the nearest objects in a rage, cos yeah at this point HK almost certainly knows some kind of prophecy, time travel shenanigan's have happened.

This means he can blame all his failures on that rather than him sucking or his foes being perfect and is further enraged because it means he had won and they took it from him.

Cue a trip to Shanghai.

Note: also if Max was taken on he'd be on hand either for evacuation, or to help with scattering the villains, or the ambushes.

That's just my take though.

Fantastic plan!

#queen's second chance

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raven-at-the-writing-desk · 2 years

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episode of savanaclaw chapter 1: the importance of visuals in conveying character

ADDEDUM: Sorry if you experience weird formatting and/or see repeated paragraphs when viewing this post; for whatever reason, Tumblr gave me a really hard time editing, formatting, and saving this OTL It looks totally normal on my end, but I’ve heard from some people the post looks wonky to them 💦 I’m not sure how to fix it…

The turtlesoupscans team has the first chapter out! ^^ (This is also the scanlation from which I borrow the images used in this post!)

Something I noticed when taking a closer look at the Episode of Savanaclaw is that the new mangaka is really good at drawing eyelashes 👁 👄 👁 There were so many times when I actually made a full stop while reading to admire the eyes and the lashes on like. EVERYONE especially on L*ona. I really enjoy that aspect of the new artwork! (I don’t know if this is just me, but Leona’s tail and hair also seem much longer in the manga adaptation than in the game…?)

… OKAY I NEED TO TALK ABOUT THIS NOW

I mentioned before that the manga has the advantage of using visual storytelling to help convey character in a way that the game can’t. I previously explored this concept as it applies to Cater’s general character in the Episode of Heartslabyul. But but but— (and I cannot stress this enough 😳) just from the first chapter alone, I think that the manga’s visual storytelling is going a long way to enhance episode 2.

So like in the game (2-6), there is a dorm leaders meeting in which they discuss the upcoming Magical Shift/Spelldrive tournament. It is here where Crowley suggests inducting Malleus into the Hall of Fame in order to take him off the field and give the other dorms a chance to shine. Leona interrupts and gives a brief speech about how doing that is admitting defeat before the game has even begun. He uses the story of the King of Beasts to remind his fellow dorm leaders that it is cunning, not brute strength or magical ability, that allowed him to triumph. This inspires the other dorm leaders to disallow Malleus from entering the Hall of Fame, as they all want to do their best to try and outwit him.

Now, there's nothing wrong with this scene in the game. It serves its purpose just fine. However, because of the game being a visual novel style, the story is mainly told via dialogue and 2D character models. The manga is able to greatly expand on this scene because it is not constrained to just dialogue and a few animations. Case in point, this:

In the manga adaptation of this scene, Leona gives basically the same points, but the art is a lot more dynamic. For example, when he first hears Crowley’s proposal, we get these shots which show us Leona’s obvious displeasure. There’s the slight frown, the ominous shadow over his face, and even a close up of his fingers laced together (a pose which already implies he’s a schemer):

Compare this to the limitations of Leona’s in-game model; he looks so obviously and overtly angry, which doesn’t sell him as a calculating character as well. Meanwhile, in the manga, you can still tell just how much the idea Crowley suggested has pissed Leona off, but the feelings come across on his face in a much more subtle way.

Then when manga!Leona begins his appeal proper, he physically STANDS UP from his seat at the table. This draws the other pairs of eyes in the room to him; you can see in the next panel that everyone, including Crowley, is looking at Leona. He commands the attention in the room.

Another small detail here is that manga!Leona slams a hand down on the table; previously, they were folded together. Without saying a word, you understand what this conveys: that, in addition to his intelligence, he also has power and influence in this situation, and he knows exactly how and when to use those boons to his advantage.

Actually, manga!Leona does a lot of small yet noteworthy things with his hands. Take, for instance, these next panels.

When bringing up the importance of using one’s brain, manga!Leona actually taps his head. In the game, Leona is limited to his general sprite where he lays a hand against his temple. This is the closest approximation to what the game can do to simulate that tap tap of the head, but it doesn’t really carry the full weight of the motion, especially not when paired with Leona’s annoyed in-game expression.

But then look at manga!Leona, who looks so smug and self-assured as he does the gesture. It really speaks to his own confidence—and, more importantly, we’re getting a more accurate image of what the other dorm leaders and Crowley are seeing. They’re witnessing Leona at the height of his strength, someone who uses his words to persuade and to inspire the downtrodden masses into following his lead and to make better lives for themselves. Leona now curls his hand into a fist—so now we’ve gone from the cunning laced fingers to the powerful slam of a hand on a table to a clenched fist, which, in this context, is meant to be encouraging and victorious.

Note that this is all a parallel to Leona’s Disney counterpart, Scar, who made promised the shunned hyenas a place in society. Said parallel is made even more apparent in the following page; manga!Leona literally raises his fist up, and there, right in the background, is the statue of Scar himself, haloed by sunlight, and clouds parted for him. Scar—and, by extension, Leona—appear almost “God-like” because of this deliberate composition.

At this point, Leona speaks about the King of Beasts’ great accomplishment: obtaining the crown through perseverance and wit, in spite of the odds being stacked against him. Look at how this page is framed; it’s nothing BUT Leona. He’s dominating not only the page itself, but also the discussion surrounding Malleus’s induction to the Hall of Fame. He is winning his audience over.

Again, the same lines play out in the game, but the impact just isn’t there. We just have a lot of Leona crossing his arms while looking mad and Leona with his hands on his hips. At best, he looks neutral or slightly bored by what he’s saying. At worst, maybe too angry or even pouting about the situation. It definitely doesn’t feel nearly as inspirational as him standing and raising a fist as he extols the values of the King of Beasts.

(Side note: why is Leona built like a god damn DORITO 🤡 Why’s his waist so TINY???? What is the purpose of that………………….. ….. …. . .:: … . … . . … . . .. . . this is not me simping THIS IS NOT I swear it’s not)

This next page characterizes Malleus more than it does Leona; Malleus is small here, shown with his back turned away, turning to “glance over his shoulder” at the others. This comes off as isolating, putting distance between himself, who is on such a high level, and his peers. It matches Leona’s dialogue, implying that Malleus truly is a “monster” out of their league, and they must find a clever solution to take that “monster” down.

Leona’s profile now shows slight signs of irritation right as he’s delivering the conclusion to his speech and thesis. His eyebrows are arched, he’s frowning, and he’s slightly looking down at the people he’s addressing. The tension here is palpable; you can feel the force behind his words, how strong his final statement is. It is the responsibility of everyone present at this table to find a way to defeat Malleus, not kneel over and accept defeat.

And the crazy thing is???? You can SEE in the faces of every single dorm leader how Leona’s words have affected them. You don’t need anyone to say a single word to understand what’s going through their heads. They’ve all been charmed. Look at how wide-eyed Kalim is, how Vil has his eyes narrowed (like he has realized something), Riddle is staring DIRECTLY at Leona (implied by an earlier page), and fuck Idia; the tablet’s screen tells us nothing Azul smiles knowingly.

We automatically know what the outcome is, and we know which way they will vote. This is conveyed so well, so clearly, that the manga doesn’t even bother to give us dialogue from the other dorm leaders opposing Crowley’s suggestion. The manga just immediately cuts away to a mob student being injured. (This is different than in the game, which had to show Vil, Riddle, Kalim, Idia, and Azul verbally agreeing with Leona to get the same message across.)

Anyway??? I had to get all of that out of my system 🤡 I just. Can’t get over???? How good the visual storytelling is for the manga adaptation??????

Entire lines from the original script could be scrubbed out and we still understand what is being said without them. So much character oozes off the page in the dynamic camera and composition. Scenes that I paid zero mind to in the game are sooo much more interesting when told through the manga, my eyes are glued onto the pages.

There’s so much nuance in the gorgeous artwork and the story that it’s trying to tell, and I think that’s a real testament to how talented the mangaka and the team behind Twisted Wonderland (the manga adaptation) are!! I’m by no means a fan of episode 2 of the main story, but 👀 the manga has definitely done a great job making Leona’s introduction to the audience memorable, and he feels like a much more charismatic and threatening “villain” for this episode because of that.

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crossover-enthusiast · 4 months

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I'm freaking out about Gadreel again

Evilllll snake boyyyyyyyyy

Look at em go!!!!

Hes crawlin!!!!

this is so cute idk why. He's just. He's so not threatening to me. I think he could constrict and rip someone in half and I'd be like "he's jus a babey."

HEHAHA

Legit I really like Gadreel in the sense that he's the exact opposite of Moloch - Moloch is conniving, sure, but he relies more on playing the situation to his favor and brute forcing it, then bolting when he can't

Gadreel, even from just that animatic, is a long con schemer. Definitely the type to lie and wait for things to fall into place no matter how long it takes, so confident in his own abilities he confronts the priest in a church. Just really cool man

#Spooky Month #Gadreel #AU #JNJ

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ultramagicalternate · 2 days

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The Xanthous King

Relevant Posts: Valentin, Milan, M.A.I.G., The ACF, Ertheval

Master Post

What is the Xanthous King?

- - - - -

The Xanthous King is a gestalt entity created by the criminal Valentin “Perkele” Haganno Karppinen. 50 wicked souls were forced together in the hopes of creating an entity strong enough to overthrow the universe... the only issue is that the disparate souls cannot work together to solve a crossword puzzle. Theoretically the King could be as strong as ULTRAMagic Dreadnought (one of the strongest known mages of the ULTRAMagic Guild), but the King is too chaotic to make use of his vast strength.

Out of the 50 souls that make up the King, 15 have persisted, gathering together in groups of 5 that form the 3 archetypes of the King. There is the Brute (the violent and aggressive personality), The Schemer (the cunning and deceptive personality, and The Penitent (the calm and remorseful personality). What we see here is the penitent, favored by the composite consciousness of the King.

What makes the King dangerous is his power when his parts decide to work together and his unpredictability. His archetypes tend to bleed each other a lot. The Anomaly Containment Foundation has deemed this entity a Secret class entity (the highest classification possible) that needs to be contained at all costs. The Magic Anomaly Investigation Group is in agreement, going out of their way to support the ACF in this endeavor.

In regards to his abilities, the King has an aberrant ability that grants him different magic based on his current archetype. He also has another ability called "Xanthous Authority" that makes him immune to most magic, memetic hazards, cognitohazards, hypnosis, and bewitchment. This is another big reason as to why he is so dangerous.

An interesting idea that Milan Proch (archmage of Ertheval) has pointed out is that Valentin unintentionally did everyone a favor by creating the King. While a vile creation, the King has removed the 50 wicked souls from the cycle of reincarnation. They can no longer bother humanity while a part of the King. They will either work together to reach enlightenment or be assimilated by the King and form a new entity. Either way, the King may be able to right the wrongs of his parts.

- - - - -

Further Reading:

- - - - -

And I'll cut it there and save the rest for lore entries and future stories. Side note, Milan and Valentin may or may not be appearing in the next arc of UMAE. What is the King's weakness? Diplomacy, believe it or not. He seems to be pretty troubled and likes to talk.

The King has been floating around in my lore notes/story bibles, so I wanted to draw him. I needed a pose and was a bit frustrated earlier, so I went to sketch daily and got a good pose right out the gate. Huzzah! Could have been doing other stuff today, but I felt that I needed to upload something different.

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demigodpjbth · 7 months

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So…reading the odyssey. There is A LOT of values dissonance in this book.

1. Telemachus expected to send his mother back to her father now that her husband is dead.

2. Men sleeping with other women isn’t considered cheating because he didn’t love them (double standard there).

3. Odysseus casually mentions sacking a city after leaving Troy. “We killed the men and split up the women amongst us before taking all of their stuff.”

4. Gets to the island of the Cyclopes, goes inside the cave while Polyphemus is out. Odysseus already warned his crew that Cyclopes are lawless creatures, knows a Cyclopes lives in the cave, the crew offers to steal his cheeses, Odysseus says he wants to wait for the homeowner to return to follow rules of hospitality so he can get a better gift. (Seems kind of stupid to me. You expect these lawless beings to follow the rules of hospitality? I feel like you’re not really guests if you’re intruders…”We entered your house without your knowledge, give us stuff”).

5. Circe gets threatened with a knife by someone who is immune to her magic. “Sleep with me!” (This must be my Asexual self but this doesn’t track in my head). What’s weirder is that Hermes tells him that she will do this to subdue him or control him, but sleep with her anyway??? (This scene was so confusing to me. How do you go Fight—> sex —-> save your men? Was it like bribery? Why would she even want to?)

6. This story has a thing with names, epithets, and lineages. Whenever anyone is addressed they say their father’s name, country, mannerisms, and accomplishments. Whenever someone wants to know who they are, they ask for name, parents, country. How does Odysseus introduce himself, “Odysseus, king of Ithaca, son of Laertes, cleverest of men, lion-hearted God-favoured.” Wow….

7. Odysseus feels it’s necessary to kill all the suitors for eating all the palace food and sleeping with the maids (not trying to marry his wife or kill his son, but wtv), but then it’s necessary to kill all the servants that slept with them or attended them? Penelope didn’t tell them not to (“guest rights” which is weird since they are bad guests so they shouldn’t apply anyway), and I’m pretty sure the servants had no say in the matter since most of them were slaves and under threat of violence by the guests.

I just think that for someone who claims to be a clever schemer, the logic in this story doesn’t seem to track unless you lived in the time period. (Interestingly, Romans and classical writers didn’t really like Odysseus. Not for being violent or bloodthirsty, but for being cowardly and a liar, using mind games instead of brute force and telling lies instead of being honest.)

#odysseus #the odyssey #values dissonance #Circe the odyssey #telemachus #Penelope

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twsted-princess · 1 year

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"How about this, you tell me everything and I won't slit your throat."

(picrew linked here)

Bio

Name: Pagkala Utos

Nicknames: Kala

Voice Actor: Tomoaki Maeno

Gender: Male (He/Him)

Age: 19

Sexuality: Bi

Height: 5'8

Race: Bestiore (made by @rookvonhunt)

Homeland: The Deadrealms

Birthday: 11/1

Starsign: Scorpio

Family: Father, Mothers, Baliin (brother) six younger siblings

Occupation: Student

Based off: Original

Professional Status

Dorm: Resonnata (@deaths-academy-of-combat

School Year: Third

Class: 3-B

Best Subject: Blade Handling

Club: Gaming and Basketball

Dominant Hand: Right

Favorite Food: Chili fried pork, white peaches

Hated Food: Mushrooms

Likes: His brother and family, Being out of the Deadrealms, Kakia, Entertainment

Dislikes: Weaklings, Kierron, Cheap things, Being bored

Hobbies: Exploring Necrosis City's nightlife, Fighting, Hanging out with Baliin

Talents: Knife-throwing

Unique Magic: Ginawa sa Dugo (Made in Blood)

Upon getting a drop of blood from an ally or enemy he's able to track their every move.

Backstory

The schemer of the Utos brothers, one who acts with his brain and leads the brute. Pagkala is the younger of the two but he is the leader being born to a powerful beastiore leader. While he grew up with good things he wanted more. More power, more excitement, really he just wanted to leave this dry boring place. So he did with thievery and his brother becoming a pit fighter they earned enough to attend a school fitting for his status. Now he might be a big talker that likes to be a sharpshooter but he can back it up.

#my work #twst oc's #twisted wonderland

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thecreaturecodex · 3 years

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Sea Spawn

Image © Wizards of the Coast.

[Volo’s Guide to Monsters only has two brand new monsters in it, and then only on a technicality. The deep scion and the sea spawn are basically deep ones from Lovecraft or skum from previous editions of D&D, except one of them can talk and change shape (deep scion) and one of them can’t (sea spawn). Since Pathfinder already has both deep ones and skum, this would seem to be especially redundant. But neither of those is a template. And by combining the two monsters and transforming it into a template, it makes an excellent model for Davy Jones and his crew of sea monsters from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.]

Sea Spawn CR +1 Template Sample Sea Spawn This creature is clearly humanoid, and may once even have been a man, but has been warped into some manner of piscine creature. His hands and feet are webbed, eyes bulging and he has irregular scales and fins along his moist skin.

A sea spawn is a humanoid creature that has pledged itself, body and soul, to a power of the ocean. Krakens are most notorious for creating sea spawn, but they can also be created through divine dispensation by gods of the water, the curses of aquatic fey or sea hags, or even by the designs of powerful merfolk sorcerers. Whatever the origin, transformation into a sea spawn causes the creature’s body to warp in various ways, gaining the features of one or more aquatic animals. Some sea spawn are dimwitted brutes, but others have their intellect sharpened by the transformation and are canny schemers. Many, but not all, of these more intelligent sea spawn can change shape, disguising themselves in the garb of their previous lives to act as spies and agents in the air-breathing world.

Creating a Sea Spawn “Sea spawn” is an acquired template that can be added to any humanoid creature without the aquatic subtype. A sea spawn retains the base creature’s statistics and special abilities, except as noted here.

Challenge Rating As base creature +1 (minimum CR 1)

Type The creature’s type changes to monstrous humanoid and the creature gains the aquatic subtype. Do not recalculate its Hit Dice, base attack bonus or saves

Senses A sea spawn gains darkvision 60 ft. and low-light vision.

Armor Class A sea spawn gains a +1 natural armor bonus.

Defensive Abilities A sea spawn gains the following defensive ability. Deep Dweller (Ex) A sea spawn is immune to cold and bludgeoning damage as a result of water temperature or depth

Speed Reduce the creature’s land speed by 10 ft (minimum 10 ft.). A sea spawn gains a swim speed equal to twice its new land speed if it didn’t already have a swim speed.

Attacks A sea spawn gains a slam attack as a primary natural weapon that deals damage as normal for a creature of its size.

Statistics A sea spawn gains a +4 bonus to two ability scores of its choice, and a -2 penalty to two ability scores of its choice.

Skills A sea spawn always treats Intimidate, Perception, Stealth and Swim as class skills.

Languages A sea spawn gains the ability to speak Aquan

SQ A sea spawn gains the amphibious special quality, and gains the following special quality. Water Reliant (Ex) A sea spawn must submerge itself in water for at least 1 full hour in order to gain the benefits of rest.

Aquatic Anatomy A sea spawn has one of the following benefits, plus an additional benefit per 4 HD it possesses. All-Around Vision (Ex) As the universal monster ability Alternate Form (Su) The sea spawn may change shape, as the universal monster ability, but only to appear as its original form before the transformation into a sea spawn. It gains a +10 racial bonus on Disguise checks to appear as its previous identity when using this ability. Bleeding Bite (Ex) The sea spawn gains a bite attack that deals damage as normal for a creature of its size, as well as 1 point of bleed damage. Blindsense (Ex) The sea spawn gains blindsense out to 60 feet. Camouflage (Ex) The sea spawn can change color at will, gaining a +8 racial bonus on Stealth checks. A sea spawn with this ability can make Stealth checks to hide without cover or concealment. Crushing Claw (Ex) One of the sea spawn’s hands becomes a claw that deals damage as a creature one size category larger. It cannot wield weapons with this claw, but gains the grab and constrict universal monster qualities. Electric Touch (Ex) As a standard action, the sea spawn may make a melee touch attack that deals 1d6 points of electricity damage per 2 Hit Dice. A sea spawn may use this ability once every 1d4 rounds. Fast Healing (Ex) The sea spawn gains fast healing equal to ½ its Hit Dice (maximum fast healing 10). Jet (Ex) Once per round as a full round action, a sea spawn may move six times its normal swim speed in a straight line without provoking an attack of opportunity. Keen Scent (Ex) The sea spawn can detect creatures by scent within 180 feet, and sense blood in the water at a range of one mile. Major Tentacles (Ex) The sea spawn gains two tentacle attacks as secondary natural weapons. These deal damage as normal for a creature of the sea spawn’s size. Minor Tentacles (Ex) The sea spawn can draw or stow a small item with its minor tentacles as a swift action. The minor tentacles can manipulate objects, but cannot wield weapons or a shield. Pain Poison (Ex) A creature struck by one of the sea spawn’s natural attacks must succeed a Fortitude save (Con based DC) or be sickened for 1d6 rounds. Multiple failed saves increase the duration. This is a poison effect. Resistance (Ex) The sea spawn gains cold and fire resistance 10. Shell Armor (Ex) The sea spawn gains an additional +1 natural armor bonus and fortification (25%). Spikes (Ex) A creature that strikes the sea spawn with a melee weapon, natural weapon, touch attack or unarmed strike takes piercing damage equal to the damage from a claw attack of a creature of the sea spawn’s size. Manufactured weapons with the reach property do not harm their wielders in this way.

Sea Spawn CR 3 Sea spawn human warrior 4 CE Medium monstrous humanoid (aquatic, augmented human) Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, Perception –1 Defense AC 18, touch 13, flat-footed 15 (+3 armor, +2 Dex, +2 natural, +1 dodge) hp 34 (4d10+12) Fort +6, Ref +3, Will +0 Defensive Abilities deep dweller, fortification (25%) Offense Speed 20 ft., swim 40 ft. Melee mwk scimitar +8 (1d6+3/18–20), slam +3 (1d4+1 plus pain poison) or slam +8 (1d4+3 plus pain poison) Ranged mwk heavy crossbow +7 (1d10/19–20) or throwing axe +6 (1d6+3) Statistics Str 16, Dex 14, Con 15, Int 8, Wis 8, Cha 9 Base Atk +4; CMB +5; CMD 19 Feats Dodge, Mobility, Toughness Skills Acrobatics +5, Climb +6, Intimidate +6, Profession (sailor) +3, Swim +15 Languages Aquan, Common, Orc Combat Gear elixir of swimming, potion of bull's strength, potions of cure light wounds (2), potion of jump, alchemist's fire; Other Gear studded leather, masterwork heavy crossbow with 10 bolts, masterwork scimitar, throwing axe, 231 gp SQ amphibious, aquatic anatomy (pain poison, shell armor), water reliant Special Abilities Deep Dweller (Ex) A sea spawn is immune to cold and bludgeoning damage as a result of water temperature or depth. Pain Poison (Ex) Any creature struck by a sea spawn’s slam attack must succeed a DC 14 Fortitude save or be sickened with pain for 1d6 rounds. Multiple failed saves increase the duration. This is a poison effect, and the save DC is Constitution based. Water Reliant (Ex) A sea spawn must submerge itself in water for at least 1 full hour in order to gain the benefits of rest.

#sea spawn #d&d #D&D 5e #pathfinder 1e #davy jones #creature template

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prettyiwa · 3 years

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AO3 | Mythos Collection | I of V

I do not authorize the translation or reposting of my work anywhere. Do not mention me or my work on TikTok.

Relationships: (mentioned) Ushijima Wakatoshi x F!Reader, Oikawa Tōru x F!Reader Rating: Explicit 18+ Content Tags: Trojan War!AU, Greek Heroes!AU, Royal!AU, Politics!AU, Political/Royal Misogyny, Strangers to Lovers, Infidelity, Light Angst, Forbidden Love, Skinny Dipping, Tragic Love, Descriptions of Depression & Anxiety Chapter Summary: The first choice you ever made was which suitor would be your husband, the King. The second choice you had made allowed you to choose your lover, your partner. The third choice you made started a war. Word Count: 4,805

A/N: A repost of my submission for @/pleasantanathema's Through Ink & Quill Classics Collab. This story is inspired by Helen of Troy and the Trojan War, one of my favorite legends throughout history, starting with the Golden Apple and ending with the last of the heroes. What was meant to be a one-shot has turned into an entire collection with spin-offs and four more parts.

To have been born to this life guaranteed that no part of it is yours. There is no room for growth simply for the sake of growth, knowledge for the sake of knowledge. There is no pleasure to be had, no other path for you to take other than the one laid out before you. Each decision was made for you before you were aware there was a decision to be made. Nothing in your life is yours. Everything you have to offer is taken without regard for you.

“All you have to do is sit and look pretty. Don’t worry. We’ll handle everything.”

The first choice you had been afforded was the selection of a husband. A dozen or so men—at this point, years later, you forget how many had arrived—had come to claim your hand, to claim the role of your husband, of king of your land. Gods forbid you be afforded the opportunity to lead yourself. War nearly broke out in the first two days, the men claiming nepotism or threatening violence to get their way.

It was the suggestion of a suitor you actually liked—not for yourself, but for your cousin. To ensure peace, each man present would swear to the gods to uphold your choice of husband, to call their armies should a threat come to your marriage or to your land. Despite being promised to your cousin at that point, the suitor still had to swear, still had to enter the pact.

Given limited time with each suitor, you found yourself swayed by none. Some of them were brutes, some had wandering eyes, some schemers, some timid. One or two had a representative in their stead, making your decision to discard their offers. Yet, it was the belated arrival of Ushijima that had caught your attention, vague memories of banquets gone past reminding you of his kindness and calming presence.

The first choice you made was hardly a choice, sealing your fate, stealing any agency that remained. Your first choice locked away any hope that you had for that all-encompassing, absolutely devastating, life-changing kind of love. It was that day that you had surrendered any and all naïve hope to dictate any part of your life, any chance of true happiness.

Everything changes the third night following Wakatoshi’s departure. Ōhira notifies you and Shirabu of unexpected visitors from across the sea—royalty you cannot afford to turn away. You’re quick to send Shirabu to ensure proper preparations are made for their stay. With pursed lips and a discontent huff, he leaves, remembering Wakatoshi’s directive to listen to you as Shirabu would him.

The staff scuttle about the cold palace, quiet complaints about their sudden arrival dying on their lips as you make eye contact with them in passing. You can’t disagree with their sentiments, with the abrupt and unannounced visit and the disregard for custom. All the same, you feel a little… excited.

The princes come from a nation that’s seen no relations in the duration of your life, though there once were. They know not of you or your reputation. They are unaware of your history, of the truth of the power imbalance—the truth that this is your land and these are your people, but they are ruled by your husband, as kind and fair as he might be. To them, you are the reigning queen, their host for the duration of their stay.

To them, you’re a blank slate, not warped by rumors or “legends,” unaffected by tales of your true parentage. While still a queen, you are as close to “nobody” as you will ever get, even if just for a moment, even if just in their eyes.

You feel his gaze before you see it, though it’s been on you all night.

Iwaizumi Hajime and Oikawa Tōru—the former, a distant cousin of the sitting King; the latter, the recently found son of the sitting King. Both here in an attempt to rebuild the previous alliance, to open trade, their messenger having failed to appear a month prior. Pure coincidence that their visit coincides with the death of Wakatoshi’s mother. As much as Shirabu is loath to admit it, you’re the one who will be conducting the first round of negotiations, the first step in diplomatic relations.

Iwaizumi is steady, accustomed to royal responsibilities, easy to talk to, if only for the familiarity of someone well-versed in this life. Oikawa, on the other hand, is courteous, warm, untainted by the countless rules, decorum, propriety. It’s refreshing, like the first inhale of night air as you visit the olive groves.

Of course, there’s the added benefit of the subtle twitch of Shirabu’s eye whenever Oikawa acts too comfortable, too… familiar.

There’s an undeniable charm to Oikawa, an allure that draws you in. Perhaps it’s the fact that he lived a life completely different than the one he finds himself involved with now, that he has experiences you could have only ever dreamed of. Perhaps it’s his smile, entirely flirtatious, obvious that he’s rarely been told no. Perhaps the mischievous glint in his eyes, begging for fun, for adventure entirely foreign to you. Perhaps it’s because he knows nothing about you, hasn’t secondhand information to inform his opinion of you.

It leaves you feeling conflicted with a yearning you thought you had long since put to rest.

Unable to find some semblance of peace tonight, you decide to take a dip in the river that cuts through the back of the palace grounds. One of the rare times when you’re afforded privacy—true privacy. Wakatoshi will sometimes accompany you if he catches you on your way out, but this is the time when you can slip past the guards, advisors, and handmaidens.

The moon is high in the sky, illuminating the path carved by years of perpetrating this habit, years of keeping this secret. Its light filters through the leaves of the trees as the steady rushing of the river nearby calms your anxieties. Growing louder as you near, serenity washes over you.

This is where you have always felt safest, where you have always felt freest. Unburdened by your responsibilities, by the beauty that bards and poets feel necessary to sing about. Here, you can simply exist as you. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Disrobing, you leave yourself bare for the moon and the river, a quiet offering to the gods, a quiet wish to be able to continue this tradition. A breeze ruffles through the leaves, creating a lovely psithurism to accompany your entrance into the water.

The river pushes past you, not quite strong enough to carry you away, a long since ignored wish of yours. It surrounds you, cold and cleansing, pulling at your miseries and wandering thoughts, everything you wish to rid yourself of, almost acting as ablution. No longer are you able to keep your head above water and your feet on the riverbed, no longer do you feel tied to the estate behind you. You submerge yourself, swimming deeper into the river, once again attempting to touch the deepest part of it.

Doing so means you miss the sound of his approach, miss the soft marveling at your abandoned clothes by the riverbank.

The air nips at your skin as you reemerge, cold if only because of the water that clings to you. Turning back towards the shore, you see him.

You should be upset at being followed, having another man—another prince, at that—watch you with such edacity while nude, at the lèse-majesté. You could be afraid for the same reasons—a foreign man, royal or not, having followed you, having watched you for gods only know how long while you’re alone and presumably helpless.

But you’re not either of those.

You’re fascinated by him, just as he is you, if his expression is anything to go by. A man who was free, who was given freedom from early on, finding himself here, in a kingdom across the sea. Despite the thundering in your chest, the flash of Wakatoshi in your mind, you call out.

“The river is nice at this time of night.”

An observation or an invitation, dependent on how he wishes to interpret it. You’re aware what his likely answer will be, especially as the blush that spreads across his cheeks becomes clear, even half a river away. Years spent observing, studying, listening—you know very well how people will respond, how they will act. A new prince, eager to prove that he belongs, wouldn’t do something so—

“Do you mind if I join you?”

Oh.

“I cannot dictate what you do. This is a river of the gods.”

He bows his head, trying to hide a chuckle, though the lift of his cheeks give him away. “That isn’t what I asked.”

“I suppose it isn’t. I don’t mind if you choose to join me.”

“I don’t like him,” Shirabu tells you, escorting you from your private chambers to the dining hall. “He’s impolite and disrespectful. Not to mention he’s been sneaking out at night since their arrival.”

“You’ve been following them?” you ask incredulously.

The past eight nights have been spent by the riverside, speaking with him freely, without propriety, without the constant tutting of Shirabu or Semi and the glaring by Iwaizumi—only ever at Tōru, however. If Shirabu were to find out, he would take greater precautions to limit your mobility, what limited freedom you have.

“Of course. It would be unseemly to allow them free reign while the King is away and you’re alone.” It comes out with an indignant scoff, the rolling of his eyes, obvious annoyance at your line of questioning. “Did Iwaizumi tell you how much longer they plan on staying?”

“Prince Iwaizumi has. He has asked whether we would allow them to wait for my husband’s return. I believe that it would be best for him to have the final say over the first round of negotiations.”

A lie if you chose to look closely, but no one ever does.

The truth behind their extended stay lies in that you cherish Tōru’s company and you aren’t quite ready to let him go. He’s a rare friend, easily worming his way into your heart. You’re even enjoying the company of Iwaizumi, finding him to have a dry and witty sense of humor which is—save for Tendō’s quips and puns—sorely lacking here. You want so desperately to hold onto these two men, some of the only men, who see and treat you as a person rather than a commodity or an accessory.

As much as Wakatoshi cares for you, there’s something missing. When he touches you, there’s no spark, no warmth, no yearning. You’re taken care of, but you’re not happy. It hasn’t struck you just how unhappy you are until their unexpected arrival.

“That… actually makes sense,” Shirabu concedes, thinking nothing of the insult that slipped past his lips. “I’ll notify the handmaids after breakfast.”

Your guests bow as you enter the dining hall, Tendō having already laid out breakfast. Shirabu adopts a certain smugness that never fails to get on your nerves, but he’s content and therefore less likely to continue his line of complaints.

Conversation flows much better than at the start of their stay, everyone familiar enough with which topics to avoid, which topics are appropriate for the morning. A couple of times, Tōru nearly slips, nearly calls you by your given name throughout the meal, but it’s something that Shirabu fails to pick up on. Iwaizumi, however, watches with sharp eyes, quickly grasping the reality of the situation.

Wakatoshi’s return is delayed for another fortnight as he helps his brother maintain control of the kingdom in the wake of their mother’s death. His correspondence, outside of being addressed to you, says nothing to you, for you. It didn’t use to bother you, but there’s humming throughout your being, a soft song that only you seem to hear, a constant whisper—you should be happy.

As of late, you find your mind wandering to Tōru, to his laugh, his smile, the teasing lilt of his voice as he needles Iwaizumi or Shirabu. Your heart flutters when he is near and you feel anticipation as dusk nears. Smiles come easier to you now and you feel almost as though you are a person unto herself, a power yet to be awakened.

That night, you make your way to the river again, appreciating the scent of damp earth and thriving mastic trees. Pushing past the brush, you find two figures waiting for you. The mask that you adopt is one you’ve had your entire life to perfect, but they still manage to pick up on it, used to your sincerity rather than your outright propriety, somber and venerable.

“I knew it,” Iwaizumi speaks, more to himself than to either of you. His eyes flash to Tōru’s, harsh and cutting, trying to see through the cheery façade.

There’s an edge in the latter’s eyes, one that he’s reserved for when he told you of how he became “lost,” when he told you of the eldest brother, judging him and challenging him every chance he gets, when he told you of how they scoffed in the face of his hard work versus the royal upbringing they received. His face is relaxed, but you can see the tensing of his arms, the clenching of his fist. Tōru refuses to meet your eyes, refuses to look anywhere but Iwaizumi.

With a deep inhale, Iwaizumi turns to you. “Your Majesty—”

“Please, not here. Not now,” you breathe, voice carried by the wind. “At this time of night, at this place, I am not Queen. I am not royal, I am not—” your voice catches in your throat. Here, now, you do not want to be Queen, do not want to bear the responsibilities and duties of a royal, do not want to be the daughter of a god and of a queen. “At this time of night, I come to this river before the gods and I am nobody. Do not refer to me with honorifics.”

Iwaizumi’s taken aback by the intensity of your final sentiments, by the exhibition of an emotion he’s yet to see on you. His thought dies on his tongue and he looks at you as though he’s seeing you for the first time. Watching you as you approach the river, he considers you truly.

Tōru takes the opportunity to look at you, the mask falling for just a moment. It’s that moment that you feel that rush in your chest, just below your ribs.

“Are you… happy?” Iwaizumi asks, deliberate in his question. You can nearly hear the honorifics that sit pretty on the tip of his tongue, but you focus on the hesitation, the note of evaluation barely detectable in his voice. The consideration of what he knew, the inclusion of what he’s barely learned.

Picking up the linen of your gown, you step into the river, turning away from them both. Tilting your face towards the waning moon, you speak out for all who are listening.

“When I am nobody, I am the closest to happy that I will ever be.”

The atmosphere is warm from the lingering heat of the summer sun and the cicadas start to sing again after several minutes of silence. You relish this time, these moments. You savor the company of these two men, the only two to have ever asked you whether you are happy.

“You’ve given me something to think about,” Iwaizumi says, tone cautious. You don’t turn to look at him, giving only a small hum in acknowledgment. He bids you and Tōru goodnight, catching himself before calling you by your given name for the first time.

With his parting, a caliginous cloud falls, settling atop both you and Tōru, stifling the air you breathe. Neither of you breaks the silence, the tension. You release the fabric you’ve been holding onto, no longer caring whether it becomes wet.

Water sloshes behind you, announcing Tōru’s slow approach. Judging from the water that ripples from behind you, momentarily covering your ankles where you stand, he’s behind you. Judging from the way your body reacts, he’s close enough to touch.

“How are you?” the question falls from your tongue before your mind could decide whether to ask it. Water swells around your ankles again and you can feel his breath on the exposed skin of your shoulder.

“I’m fine.”

“I believe that’s the first lie you’ve ever told me.”

“And you would know?” he challenges half-heartedly.

“I can only hope. Do you wish to tell me what’s bothering you? If it’s within my power, I’d like to help.”

“I thought here you were nobody.”

“I am nobody. But I can only speak freely while I am nobody. Tell me, if you wish, and I’ll see what I can do.”

He hums in response before resting his forehead on your shoulder, applying little weight as though he’s afraid to burden you.

“Tōru?” He freezes at the call of his name, breath pausing. “What do you want?”

A little more weight, a ragged inhale behind you. “I—I want something that I shouldn’t.” You try to remain calm, unaffected when his hands come to rest on your hips, touching you so delicately that you feel as though you might break under pressure.

Heat blooms from where he touches you, even if through a layer of cloth, rippling through your veins, racing towards your heart. You feel light, feel as though there’s an opaque filter, blurring your vision, making everything but his touch fall out of focus. Swallowing harshly and with some difficulty, given how dry your mouth has become, you lick your lips before speaking.

“Tōru, tell me what you want and I’ll see what I can do.” There’s a quiver to your voice that you’ve never heard before, a fluttering in your chest that’s entirely new. And the hope—where did it come from? What is this?

His hands settle, firmly placed upon your hips, firmly holding you. Lifting his head slightly, he runs his nose along the line of your shoulder, the curve of your neck. Fingers dig into your hips, making your mind go blank.

And then he’s gone, the light splashing of water as he steps away. Your breath hitches at the abrupt change, the weight of your wet dress slowing your movements as you turn to face him. “We shouldn’t be doing this.”

He’s not looking at you, eyes set far off in the distance, though you doubt he’s seeing anything at the moment. The muscles in his jaw twitch as he clenches down, hands balled into fists by his sides. Pain seems to radiate from him. Pain and longing. It hits you like a wave, threatening to drown you, if but for a moment.

Because it’s Tōru, and—as startling as the revelation is—you know him. You feel as though you’ve always known him, as though you’ve spent your life searching for him. And the second you acknowledge that, it’s bearable, no longer overwhelming.

Body moving with its own will, you close the gap, catching him off guard. Wide eyes stare down at you, surprise evident in his expression, though he gives no indication of a desire to move, a desire to leave you here. So you take advantage of his surprise, unsure of the origins of this passion.

“Tell me what you want, please,” you implore. “Tell me that what you want and what I want is the same. When Iwaizumi asked whether I’m happy, I lied. I’m not happy with this life, but being here, being nobody isn’t the closest I’ll get because I’m happy when I’m in your presence. Getting to know you, getting to cherish even but a moment with you has been a divine blessing. So please, tell me what you want and I’ll do what I can.”

Your words, your confession seems to reverberate between you two, settling in the air, filling what little space exists between your bodies. And the second your words sink in and that he decides to disregard the struggle that plagued him earlier, you know.

His hands pull you to him as you wrap your arms around his neck, desperate to feel him, to experience him. Desperate for a moment of selfishness, of being wanted for more than your status, more than your beauty. He presses his lips to yours, his hunger complementing your own, kissing you as though this is his only chance, as though he’s trying to prove that this is real, that you’re real.

When he pulls away, he looks at you like you’re from the heavens above, like you personally placed each star in the sky, like you’ll leave in the blink of an eye. Or perhaps you’re projecting because you’re certain that the light that he emits is only possible if he were a child of the sun.

There’s a rustling coming from the other side of the river that startles you both, bringing you back to reality. His hold tightens around you, turning you slightly so you’re closer to shore as he tries to identify what or who it is.

Turning your head in that direction, you see it—a White Hart, the representation of the goddess of hunt. It stares at you, maintaining your gaze as a cloud obscures what little bit of moonlight there is. By the time the cloud passes, the White Hart is gone, no glimpse to be caught, no sound to be heard.

You and Tōru part, uncertainty settling in your bones as the truth comes to remind you. You’re married. You’re a queen. You’re somebody. As is he. While he may have been afforded the opportunity to live a life unencumbered by royal responsibilities, he accepted them when he accepted his family. He’ll be promised to another, most likely upon his return, guaranteeing good relations, guaranteeing the success of his family line.

He’s… not yours.

“It’s been three days, Your Majesty,” Shirabu calls from just outside your chambers. “Are you certain that you don’t need me to call for the physician?”

“I’m fine, Shirabu. I’ll let you know should I need a physician.”

“Very well. Shall I entertain our guests today, as well?”

“Send them into the polis with Tendō. He’ll be happy to entertain them.”

You can nearly hear the sigh of relief, despite being firmly implanted in your bed. Three days since you kissed him. Three days since you’ve seen him. Three nights with the same dream.

Lost at sea, lost in the mist, you don’t call out. You don’t struggle against the cold, against the loneliness, against the hopelessness. A voice calls out to you, one you’ve only ever heard in your dreams. She encourages you to stop fighting, to stop resisting, to make a choice.

After you hear her, you wake, words ringing in your ears. You know it to be the interference of one of the gods—call it divine intuition passed down from your father, but the fact of the matter is only the gods can make someone dream identical dreams each night. Even still, you aren’t certain what she means. You aren’t resisting, aren’t fighting. You’re merely existing.

Your day is spent drifting in and out of consciousness, a migraine starting to form at the forefront. Shirabu bothers you no further, sending in your handmaidens to care for you before you swat them away. It isn’t until the stars are visible that you bother with consciousness.

Re-reading Wakatoshi’s last letter, a pit of loneliness settles in your stomach, growing with each passing minute, with each word you read again. There’s a familiar ache, one in your heart, one you want nothing more than to beat out of you. There is no hope to be had, no happiness in your future. That’s fine. You don’t need either to survive, to fulfill your duty.

Except, now that you’ve had a taste, you find yourself craving it and the object of your desire is standing on your balcony.

“Are you alright? If I didn’t know better, I would say you’ve been avoiding me, if not for the concern from your killjoy of an advisor and your mind-reader cook.”

“How did you get up here?”

“You know, if you were going to change your mind about me, you could have saved us both the trouble and not kissed me. It’s cruel to play with someone’s emotions like that,” he tells you plainly, leaning against the wall nearest the balcony, fixing you with an unnervingly cold stare.

“I—I didn’t change my mind. A lot of this is new to me, but I know that there’s no going back from you.”

A light flush decorates his cheeks and his glare lightens imperceptibly, but he maintains his outward appearance otherwise. “So then? Are you sick?”

“In a sense,” you admit quietly, not specifying that you’re ill from this godsforsaken hope that’s lingering in the back of your mind. Hope that arrived with him. Hope that will leave with him.

It’s enough to push him from the wall, to cross your chambers and stand before you. His eyes study your face, the barest hint of worry peaking through as he’s determined to keep hidden how distressed he’s been over your absence. Fingers reach for you, tracing the curve of your cheek.

“You look tired.”

You scoff, though, if anything, you lean into his touch. “As a prince, you really shouldn’t say such things to women.”

“Have you been sleeping?”

“It’s difficult with the gods attempting to communicate with me, telling me to make a choice. I’m not certain what choice there is to be made.”

He pauses, eyes widening. “A choice?”

“She tells me to stop fighting and to make a choice. I’m tempted to seek the Oracle and ask for clarification.”

“Before taking such drastic measures,” he starts with a light smile, “why don’t you allow me to help you?”

“It’s your honeyed voice, isn’t it? The reason you were granted leave for these negotiations?”

“Are you suggesting that my voice is sweet?”

Heat warms your cheeks at his light tease, causing you to look away briefly. You may as well enjoy his presence while you have it. Turning back to him, you attempt to absorb as much of him as possible, to imprint him upon your brain so that, even a sea away, you always have this memory of him.

“Your voice isn’t the only thing that’s sweet. If only your parents hadn’t listened to that oracle. You could have been one of my suitors.”

“Would you have chosen me?” he asks, voice sure, though there’s minute uncertainty that dances behind his eyes.

“Without hesitation,” you answer honestly before pushing up to meet his lips. This kiss, unlike the last, is tender—overwhelmingly so. It overflows with affection, adoration, tasting nearly bittersweet on your tongue.

How precious these moments are. What you would give to have more time with him.

The need for air pulls you two apart, leaving love-struck awe on your face while his eyes scan your face with such tenderness. “What if I offered to take you with me?”

His question floats between you and you’re reminded of her voice. Brows furrowing together, a question forms on the tip of your tongue.

“Iwaizumi—the brute—cares for you in his own way. He worries for you. Certainly, if your husband is as kind as you say he is, he’ll allow you to leave, to find a place where you’re happy.”

“But… would you even want me? You’d be stuck with me. I wouldn’t know anyone else but you.”

There’s fear laced in your words. For all of your bemoaning about wanting freedom, wanting the ability to make a choice, you’re a coward. You’re comfortable and safe, tucked away in this small corner of the world. To go with him would be to confront that part of you, to break free, become your own person. To truly have the chance to be nobody.

And it terrifies you and exhilarates you.

“You’d be free.”

“If you it were you, if these circumstances were yours, would you do this? Would you choose me?”

His smile is blinding, absolutely. He looks upon you as though you are the most precious thing in the world, as though there’s nothing more that he wants than you by his side. He’s giving you this choice, offering freedom, love. He’s offering you the world that you had long since been denied.

“Without hesitation.”

Haikyuu!! Masterlist

#haikyuu x reader #oikawa x reader #ushijima x reader #ushiwaka x reader #oikawa toru x reader #ushijima wakatoshi x reader #hq x reader #🏐.haikyuu!!#✒.ix writes #✒.maker of myths #✒.mythology collection

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experimentity · 2 years

Note

So what made you decide on Wesker to add to the trials?

Exy looks up from a notepad. " You can thank Jill and Chris, I have sifted through their minds on numerous occasions since they got here." "And while Nemesis might leave a more powerful psychic imprint on the universes as a whole. Wesker... They both have very strong feelings about him. Especially Chris.." Exy smirks. "Wesker is probably one of the more dangerous Killers that I've brought to the Realms... He's not just a pure killing brute. He thinks, he plans. He's long term." Exy looks thoughtful. "However he's also very arrogent... Supremely arrogent... " Exy looks amused. "He already trying to come up with plans to take over the Realm. He's a schemer through and through."

#dead by daylight #exy #the experimentity #the entity #Resident Evil #albert wesker

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autisticcassandracain · 3 years

Text

Like listen I know Darkseid was almost certainly lying through his teeth here considering that literally two pages later he calls Orion his son but look,

[Image: three panels from the New Gods by Jack Kirby, showing Orion following Darkseid as Darkseid attempts to escape in a shuttle. Orion says: “There’s no escaping destiny... father!” Darkseid replies: “Don’t call me father! You were never like me! You don’t plot... you don’t scheme! You leap at life like a best of prey!”. End description.]

You know who DOES plot and scheme? Lightray.

Lightray and Darkseid’s relationship has the potential to be extremely interesting to me because they are very similar in their methods, but completely dissimilar in their goals.

Lightray is the kindest of the New Gods, a fact reiterated by numerous people. We consistently see him treat most others with kindness and respect, even when they really don’t deserve it. He is a young god who hasn’t lived through the first war with Apokolips, and as such, is often portrayed as being rather naïve and unused to the ways of war. However, he actively wants to involve himself in this new war with Apokolips, because he wants to support Orion in his fight, because he is his friend. Lightray is, without a doubt, kind.

And he’s also a giant bastard of a schemer. Rather than relying on physical strength, Lightray prefers strategizing his way through battle, something that’s often pointed out and shown. And he’s good at it! Lightray routinely comes up with very effective battle strategies and plans that save the day when brute force won’t cut it. But the interesting thing about this is, to me, the way Lightray seems to lean pretty utilitarian in his plans.

He isn’t devoid of principles or lines he won’t cross, far from it - if at all possible, Lightray prefers peaceful or at least non-lethal solutions to problems, something established as early as his first real foray into battle. But Lightray also, more than most people of New Genesis and even Orion, shows a willingness to put others in harm’s way if he believes the ends justify it. He’s also much more willing to use underhanded and dishonorable tactics to win battles if necessary. There is a calculating edge to him that can, at times, be quite ruthless.

One of the best examples of that is, in my opinion, a bit before the earlier panels with Darkseid, when Lightray deliberately shoots at Orion, scaring off some children who were helping him.

[Image: page showing a conversation between Orion and Lightray. Orion asks: “Hold! Was that you who fired it a moment ago!” Lightray, nonchalant, says: “It seems to be the favorite game here!” Orion shakes Lightray by the neck, saying: “Idiot! You might have...!!” Lightray turns more serious, saying: “I - I’m terribly sorry I frightened the boys, but I did aim very high!” Orion replies: “Amateur warrior! Return to New Genesis and live in peace!” Lightray, resolute, replies: “I won’t desert a friend who is here to fulfill a mad prophecy! This confrontation between father and son is wrong! It bodes ill for both you and Darkseid!” Orion: “Your shooting spree! Y - you really meant to wound me!” Lightray: “Who knows?! If those youngster hadn’t been there... who knows...?” Orion shakes Lightray, who is unfinlinching, saying “Fool! Fool!”. End description.]

Lightray, though conflicted about it, was very much intending to shoot Orion, his best friend, in an effort to stop him from what he considers to be a suicidal confrontation with his father. The way this was weighed is rather obvious: there is no way to stop Orion from fighting Darkseid unless he’s wounded - a wounded Orion is bad, but a dead Orion is worse - ergo, wounding Orion is the best course of action in this case. Whether he went to Apokolips with the intention of doing so, or decided it later afterwards, is ambiguous, but personally, I think it’d make sense for Lightray to have gone to Apokolips with that intention. He likely took Orion’s gear for either a quicker getaway, or as a backup plan in case he couldn’t go through with his first, either due to circumstance or because he was still heavily conflicted about it.

What ultimately stopped him, however, was the presence of some children. He ended up aiming ‘rather high’ instead, to frighten the kids away so that he could give Orion his gear. This shows the extent to which he is and isn’t willing to go; he’s willing to shoot his friend if it prevents him from greater harm, but he isn’t willing to hurt innocents in the process in order to do it. Ultimately, while Lightray has sharp edges and a willingness to employ dirty tactics, he still has a strong set of morality ultimately dependent on his kind nature.

Which puts him in a very interesting contrast to Darkseid. Darkseid, like Lightray, is primarily a plotter and a schemer. He can fight, he’s actually rather powerful, but he prefers to avoid doing so. What’s more, he actively enjoys scheming, and shows sadness when he doesn’t need to. Darkseid manipulated his way into power by carefully orchestrating his war, killing his own mother via Desaad, and then orchestrated the second war by deliberately setting Scott up to break the peace pact. He has little to no morals and will do almost whatever it takes to reach his goal.

And for what? Ambition. Darkseid wants to rule. He is obsessed with the idea of control, which is why he wants the anti-life equation so badly, and why he transformed Apokolips into essentially a giant cult in his name during his rule (something that we do not see his mother do, when she ruled). Darkseid is selfish, ruthless, and evil to the bone.

And yet, Lightray is the most obvious parallel to him on New Genesis. I haven’t read all of the New Gods stuff yet, so there’s likely to be stuff that I’m missing, but from what I’ve read, while Lightray and Darkseid don’t interact often, when they do, there’s almost a strange sort of rapport between them. The scene that comes to mind here is the one in the Orion solo, where Lightray is the first to stop forward to offer his condolences towards Darkseid after Orion’s presumed death:

[Image: panels from the Orion solo showing a conversation between Lightray and Darkseid. Lightray steps forward out of a crowd of people and salutes Darkseid. He says: “Hail, great Darkseid! I do not know what has happened to Orion, but our souls have been freed... and that can only mean that he is gone, beyond recall. Maybe beyond redemption. Perhaps in the ocompany of the Black Racer himself. He was my friend. But he was his father’s son. I am truly sorry.” Darkseid replies: “So. Of all those who stand before me, Apokolips’s noblest enemy is the first to offer consololation to Orion’s father. The Black Rather was not fate, but a simulacrum created by Metron and myself. We thought it had failed. It was designed for the sole purpose of luring Orion into a Doom Tube, a boom tube with a single entrance... and no exit, whence there is no return. It was the only way. Even I do not know if he is still alive. You were my son’s greatest friend, Lightray. I will not forget your words. Take your fellows home to New Genesis. We will not shame the memory of a great warrior. There will be no other dying this day.” End description.]

This scene is fascinating to me for many reasons, but the ones that matter right now have to do with Lightray and Darkseid’s interaction. Lightray is fully aware that Darkseid is a horrible person on all levels, but chooses to address him with respect as the ruler of Apokolips. This is interesting, since this is, in fact, a pre-established norm; in The New Gods (1971) #7, Metron is shown to forget similar manners with Darkseid’s mother, and when called out for it, to express his apologies. But that was before the first war against Apokolips, and it was Metron, who is by far the most morally dubious of those from New Genesis. To see Lightray emulating it here is an interesting choice, especially since he specifically chooses to express his condolences to Darkseid as Orion’s father, when he really has not been much of a father to him. I think it goes to show the extent of Lightray’s kind nature and the way he aims to treat most others with respect.

More interesting to me, however, is Darkseid’s reply. I would not call Darkseid ‘noble’, but he does show respect for his enemies when they do something that impresses him. (This is likely why he cares for Orion to begin with, since he definitely didn’t while Orion was still on Apokolips.) Here, he seems impressed by Lightray’s shown respect and nobility, even when waking up immediately after Orion mindcontrolled him and the entire population of at least three planets. It’s interesting to me that Darkseid ends up being impressed by and respectful of this, and I think it has a lot of implications for other interactions between Darkseid and Lightray.

I don’t necessarily have a succinct point with this essay that got way too long, but Darkseid and Lightray have a lot of potential to me as parallels and foils, and it’s a shame that not many people take advantage of it. To me, Darkseid and Lightray are mirror images of each other; they are very similar in a lot of aspects, yet polar opposites where it matters.

And I think it’d be interesting to see the both of them examine that. I feel like Darkseid would respect Lightray quite a bit, actually, and be very impressed by him; but would he respect Lightray’s difference in morality and goals, or would he think it’s holding him back? In the case of Lightray, would he be intimidated by his and Darkseid’s similarities? Would Lightray respect Darkseid, as shown in the earlier scene from the Orion solo, or would he be disappointed and disgusted that Darkseid uses his cunning for his own needs? Metron and Darkseid are often shown to have something of a rapport going on, even though, to me, that doesn’t make a lot of sense; but would that dynamic be better suited to Lightray and Darkseid? Or would their differences in morality ultimately be far too big a hurlde to overcome?

It’s just interesting to think about to me.

#lightray #darkseid #new gods #the fourth world #my posts #infodumping

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