#he's already on the dark path to becoming the villain we all know

[starliteonearth]

TFOne Takes the Todd Phillips' Joker Approach to Megatron's Turn

Ever since I watched this film, something has been bothering me about D-16's arc. It didn't click with me like I had expected and I believe I finally put my finger on why.

Whereas I was expecting a slower, more methodical, philosophically/intellectually-driven descent, what we got was more akin to Phoenix's hot-blooded, maniac, emotionally-reactive unravelling. The lid on a pressure cooker finally blowing. Perfectly fine narrative choice, however, due Megatron not being the singular focus of this film, and its shorter runtime, it ends up feeling a bit rushed and undercooked.

Personally, one thing I believe could've facilitated his turn a bit smoother would've been to instead start him off as a gladiator, with the miner experience being in his very recent past. This way, violence is already a huge part of who he is and him brutally ripping Sentinel apart in front of thousands without blinking has a better, more believable leadup.

Basically, I think it might better to start not at zero but at like twenty-five percent into a character's arc when doing a corruption narrative in a shorter runtime, specifically in which our character becomes a ruthless murder machine. Or at the very least, becomes unconcerned with taking life. Firmly establish right from the start, their capacity for physical violence and its logical escalation into cold-blooded, brutal killing and/or rage-driven, wanton destruction.

[drarryspecificrecs]

2024.09 ~ Top 9 longest fics posted on AO3

1. Take Me to Voldemort by @sweetiecutiedarling [M, 702k]

How did everyone miss it? That dark look in Potter's eyes? They were all too happy to gloss over his insistence that the Dark Lord had returned, acting as if the wild claims were endearing and not signs of a manic break. [...] Draco never could have predicted Potter's particularly daft and entirely sincere response, especially considering that Potter did not even take a breath before saying it. "Let's do it. Take me to Voldemort."

2. Twin flames by Wizarding_Whatif [M, 561k]

After the war has ended, Harry finds himself at a loss for what to do with himself. [...] Draco Malfoy is also asking the big questions in life after the war. [...] They both get invited back after a year of rebuilding to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. [...] This year, however, the returning students are to be resorted, Harry is but Draco is not. This year an entirely different adventure awaits the two men. With an ancient love spell cast on Harry before School the unknown consequences grow steeper as the year goes on, leaving the entire wizarding world on the edge of their brooms for news of their savior. Can a villain become a hero? Will the hero get a happy ending?

3. The Wrong Sort by ladybirdlad [?, 135k] *typo

After Dolores Umbridge becomes Hogwarts’ new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Harry decides something must be done about her and her appalling tutelage and misinformation. Surprisingly, the hatred of their new simpering pink professor spreads further than just Harry and his friends. Far enough that even those who he once considered enemies are now tentative allies. But how much is unity against Umbridge and how much is something more?

4. Dreary by raspberrybalm [E, 177k]

A vile of Felix Felicis, a Resurrection Stone, and a blond walk into an Avada… The punchline? Draco's life, it would seem. He can't win for losing. His mother's gone, his girlfriend's in love with his mate, and The Order won't take him no matter how many baddies he slaughters. The solution? A Time Turner. The solution to the consequential havoc of messing with time? Harry Potter, of course. Only, the bloke's been dead for fifteen years. Good thing Draco eats Death for breakfast.

5. Pieces Of Me by @shewhomustnotbenamed [E, 88k]

Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter have never been friends. After finding themselves isolated from others due to their own specific problems, they somehow connect. While Harry ignores his issues with addiction, and Draco disguises just how horrible his relationship is, a friendship blooms between them. Draco must choose between the life he's known for the past five years with Cormac McLaggen, or the life that Harry offers him, and the consequences that follow.

6. Ouroboros by inkysand [T, 81k]

“But now we’re all trapped in this place with Bellatrix lurking around,” Ron said once he’d calmed down. “And it sounds like Malfoy’s all set on fixing the Compact. But what’s that going to do for You-Know-Who? If we get bumped out of here, do we go back and get killed by a dark wizard who’s got all his power back and is already in control at Hogwarts?” None of them had answers to those questions.

7. Silver Tone Rich Kids by @shelvesuponshelves [M, 73k]

Best friends since they were four, Slytherins Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy have been the shitty spoiled rich kids of Hogwarts for years. But when Harry decides he wants to improve himself and Draco can't get on board, Draco's world begins to fall apart when Harry moves on to new friends. [...]

8. A Beginner's Guide to Living by kzwjhkdo [E, 62k]

In the aftermath of the war to end all wars, Harry had dutifully tried to follow the path set out for him. He'd tried to hack it as a wizard cop. He'd tried heterosexuality. He'd tried to exist in the public eye as a hero, saviour, beloved golden boy. He'd tried. Ultimately, he'd only lasted a few months before he'd disappeared into thin air. It's been fifteen years, now—it's been precisely fifteen years, six months, and twenty days. A lot has changed. Draco is a photographer, working with Pansy Parkinson at her fashion magazine. He has a potion business on the side. He's grown, he has a carefully cultivated life, and he's sure to have a very normal reaction to seeing Harry Potter again.

9. Infairitance by @toxik-angel [T, 61k]

It's August 1999, and Harry only plans on returning Malfoy's wand to him in his weird little potion shop. The Malfoy he meets there is not the Malfoy he expected. He also was not expecting to see Fred's... unanimated corpse.

—

※ Word count: 1k ~ 15k

※ Word count: 15k ~ 40k

cheeks pink in the twinkling lights by mr_prongs [E, 21k]

Entrapment by @mykkitno [M, 19k]

Explosive Encounters by TotallyNotMagic [M, 31k]

Harry Potter and the Snake in the Park 'Round his House by @sillspore [M, 30k]

Have you not realised? by Millsy [?, 15k]

Liquid Silk by @coffeedrgn87 [E, 16k]

Long-term by Plume1304 [M, 17k]

Love at it's Kore by @sightedkarma [M, 39k]

Potions, Poisons, and Other Cures for Heartache by semperubi [?, 37k]

retrogade echoes by sectumsempra [E, 35k]

Shelter from the Storm by @actual-howlinglikeaseaturtle [T, 20k]

This isn't the Window to your Soul (Even if you think it is) by @emeraldvssilver [?, 15k]

—

Ongoing Fest/Exchange

※ Fics would be listed elsewhere.

Drarry Let’s Play Fest 2024 | @drarry-lets-play

HD Hurt-Comfort Fest 2024 | @hd-hurtcomfort-fest

HP Drizzle Fest 2024 | @hpdrizzle

HP Horrible Goose Fest 2024 | @horriblegoosefest

Unleashed! Fest 2024 | @unleashed-fest

Bring Back The Porn Challenge (1)

First Time Exchange 2024 (1)

Freaky Friday 2024

[sourinartt]

Now it's Boruto fans who annoy sns fans because they have free time. They actually compete against NH and SS fans to see who's the most annoying

" They say Borusara is a heterosexual version of their gay relationship. Why is it? It's a cheap shipp taken from Walmart of sns

It's not like Kishimoto didn't call Sarada "Female version of Sasuke" and she doesn't have any traits from her mother, just like Boruto is called a second Naruto and compared to him and likewise he has nothing of his mother

Naruto and Sasuke connect because they both don't have parents, Sarada and Boruto connect because they both suffer from the abandonment of their parents

It was played with that Boruto and Sarada are a kind of "rivals" in the anime, There was also a kiss scene that if I'm not mistaken didn't happen because Sarada stopped Boruto, right?

In the manga, Boruto supports Sarada's wishes to be Hokage and then it is obvious that he will become a shadow hokage like Sasuke lol

" They say that if Sasuke were a woman, they would both end up together" and that's how it is lol, not for nothing for years these men loved the fantasy that Sasuke was a woman and Naruto would end up with her, There are fanarts, and romantic tropes from social media are used for heterosexual couples because they can't stand two men using it

I agree that Borusara is not the same as sns in some parts, for example on Boruto's part there is not much that is genuine beyond protecting Sarada because I don't know, is she his friend?

Sarada, every time they say that if she likes some form of Boruto, she gets upset because until now there was no more beyond, But well, there are some blushes that can easily be due to embarrassment

Unlike sns, Sarada does call Boruto brother, she is described as a female Sasuke, but we never saw Sasuke call Naruto brother

if for these guys Naruto/Sasuke are brothers because of the Martians who marked their paths, then it makes Sarada/Boruto distant cousins

If the Borusara relationship progresses, why would that be? I already know, because they steal the tropes from sns

Sarada wants to be Hokage, and as a savior she won't kill her childhood best friend even if he is a traitor to the world, because she loves him

boruto automatically becomes a Sasuke 2.0 and is a traitor, but he continues to be attentive to his best friend and trusts her after many years of not seeing her, and now, even though he's a rival to everyone, he protects Konoha, holy god, isn't this a sasuke?

All this shit has already been done and that's why borusara is boring because they have to steal from sns to be something

"While Sasuke and Naruto were rivals who wanted to kill each other" Naruto didn't want to kill Sasuke, he wanted to protect him and get them out of the darkness. You see how they don't even know how to read the manga but they still want to have an opinion?

Sasuke wanted to kill Naruto because he was the only person he had left who gave him love besides Itachi, his one and only, the only one who didn't leave him alone Sasuke couldn't bear those feelings and to become "stronger" he had to kill him. But, ask, is that achieved? Nah, in the end, Sasuke can't kill him because he loves Naruto and would suffer all his life without its existence

Naruto and Sasuke were also childhood best friends, they both loved each other and showed mutual support for each other, their separations are due to third parties and among them villains who played with sasuke's mental health

something that is almost similar to what Boruto was having, he is separated by third parties from his friends and specifically from Sarada

"I can see the similarities" if that's why you put together a straight couple that steals the tropes of a gay couple and you support their ass just because they're straight even though it's a boring ship, and no, we didn't change anything, it was kishimoto who made sarada a "female sasuke" with naruto ideals and boruto a "second Naruto" but with sasuke ideals and dressed like him

denying that even now straight couples use sns as a trope is crazy because then you shouldn't be pairing matsuri/konohamaru

you can lump Borusara all you want, but get sns out of your homophobic mouth.

[radiance1]

Inspired by this post.

So, we have Danny, who outlived his friends and family (none of them became ghosts.) is the prince of the Infinite Realms.

As soon as he didn't have any ties to the living world anymore, at the young age of 114 was Danny scooped up and taken to the ghost zone for royal tutelage.

Things like balance training, how to carry himself prim and proper, how to invoke power with his voice (not literally, mostly how to sound commanding at stuff), what he should wear, knowledge about the ghost zone etc, etc.

Although, History beyond a certain point had to be taught exclusively by Clockwork, since the only other person who could teach him about the Infinite Realms' full History would be Pariah Dark, who was the first ghost ever to have been conceived by the Realms, and no one really wanted to wake up him.

Of course, that would mean there would be a void where Clockwork can't teach, but that knowledge is.... not necessary for the young prince to learn.

[It was really just about Pariah acquiring the ring and crown, the rest is uh, cough the lovey-dovey arc of Pariah Dark and Clockwork that will stay lost to time if Clockwork has anything to say about. Look, they were babies then compared to now, no one needs to know what happened back then alright?]

So, after all this I imagine him wearing something like this, staff and all.

However, Danny has an arch-nemesis.

Dark Danny.

Who somehow managed to escape from his imprisonment and causes havoc and chaos wherever he goes. His thing to do was to escape to the living world to make it befall the same fate he caused to his own.

He, however, probably did not expect for Danny to be more experienced, and his skills more honed than 100 years ago. Not that Dark Danny knew such time had passed, as he went through the trouble of trying to locate Danny's parents, sister, and best friends to make try and set him on the path to become him.

He failed, obviously, as they were already long gone.

His next thing to do? Locate Vlad and consume his ghost half. However, Danny made it just in time before he could do so.

However, Dark Danny's sheer, raw power, still eclipsed his own. However, while his raw power may be superior, he had something that would let him reliably go head-to-head in a fight with his alternate self and not win due to being underestimated and the sudden appearance of the ghost wail.

A staff, one naturally formed when he was crowned as Prince. An artifact that granted him a boost in power, and furthered his strengths regarding magic, giving him a roughly equal playing field when he confronts Dan.

It by itself may have only been equal to that of the Ring of Rage or Crown of Fire individually, but the fact it could compare to either one when not paired together spoke well of its power.

Dark Danny was, obviously, not expecting him to be as well-equipped and powerful as he was now. So, he underestimated him yet again, and almost led to his defeat and subsequent containment. However, Danny didn't expect for him to escape as he did, and run into another dimension.

Danny, both as himself and Prince of the Ghost Zone, has the responsibility to go after his evil self. So, he entered the portal, with some equipment made by Vlad as both a thanks and silent 'Find him as quickly as possible', which was a device meant to track Dark Danny's energy whenever he uses a good amount of it.

He... didn't expect, to land in a dimension of Superheroes and Villains.

However, he could let such things distract him from the task at hand, Dark Danny was surprisingly laying low for some reason. Probably to recuperate the damage Danny managed to do to him, so that left him a while to get familiar enough with this dimension.

He got a few odd looks here and there, mostly due to how he was dressed. He was worried about it for a while, before overhearing others calling him a cosplayer and him, suddenly remembering that those do indeed exist, decides to use that as a cover for how he dresses.

A month later, still with no sign of his alternate self, and making Danny worry about if he wasn't in this dimension at all. The device finally picked up Dark Danny's signature, and he hurried to said location, when he arrived, the place was not in the best of shape.

Upturned cars, broken buildings, rubble on the street, fire here and there. Not the best welcome party.

There were multiple other villains than just his future self there, but he didn't put them in mind. He was here for one, and one alone.

A few members of what he believes to be Young Justice took to fighting his alternate self, while other members of their team and the Justice League fight the other villains. He saw what could only be the start of a ghost wail, and hurried over.

In front of them, he slammed the butt of his staff on the ground and conjured a shield, which took the entirety of the attack with a few cracks.

"Still as strong as ever, I see." Danny said, lowering the shield as his twin rings run up and down his body respectively, hair turning a white glow and eyes as green as toxic waste. He raised his staff, pointing it at his future self, who looked none too pleased to see him at all. "Now then, shall we continue our fight you so rudely left unfinished?"

Of course, Danny no longer had the card of underestimation, but he could do well without it. Unfortunately, after quite the battle, Dark Danny managed to escape once again, due to some kind of teleport spell of another magic user.

Danny didn't escape unscathed from the fight, but nothing that couldn't be healed in time.

Of course, then he had to interact with both the Justice League, and Young Justice after his sudden introduction.

[raymantogether]

Rayman Together Community Spotlight #3 - Clairiphi

Rayman Together Community Spotlight #3 - Clairiphi

Introduction:

Have you ever made your own Rayman comic book series? Growing up, I spent thousands of hours outside of playing the Rayman series creating comics and drawings, making my own adventures for Rayman and his friends. However, I never could create something as captivating and truly unique as the Rayman Nightmarish Series. Rayman Nightmarish stole my heart and is something that I have followed since 2020. Every few weeks to months, I eagerly anticipate the next chapter. There is something so personal about the art style and original characters, which I fell in love with. Every strip is full of personality and charm. I had the pleasure of meeting Clairiphi, AKA Chiara, during my visit to Ubisoft Milan. In person, Chiara is just as amazing as her series. So when I decided to make this Community Spotlight Series, I just had to make a segment on Chiara and her Rayman Nightmarish series.

1. Please introduce yourself.

"My name is Chiara; I go by Clairiphi on the web, and I'm a storyteller from Sardinia (Italy) who dabbles into drawing to accompany her stories. I hope one day, not too far from now, to become a professional comic writer if the comic industry in Europe gives me the chance. For now, I sadly remain an enthusiastic hobbyist."

2. What are you currently working on in the Rayman Community? 

"I’ve been publishing my fan comic Rayman Nightmarish for a few years with the frequent help of my partner Francesco (@thepinna on Instagram and Cara), who is a professional illustrator and studied as a comic artist as well. Without his teaching, I would be nowhere near where I am with my skill level. He taught me how to storyboard, how to efficiently use a drawing tablet, and helped me train my writing skills. He also offers his direct artistic input from time to time, when work hours permit him (for example, while I did the storyboards and pencil sketches for chapter 11, he did inks and colors)."

3. What is your inspiration behind Rayman Nightmarish?

"One December evening I was particularly bored and haven’t been writing since the beginning of high school, but that evening I was coming from a long period of frustration regarding the school path I chose, and coincidentally, I was also back on my Rayman obsession because I was playing Legends and Origins. I had this fairy character (Waaty) and a horrific, almost lovecraftian villain (The Lighteater) in mind for a while, and all of a sudden I said, “You know what? Let’s stop daydreaming and write an actual story!” I took a huge empty notebook from my desk drawer, and a bunch of years later, here we are!"

4. For any newcomers, what is the story of Rayman Nightmarish about?

"With Rayman Nightmarish, I aimed to narrate a classic Rayman adventure, with the humor, the combats, the voyage across fantastical places... And zombies! Yeah, I love horror, and of course there was going to be a twist. But no worries! This is still a story for all ages, like Rayman always was after all.  An ancient evil called The Lighteater is rising from the depths of the sea and is going to bring a dark plague that will soon turn The Glade of Dreams into The Glade of Nightmares. Of course it is Rayman's job to save the day once again, with the help of Globox and a few unexpected friends, like Waaty, the livid dead fairy with strange clairvoyant abilities...and many others along the way! Will he be able to do it this time? Very likely knowing his records, but this could actually be more challenging than he thought."

5. Is there anything new or unreleased you can share?

"I’ve actually been working on a new original fantasy series for a while. The story is already all planned, I'm in love with the characters and every process I came across during the planning of the plot. I hope with all my heart that I'll be able to bring it to life, not as a webcomic but as a fool-blown series for comic stores’ shelves."

6. What made you fall in love with the Rayman series?

"When I was a little girl, I didn’t have much social skills, and my first ever playmate, before my brother was born, was my dear cousin, who one day came to me with a copy of Rayman 3; his parents got him somewhere during a trip. That game changed my brain chemistry because as soon as I saw the fairy council level, I was hypnotized, and I wasn’t even the one playing! The music, the scenery, the jokes—I don’t know, but every time we played it, I came home wishing I was still in that world. Then a few years later, my cousin got a PS3 and gave me and my brother his PS2, Rayman Raving Rabbids, and Rayman 3. I was so happy! My first ever “comic” was a very cringy Rayman fanfiction I wrote in middle school, kind of an ancestor of Rayman Nightmarish in a way, haha! I thank my cousin every day for showing me that game that evening, and if he were still here today, I bet he would think Rayman Nightmarish looks pretty sick (especially in comparison to his middle school predecessor)."

7. What is your favorite Rayman game?

"I think it’s pretty clear by now that it’s Rayman 3 since it comes with so many dear memories, but I really liked playing both Origins and Legends in co-op with my brother when they came out. They were really fun to play with others! While I’ve always considered Rayman 3 like an intimate journey to take alone in a fantasy world, as silly as it sounds. Haha!"

8. Who is your favorite Rayman character?

"I’m going to be very unoriginal and say it’s Rayman because it’s true."

9. Tell us about your time at Ubisoft Milan.

"It was better than Disneyland! I felt like a kid again being able to hang out with a team of professionals behind a whole videogame. Not only was I happy, I felt seen, like, “Woah! These guys know I exist and even asked me to come here, hello???” Pretty surreal experience!"

10. Other than playing Rayman, what are your favorite things to do?

"I’m going to be completely honest; I haven’t been playing a Rayman game since the dawn of time. Haha! Back when I was a little girl, I wasn't much of a gamer and only played Rayman games because I didn’t care for the others. Now I love my switch, and I found many more games I love to spend time with. Rayman still has a special place in my heart, because it’s thanks to it that I found out I was actually meant for writing stories. Two of my other favorite things to do (besides writing and drawing, which are obvious) are reading books and watching movies, and in both cases, my favorite genre is horror. I also like to play fantasy TTRPG games like D&D or Pathfinder from time to time; they are very stimulating for the imagination."

11. Tell us something interesting or funny about yourself that we might not already know. 

"I’ve actually graduated (both bachelor’s and master’s degree) from a music conservatory in classical piano and never taken a single class in any art school. Sometimes I feel stupid about my past choices, and sometimes I’m glad because learning to play an instrument on a professional level has helped me build discipline and time management skills that helped me greatly in the writing process."

12. Do you have any hidden talents?

"I don’t know much about "talent,” but I do love to sing in my car, and I can memorize the entire script of a movie if I like it a lot. Haha! I remember when I was in elementary school, I used to recite Madagascar to myself when it was past bedtime, but I didn’t want to sleep."

13. What is one thing you can’t live without?

"Besides my air conditioner, I think I would go insane if something happened to any of my writing devices. I keep all my notes scattered between my computer, my iPad, and many physical journals. While clouds are essential, sometimes I just need an actual piece of paper and a pencil to figure out a scene or a plot point."

Want to discover more about the Rayman Nightmarish series? This is my link tree where new readers can find the best social media platforms to either catch up with the story or stay tuned for any exciting news:

[homuraakemis]

One thing that amazes me about Dark is how it managed to portray Jonas and Martha as the darkest of villains (both committing mass murder by causing the Apocalypse, ordering several murders, kidnappings, lying and manipulating people) while at the same time portraying them as such selfless heroes.

Because when you think about it, Jonas and Martha are actually incredibly selfless and heroic. When they are told that they need to go to the origin world to save it and end the knot, and that by doing so, not only would they cease to exist but their entire worlds and the people they loved would also cease to exist, they both agree to sacrifice themselves immediately (Jonas agrees on the spot, and Martha only needs five seconds to compose herself and agree). And this moment is a very selfless moment for both of them.

I've seen so many people argue that Martha/Eva is selfish, that she only does the things she does so that her son and the people she loves would exist, and yet this moment at the end pretty much disproves this. She is faced with the choice of either continuing the loop of suffering to let her loved ones exist, or saving the original world, and she chooses to save the original world and end the time loop, knowing full well she and everyone she loved would cease to exist. This just goes to show that Eva's goal was never truly just about her family and loved ones, but about preserving life, and when she learns that there's a way to end the knot and preserve life in the origin world, she readily sacrifices herself.

This moment is also an incredibly selfless moment for Jonas as well. One could try to argue that Jonas ending his own existence was something he always wanted, so his sacrifice in the end isn't really all that selfless. But I don't think that's true for the Jonas at this point in time. This Jonas isn't suicidal yet. This is the Jonas that a year ago cried before Elisabeth hung him, because he didn't want to die. This is the Jonas who gave Martha a goodbye kiss when he thought he would cease to exist and was devastated as he walked away from her. Sure, Jonas at this point in time was already seeking a way to erase his own existence, but it wasn't because he wanted to die: it was because he believed that by erasing his own existence, he would save the people he loved (Michael, Martha and everyone else). And sacrificing himself to save the origin world doesn't give him anything he wanted: not only he didn't want to die, but he definitely didn't want to erase the existence of Martha, Mikkel and everyone else. But he still chooses to make this sacrifice, because he believes that it's the right thing to do. At the end, he is not relieved to fade out of existence: he and Martha are both clearly terribly sad and devastated about the sacrifice they've made.

Which is why I believe that both Adam and Eva were never truly selfish: Eva truly believed that she needed to keep the loop to preserve everyone's lives, and Adam truly believed that the only salvation for humanity would be to not exist. We can question their beliefs, of course, but I truly do think they were both selfless and idealistic about what they were doing. And they both moved mountains to do what they believed was right.

I also think it's incredibly fascinating to think about how such selfless heroes could go down such villainous paths all due to the time loop. They are both good people at their core, so really, if it weren't for the time loop, none of them would have ever been capable of committing the atrocities they committed. Jonas only starts to become Adam after trying to change things and realizing that things would always happen no matter what he tries, and after believing that he needed to ensure his own past in order to finally end things. Martha only agrees to follow Eva and gives up on fixing things (like she promised Jonas she would do) because she learns what will happen to the version of her who does try to change things (she will get murdered by Adam) and because she believes she needs to keep the loop to ensure everyone's lives. Jonas and Martha would never do all the things they do (murders, kidnappings, causing the apocalypse, lies and manipulations, traumatizing their younger selves) if it weren't for the time loop that pretty much forces them to do these things.

Which is why their stories are such amazing tragedies and why they're such complex characters. It's a story that shows how two selfless heroes who would willingly sacrifice themselves to save the world can still be forced by circumstances outside of their control to do such terrible things.

[thebramblewood]

I was tagged by @retrotrait, @simvanie, @moonwoodhollow, @aheathen-conceivably annnnnnd @salemssimblr to post my top 24 screenshots from 2024, but I jumped the gun on posting a retrospective earlier this month.

I still wanted to do something, though, so I'm going to take some inspiration from @elderwisp and talk about my favorite story scenes of the year specifically - since there's nothing I love more than yapping and reminiscing.

Before I start rambling, I'll tag @living-undead, @esotericas-sims, @fallstaticexit, @simsdaughters, @biffybobs, @whyeverr, @kissalopa and @earthmoonz! I'm sure some of you have already done this (and no pressure if you don't want to), but I'd love to see you reflect on your year in whatever way suits you!

Good food and hard truths with Grace Anansi (one, two). I think this is quietly one of my favorite moments in the story so far because it revealed so much about Caleb's past that until this point had only been hinted at. It also gave him a friend and confidante, which he sorely needed. This was an extremely lengthy and exposition-heavy conversation, so it was challenging but rewarding to write, edit (endlessly), and execute in a compelling way. Plus, its final moments had to lead seamlessly into...

Party like a spellcaster (one, two). I think this was the first flashback in the story, so it was a pretty big deal! It was also the point where my ambitions started making scene preparation increasingly complicated. I spent a hell of a long time converting broomsticks and potions into pose accessories, but I was so pleased with how the vision came together, and it taught me a lot of skills that have become indispensable as my ideas grow more elaborate. Overall, it was a welcome moment of levity and joy for Caleb, even as we know tragedy looms in the future.

Lilith does a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad thing. Turns out once I started doing flashback scenes, I couldn't stop. You guys have no idea how it felt to sit on this particularly nasty secret for months. I wanted it to be a shocking reveal that fully established Lilith's villain status, but I also knew I would have to get her back into Helena's - and our - good graces eventually. It's been interesting to write a character like her who you love and hate at once. Ultimately, I want all of us to be on the same rollercoaster ride as Helena, equal parts repulsed and fascinated. This was especially wild to bring to life because it felt pretty surreal to be adding a whole new layer to this idea that originated years ago in my legacy!

Helena Zhao can't come to the phone right now. I was very proud of this scene because it was the first one where I made all the poses myself. It was also a major turning point in Helena and Julia's relationship, where their sisterly bond is deeply tested. I may have cried a little while writing and shooting it. I really enjoyed the brief moments we got to spend in Julia's perspective, and I hope to bring her back if the story calls for it. Although she was in extreme shock at what her sister had done, I imagine she'd eventually come around to having a bit more compassion for her situation. She'd probably be open to reconciling someday, presuming Helena ever sets foot in Copperdale again.

Reunited and it feels so... good? (one, two). I didn't even realize I posted Helena and Lilith's reunion on April Fool's! Everyone was waiting with bated breath to see if they would ever cross paths again... and who are we kidding? Of course they would! I had a very good time writing this conversation and giving Helena a chance to finally get everything off her chest - though, of course, she couldn't help but be worn down by Lilith's manipulative charm in the end. And then Caleb got his comeuppance for keeping the truth of what happened a secret for so long, reminding us once again just how scary Lilith can be.

Plasma Pals! As dark as this story is, I enjoy weaving in moments of comedy and lightness when I can, so it was really fun to portray Caleb and Helena's evolving friendship through the lens of a cheesy sitcom. I wasn't sure it would hit with anyone other than me because the funniest things I write are usually accidental. It's hard to be funny on purpose! But it ended up being possibly my most popular story post ever, so obviously I did something right.

Lilith teaches Helena the true art of supernatural seduction. I wanted this section of the story to be all about the two very different approaches Lilith and Caleb take to teaching Helena. This was one of my most technically challenging scenes. I shot the entire attack sequence twice because I was underwhelmed the first time. But in the end I'm glad I took the time to do that because it contains some of my favorite screenshots ever and really conveys Helena's internal struggle. But will she be able to resist when it inevitably happens again?

The night where it all began, part one. I love this entire series of flashbacks, but I'm particularly fond of the opening because we finally get a glimpse into what Caleb and Lilith's relationship was like as humans. It turns out they liked each other! And only bickered in a light-hearted way! And conspired and giggled together! This was another scene where I made all the poses. It was exhausting, but these flashbacks to the Vatores' vampire origins were so important for me to get right. I'd been thinking about them for a long time, so I wanted them to be as perfect as possible.

How Caleb was transformed, one and two. Again with the flashbacks! I think part of the reason I like them so much is because, as much work as they are, they always offer a change of scenery that refreshes my creativity. This particular scene was one I was obsessing over for months, so I had cultivated a very specific vision of how it would play out and didn't want to compromise. I'm glad I had the foresight to start learning posing far enough in advance that I felt ready to take it on. If I had to choose, this is my single favorite scene of the year. Everything came together exactly how I wanted, and it gives me chills every time I revisit it.

A very vampiric dinner date, part two. This entire sequence took so much work to complete from beginning to end! But it was the first big outing beyond Forgotten Hollow in a while, and I wanted it to be special. I enjoyed being able to put a bunch of pre-mades into compromising positions with your guys' vampires. As much of a pain as it is to pose multiple Sims, the end results are always worth it. And then, of course, the sequence resolves in Helena and Lilith having a genuine moment of intimacy for the first time since Helena was turned, which had us all squealing.

Helena is horny and confused. Can you believe this is the only Ulrike appearance of the year? 😭 I'm really glad I managed to sneak one in. Even though they broke up before she was turned, Ulrike is the ultimate reminder of Helena's human life, of everything she left behind and of what could have been. Other than her family, Ulrike is who Helena misses most when she thinks about the past. This scene was pulled together quickly based on me finding the pose pack. I wasn't entirely sure if it would even work as part of the main narrative. But I feel like the spontaneity made it feel extra special, even if it is a smaller moment.

Forgotten Hollow 101. If anything, the theme of this year has been taking an increasingly long amount of time to finish every post. This is in part because I got busier in the second half of the year but also because I can't stop thinking up crazy complicated ideas. This one took me a month more or less. Even though each vampire only had one picture, it required a lot of effort to get them all in game, find poses, set up locations, etc.! But it was so important to me to do justice to your guys' vampires, so I was happy to take the time, even in the couple of moments where I began to feel burned out. I hope to keep showing off your lovely creations next year!

[myhandsarentsmudgediusedigital]

So!

Delphine.

One of the last Blades, undercover as an inn owner, hates all things dragony, bossyass old Breton lady. Like all Skyrim characters, she's underused and underdeveloped in the vanilla game.

I have thoughts on her now.

Warning: SPOILERS FOR A BARD'S TALE BY GABBICAV (link to the story here)

I was going through and revamping one of my old Dragonborns I hadn't worked with in a while*. And I got an idea for a scene that happens right after the fight at Kynesgrove. Minerva and Michel** drag Delphine out of town to finally get an explanation as to who she is.

And as I was writing her dialogue, I realized that her motivation isn't just about the Blades.

Of course she wants to reform the Blades, that much is obvious, but I don't think that's the end of it. It's not just the Blades she wants back, she wants everything back: the Dragonborn, the Empire being whole, and the Blades being the Emporer's most trusted bodyguards.

Delphine wants the Third Era back, or at least the idealized version of it she has in her head. As far as she's concerned, everything started going wrong as soon as Martin died.

Here's a quick quote from what I wrote that I think helps lay it out:

“That’s what we’ve been doing since the fourth era began. We’ve been waiting for a new Dragonborn, a new emperor, to appear, and become the true heirs of the Empire.” Michel let out a low whistle. “True heirs, huh? The Mede dynasty might have an issue with that.” Delphine scowled. “The Medes can go suck an egg. Ever since Martin Septim sacrificed himself, the Empire has been going downhill! If there’s one thing these past two centuries have proven, it’s that only a Dragonborn can keep Tamriel together!”

Of course we know this isn't entirely true. While the Empire did fall apart in the Fourth Era, cracks were already starting to show even back in the Third Era, what with the Simulacrum and the War of the Red Diamond and all. The Third Era might have been more stable, but it was hardly peaceful.

But Delphine either doesn't know this or doesn't care. She wants that idealized vision back.

A while back, I read A Bard's Tale by Gabbicav on AO3 (if you like bards, intrigue, sibling rivalry, and a new perspective on dragons, this is for you).

Delphine is (probably unsurprisingly) an antagonist in the story. I'm going to put what exact actions she takes between spoiler warnings just in case.

In the story, Delphine, not the Dark Brotherhood, assassinates Titus Mede on his visit to Skyrim. At the time I believed it was simply for narrative convenience and to make her more villainous, but thinking about it from this new perspective it makes sense: Delphine views the Medes as imposters unworthy of the throne. They're not Dragonborn, that's why the Blades didn't serve them and why the Penitus Oculatus had to be created.

Plus, y'know, she probably hates him on a personal level for signing the Concordat.

Anyways, I forget if she and Esbern work with the Stormcloaks in the story or if they just happen to also be an antagonistic force, but her working with Ulfric wouldn't be out of character.

You see, Ulfric:

a) Hates the (current) Empire

b) Hates the Thalmor

c) Has charisma enough to have at least a cult following

d) Obviously doesn't agree with the Greybeards because he left their order

e) Idolizes Tiber Septim/Talos

Add to that the fact he can Shout, even if he isn't actually Dragonborn, it might be tempting for Delphine to forge an allience.

Hell, maybe that was her original plan before the dragons and last Dragonborn showed up.

And now she has someone better then Ulfric: a real live Dragonborn that can absorb souls and kill dragons. Who can shout naturally. A true heir to the Ruby Throne.

All that goes a long way towards explaining her behavior. First, she makes sure you're the real deal. Then she sets you on the path to seeing the atrocities the Thalmor commit (even if they're not actually behind the return of the dragons) and reopening the old Blades temple.

And it explains why she's so huffy about Paarthunax. She and the Blades are supposed to be your most trusted advisors, not a dragon who's committed several atrocities (let's ignore that was thousands of years ago and he's been trying to make up for it since)! She has the very specific idea of what a Dragonborn is, and when you inevitable don't measure up to that for whatever reason, she gets angry.

Delphine is a frustrating character, even with development. She longs for a bygone era of peace that didn't ever exist, where she and those in her organization were held with the highest respect and not hunted down and killed, where the Thalmor don't exist, and all is right with the world (in her view).

And that is why you will never change her mind.

...sounds pretty familiar. Maybe she and Ulfric should team up after all...

*Minerva, if you're curious, may post art of her and her brother soon...if I remember...

**Previously known as Gildas, he's become Minerva's twin dragonborn instead of her older mundane brother

[quirkyfries]

what's your favorite thing about Ruin, Nexus, KS, favorites/all the ones you analyze like they're a bug in a jar really

Hello! This is kind of a long answer. We’re gonna go one by one.

Ruin! I like everything about him. Love his voice and body language for the period that full-motion/VR headset was sustainable for the creators. He was always fiddling with his hands, swaying side to side, exaggerated gestures, dancing in place. It made him very fun to watch, especially during the virus portion of the ruin arc. As a character, I tend to sympathize most with compulsive liars, mostly due to personal experience. I like that he’s written to be irredeemable, but they’re trying to redeem him anyway, because nothing is impossible. He’s one of my favorite genre of characters: not-quite-villains-not-quite-heroes that do bad things but we as the audience are allowed to know why, and it’s treated with the respect it deserves by the plot and writers. Villains that are the heroes in their own story. The fact that Ruin is also so self-aware is striking to me, you don’t really see that often I feel like? (Another example of this type of character is Naffclipse’s Sleuth Jesters Eclipse, where we are allowed to see what drove SJclipse down the path he did, and how that affected those around him. What his original goal was before it was corrupted by his personal need for status because of how he was treated. We can pinpoint the exact moment where he chose power over his family, the point of no return. That stuff is so tasty) Also, PTSD/dissociation disorder/hyper-vigilance, can relate.

Nexus! Character arc. Okay I’m gonna admit I wasn’t super attached to New Moon until the nexus arc. I thought he was a rush job villain. But if you squint a little bit, really look at him, most of it makes sense. Solar died, everyone had this unspoken expectation of him—he’s always had expectations, expectations, expectations to live up to the one he was replacing—and not being able to live up to them broke him. Dark Sun helped speedrun this I feel like, he nudged Nexus in the right direction to suit his needs. Abandoning his old identity to find a new one was actually the positive development for Nexus’ kind of story. It just kinda. Ran off the rails a bit because of Dark Sun. In a perfect world, New Moon rejects being a Moon to become his own animatronic in a more natural, emotional way. I can appreciate a good character arc that looks bad, but it’s really not if you separate the character from the plot a little bit. A bad arc for Nexus would’ve been pushing through and destroying himself physically or mentally trying to live up to everyone’s expectations. Also I’m really attached to the princess disorder joke and kouwelm’s Villain’s Dream AU XLIV

Killer Sun! Character execution, possible character arc, dynamics, he’s just entertaining in general like Ruin. I love his voice and intentional uncanny-ness. He was just introduced and I already have enough information to reverse engineer him (victim of abuse jumping from one fish bowl to another.) KS’ already the type of character I mentioned with Ruin, the hero-of-his-own-story villain who does bad things but we understand why he’s doing it. He’s fun to think about; I’ve been pondering a “how would KS show attraction to another person? would he want to ‘service’ them like he’s used to, would he become confused and try to kill them instead, only to become disappointed and full of regret?” train of thought today. I’m looking forward to seeing how he interacts with other characters that fall under his radar, like Ruin, Solar, or further interaction with Dark Sun and Nexus. Also, may have major issues actually opening up to anyone most of all himself despite being self aware of what caused his issues And could possibly be some kind of adrenaline junkie (emotional reward and bodily excitement go hand in hand,) can relate.

Clipsey! Design and dynamics with other characters, and the potential character arc if I’m right about her cutting out her own ability to feel fear because of how she came to be. That’s so interesting! In part because of what we know about original Eclipse, but I don’t compare them often, because they are their own characters. I like that she claims Sunny (and by extension Moonie) as her sister, and she has her own way of interacting with the group, lighthearted bullying and shovel-talking and looking out for Sunny. She actually reminds me of one of my old soccer teammates back when I played. Just let that girl run around it’s what she needs

Dark Sun! Potential character arc and dynamics with other characters. I don’t talk about him very often because I didn’t watch a lot of his episodes, but of what I do know, he has a very similar situation to KS except he’s trying to choose the healthy thing (move on in his own way) almost and he’s going to get it by any means necessary. Hero-of-his-own-story villain. I really liked his interactions with Ruin, someone on his level of intellect, because they move past the knowledge barrier and see each other for what they really are. Ruin got Dark Sun to admit he hates himself. You don’t get that out of a character like DS every day. I crave to see this man vulnerable (maybe just a little more than I do KS.)

I also really like Sun, but I don’t talk about him at all because I don’t have a lot to say about him. I relate to him, again personal experience like with Ruin. I feel like Sun is trying his best to keep his place in the family (in his mind,) afraid to step outside of some invisible boundary. Another victim of abuse waiting for the other foot to drop. Afraid to become an invisible threat to the established order of the family, resorting to meekness and surviving that way. Recently he’s been improving, grown a bit of a spine, most notable recent occasion I’m thinking about is Sun defending Moon from KS when it would usually be the other way around, and I love that for him. But also I can’t/didn’t watch every single episode so take this with a major grain of salt. Also, chronic stress and depression, can relate.

Honorable mention to Eclipse V4 and Lunar. Great characters, I understand them (with some help from friends for Lunar,) but I have more fun thinking about the others above more.

Whoever this Anon is (I think you’re the recurring one because of your text pattern) I really appreciate permission to dump my thoughts like this!! Thank you!

[puhpandas]

Sorry rant incoming-

Cassie and Gregory’s characters being ruined by a book. A BOOK. Actually sucks dude. I guess you could argue GGY already put Gregory’s character down the path of no return but at least that book was well-written so I could excuse it then.

I had a funny feeling that Cassie was gonna be dumbed down in order for the plot to work I just knew it. I like Gregory but dare I say Gregory feels slightly overpowered? As in, he’s not allowed to fuck up like a realistic human being should. As a villain, he never has screw ups, like even William had major screw ups that costed him in the end. This is like a huge reason why people hate Gregory and it’s because he never shows vulnerability or moments of weakness, even as GGY.

Gregory can be used as a plot device and still be narratively well-written and feel like a kid and have other traits than just “dark humor DARK HUMOR LOL!!!” like GOD Scott. This story has become a huge guessing game and my god is it frustrating and making it hell to follow.

I don't think ggy feels overpowered bc already by him being the 2nd follower of glitchtrap he has a higher power than him controlling him too. also the very fact that Gregory is free in security breach tells us that he obviously screwed up and got killed at some point, we just havent seen that yet. ggy has a lot of traits that could lead to his downfall like arrogance, because sure he had control over the situation from the start when tony started investigating him and uncovering the truth, but he also purposefully allowed him to get further in his investigation because he thought it was amusing, and he knew hed kill him later anyway

ggy is super smart but hes also still a kid and his choices are calculated but sometimes risky, like letting tony live for so long and get closer to the truth. but the very fact that hes in control of situations most of the time tells us that if he ever LOST control, he probably wouldnt know what to do, which is what had to have happened to him for Gregory to get freed. we just havent seen that play out yet, but I dont think ggy is overpowered at all. hes a cog in the machine that overall mimic oversees, things were still able to move without him in security breach with just vanny, and he has a visible role too with him being the person to put the virus into the animatronics and keep it there. he isnt rlly meant to be a killer he just killed therapists to keep VANNY in line (along w his own when they pried too much) bc shes supposed to be the one that does the dirty work. but even then he canonically used freddy/a different robot to do it

and since he pretty much at this point canonically has amnesia in security breach, he wouldn't remember ggy so that's plenty of room for Gregory to have his half of his story where hes just himself and deals with problems without ggy being associated as just gregory (which I want so bad. I've been a Gregory fan since sb an entire year before ggy released, I love ggy but Gregory takes priority to me), and the other half which is obviously ggy, and in my best case scenario we could get to see HIM react to his past which would still be about Gregory and not ggy at the end of the day from a character writing standpoint. I cant choose what will happen but those are really our only two major questions left about how Gregory and ggy combine so. looking forward to it, especially bc steel wool seems to understand how to handle the mimic lore in sotm from what I've seen by making new content weve never seen before expanding upon book lore. sotm is to answer questions, and a game about ggy getting freed would add more questions along with solving them bc of who would have to be freeing him, and it would still leave a giant hole in how the current present day Gregory feels about all of this. they could knock both of them out if it takes place present-gregory pov looking back on it

sorry for hijacking the ask to be just about ggy, but yeah cassie was done so dirty in this book like its unbelievable, I knew from the very beginning when etp got announced (& from the original synopsis, which is like absolutely nothing like what we got) that itd fuck with her character and mess it up, but I was relieved when I found out it would be mostly about ggy but then it wasnt even and it was just a big pile of nothing while still ruining everything. I genuinely think the reception on this book as a whole from a quality standpoint was SO bad that this book will probably not even be canon anymore if it was ever supposed to be. it just fucks with so many things & theres no way steel wool was involved in any of it, when it's their entire era. I feel like theyll just let the storm pass and then continue as normal as if it never existed, continuing to write the games with only the games content in mind and I truly hope I'm right about this

[swiiivet-screamathon]

im not color coordinating for all other posts i just know this one got kinda difficult to tell who is who so you get the benefit this time lol

"You did WHAT!?"

"Pure Vanilla, are you out of your mind!?"

"I don't mean to yell in your face but this is outrageous!"

"Please, let me explain, this was not done without thought behind it."

"I quite doubt that thought was developed entirely by yourself."

"I know you all had quite troubled experiences when it comes to your own respective beast cookies, and I would never ask any of you to try to see eye to eye to them, let alone befriend them, if you didn't see it fit, of course I wouldn't. But I do, at least for Shadow Milk. The time you all spent showed violent and spiteful beings, who the thought of redemption might never cross their mind; but for me I can't help but see someone who already would want to if given the right circumstances."

"What circumstances?"

"One where his worldview isn't shut down and ostracized by everyone, and one where fact and knowledge isn't hated on. For I believe those two aspects are what sent him down the path of becoming a beast in the first place."

"Are you saying that he hasn't abandoned his virtue?"

"Are we sure it isn't just twisting the definition to satiate his own villainous desires?"

"I don't believe that if he were to twist the definition then it would look like that. When in the tower he showed desire to twist the truth so far out of line it lost all its meaning, but not once did he himself ever try to change any facts. I don't think he wants a world devoid of all knowledge or truth, not at all. If he kept going on his own without our involvement I think his natural endpoint would've led him to everyone speaking lies by their own volition yet all cookies still have fact and truth deep down; I don't think he'd want to take that away."

"I think I'm losing you a bit here, that every sentence could be a lie and still have truth exist?"

"Well, his mindset is a bit more complicated than that, but I don't want to assume more than I have to if I can help it; I'd rather just ask him directly eventually. Given all of cookiekind has progressed all this time whilst the beasts were trapped in the tree and especially since the rise of the Cookie Kingdom, I think with our intervention we can take him off that natural endpoint, I think more than ever before have cookies been more accepting of the truth and of facts, and would accept him for his behaviour too. I can't stop myself from thinking that we already have present day evidence of cookies some would call antagonists become friends eventually, I cannot bring myself to see him as any different if I can clearly see potential."

"I don't think that quite answered my question." /lh

"-And you're putting a lot of trust into someone who' very title is to be a liar."

"--What would we need to do to enact these ideal circumstances?"

"Dark Cacao... Right, yes. I think the primary goal is to let him diversfy. It feels weird to say it but since the day he escaped from the tree he has been thinking of me. Unless I've missed something while I wasn't looking he had been following me in my souljam to taunt with me. I don't think he's thought of anyone besides me and himself for all this time."

"Ough, that is clingy!"

"Exactly, and the secondary goal is to get him back to his virtue. I think he's already halfway there, as my time spent with him demonstrated the value he holds in knowledge and truth to this very day. All that needs to be done is for him to accept that it's still a part of him, and that he doesn't need to be ashamed of it."

"The goals seem sound to me. Are there any plans to put any gears into motion?"

"Not yet. He's only been here a couple weeks and he's been very distant and quiet. Seeing his souljam I think he isn't at full power either. My current plan is to just let him calm down a little, if I had to guess I think he is still steaming with anger but cannot do anything about it due to the restricted powerset. But after that I'm not sure, its partly why I reached out; beyond being transparent and honest with you all about my ambition."

"--You brought a beast to Crispia with not even an active plan to subdue him!?"

"...I choose to view him as a potential friend, and as such I don't consider it 'subduing' him. I want to let him make the choices for himself whether he wants to pursue it."

"I'm starting to see where you're coming from Pure Vanilla but this is still a lot of trust to be putting into someone you just admitted isn't even your friend."

"It's because of White Lily, isn't it? Her Souljam of Freedom, yes?"

"Haha, you really can read my like a book, can't you?"

"You cannot force redemption, you can only be determined enough to see the path they will take."

"I'm starting to get bored of all this though, its not like I haven't made allies with my enemies before, and although I wouldn't trust Shadow Milk as far as I can throw a mountain I do trust you, we've had this fight before and there's no use repeating it again. If we want to keep the trend up of doing this in the name of our souljams, you seem quite passionate in the endeavour and I just can't bring myself to fault you for that."

"I concur with Hollyberry, I am no stranger to having my own worldview cloud my judgment and was fortunate enough to have the cloud be whisked away. Last time we took a risk for the betterment of cookiekind we as a team ensured it paid off... One might say I give you my resolution in your journey, and we will be here if you ever need the help."

"..."

"If we befriend him then Dark Enchantress has one less ally and we have another souljam on our side?"

"Fine, fine, fine, your greed for friendship knows no bounds. I however demand that you promise to apologize to me a hundred-fold if you have to call us in to detain the beast."

"Of course, I promise. Thank you all for your understanding and support."

[commander-revan]

So I finished reading through the Naruto manga for the first time last night, and I had some thoughts about how similar parts of Obito's and Touya's stories are. They have very different pasts and different reasons for becoming 'villains' in the worlds they live in, but they do have several things in common.

When they're younger they're both bright, energetic, and determined kids that both have a goal of becoming an important person in their communities (hokage/hero). While Obito didn't really have family or parental figures in his life, given that he's Uchiha there's most likely a sense of legacy he's trying to live up to similar to Touya, and they're both working towards their goals so they finally feel seen by those around them. They both feel ignored by the people they consider important (Rin and Minato/Endeavor) in favor of those who are seen as more skilled than them (Kakashi/Shoto), so they train harder and harder in an effort to finally be noticed.

Both of them 'die' tragically young at the age of thirteen, though in very different ways. Obito dies with Kakashi whom he had finally bonded with, and Rin whom he loved though he still didn't have the courage to tell her his feelings. While Touya 'dies' alone, waiting for a father who won't show up for him until he's already gone.

However, they're both saved by a major villain that was thought to be long gone They're revived and healed using rather unethical science (White Zetsu/Nomu). And they both come out of the experience with weaker power than what they once had, and scars covering a large portion of their bodies.

While Touya never buys into AFO's plans and immediately breaks out and runs home, Obito has to stay and recover. Part of him even feels indebted to Madara, even though he is a bit creeped out by him and his philosophy. Eventually, though, he gets out too with the 'help' of one of the Zetsu's. However, when they both arrive to reunite with the people they're trying to get to, they see something that sets them on their dark paths.

They come to different solutions for what they want to do (Infinite Tsukuyomi/getting revenge on his family) but they both spend time walking the world and see how more than just their personal situations are fucked up. They see how much injustice there is in their societies, and how the people up top that are supposed to protect others frequently harm and use them. (The world of Naruto is quite a bit more fucked up than MHA, but the point still stands.)

After that, they both go by an alias (Tobi and Madara/Dabi) and start setting their plans in motion, eventually teaming up with the villain who saved them. Later on, they both fight their past loved ones (Minato and Kakashi/Endeavor and Shoto) who don't realize who they're fighting initially. Though once they do finally get it, Obito and Touya point out how they should have realized it sooner.

(This is a minor one that I didn't quite know where to put, but they do both show up to the final battle with white hair and outfits.)

They both end up fighting and losing to the one that they've always envied (Kakashi/Shoto), but they get back up and do something violently self-destructive that has the power to kill a lot of people that neither has complete control over at first.

During this, and the pain they're experiencing, they both start having flashes of a life that could have been. A life that should have been so simple to have.

That's about where we leave Touya, he's down, but he hasn't been completely saved yet. Meanwhile, thanks to Kakashi and Naruto's efforts, Obito begins to realize that there is hope still in the world, and that not all of it is hell. And he ends up fighting with them to take the bigger threat to the world down. Until he eventually sacrifices himself in the end to save Kakashi (and Naruto), just like he did during his first death.

If Obito, who did way more heinous things than Touya has ever done, can be saved and redeemed in the end, then I believe Touya can too. But, unlike Obito, I think he's going to get to live afterwards.

[bitter-panacea]

Goultard's introduction in the Dofus manga, his confrontation with Clustus Part 1

The main point of the post is to show how different Goultard is at the beggining of the manga from the way he is in Wakfu. Since most people who only know him from Wakfu don't realize he's a "redeemed villain".

Like previously talked about in my post about Goultard's reincarnations , Goultard makes his first appearance at the very end of volume 5, after Vald's death.

Vald was at the wrong place at the wrong time, got caught in a scheme that didn't concern him, and paid the price anyway. He was drugged, and his body cut in two at the waist.

Vald : No... Not... like this...

Shortly after, his body has come back together, and Goultard makes his first appearance.

Goultard : Unfortunately for you, the plan wasn't perfect! / Homar's minion : What? Who the hell are you? / Goultard : My name is Goultard, little maggot, behold my darkness...

Goultard : ... For it is the last thing you will ever see.

A first impression and a line "My name is Goultard, little maggot, behold my darkness for it is the last thing you will ever see." that immediately tell you, whoever this guy is, he's trouble.

(So dark and edgy....)

Volume 6, titled Goultard the Barbarian, opens on Galgarion running through the halls of the castle to inform Clustus Sheran Sharm, King of Bonta (and Galagarion's father-in-law,) of the emergency.

Galgarion : Hello, Great King Clustus Sheran Sharm! I, Galgarion of the royal guard, am requesting an audience!

Clustus : How about that, Galgarion... It has been a long time since I've had the pleasure of seeing you in the throne room! How is my daughter? / Galgarion : She misses you, my king.

In just a few lines of dialogue, we understand that the relationship between Galgarion and Clustus is strained, to say the least. Galgarion wouldn't be here talking to the king unless it was of the utmost importance.

Clustus : Is that so? And this is important enough for you to deign to come and tell me yourself? When I haven't seen you in three years! / Galgarion : Absolutely, my noble lord...

Galgarion : The first issue concerns a humanoid creature that went berserk and rampaged through an entire neighborhood north of Bonta. Starting with the tower of the wealthy Homar Cherif!

Clustus : Well what are you waiting for? Is the militia so rusty that it can no longer defeat a single opponent? / Galgarion : Your Majesty... The entire militia perished in the undertaking!

Clustus : The militia is gone? / Galgarion : As I say, my king! The six hundred brave warriors who made up the militia are no more. / Clustus : What are you talking about? This is impossible! How could one man overcome the entire militia of Bonta by himself?

Galgarion : Maybe because this man isn't really one. I'm convinced this is Goultard the terrible!

You can immediatly tell from this exchange how grave the situation is. Goultard is no hero. His name invokes horror and dread, his presence can only mean death and destruction.

Clustus tells Galgarion to send the 100 bonsiats, another team of warriors, after Goultard, so that they may "get rid of this monster once and for all". but they've already gone after the dragon (Arty) wreaking havoc on the northwest of Bonta at the same time.

Clustus is overjoyed at the idea of being the last protector of Bonta and he decides to go fight Goultard on his own. (Is he fucking stupid?)

Clustus : Sound the trumpets! Let Goultard know what awaits him... Clustus Sheran Sharm the intrepid is back on the path of war.

Meanwhile, Goultard is already bored, just chilling on a pile of corpses of people he just killed and complaining that it was too easy.

Goultard : Well, it feels like the more time passes, the weaker humans become. It's appalling!

Clustus finds Goultard and calls out to him.

Clustus : I am Clustus Sheran Sharm, King of Bonta! I do not know what your intentions are or why you're attacking us... But don't think for one second that you're free to do whatever you want in my city.

Goultard : Greetings, king Clustus! It's no use throwing your titles at my face the way you do, they mean nothing to me.

Goultard generally has zero respect for any kind of authority. He's unaligned, doesn't serve Bonta or Brakmar, (even though Brakmar REALLY wishes he would). He's a "free spirit" (he is not free) living off the grid, goes where he wants when he wants, and kills whoever and whenever he feels like it. He only respects his own code of honor. This still applies in later eras except he doesn't kill people for no reason.

Clustus : No, obviously... A monster like yourself doesn't respect anything! / Goultard : You're wrong, little king! I respect men who, like you, carry a weapon!

Goultard : It's simple. A man who walks around with a weapon clearly demonstrates he's capable of taking someone's life at any moment. But for me this means, above all, that he's aware he can lose his in combat.

Goultard : This, you see, i respect it!

Clustus is unimpressed.

Clustus : How comical! Once we're done, I'll make you my jester!

Note that although Goultard is feared, that does'nt mean people respect him, he often gets laughed at, insulted, called stupid or ridiculous. He actually gets ridiculed so often in the manga it's sometimes really hard to take him seriously. (Also this is funny cause he kinda is Arty's jester when you think about it ok I'll shut up)

Clustus : I know your story, Goultard! / Goultard : Really?

Clustus : Oh yes! Goultard the barbarian, Goultard the cursed, Goultard the scourge... I know everything about you!

Goultard : You know everything about me, you say? / Custus : Give or take a few details... In any case, I know quite enough!

Goultard : If what you say is true.... This only gives me one more reason to take your life, little king!

This makes me wonder how well known Goultard's story is. It's probably not common knowledge or a famous legend since he considers someone knowing about his past a reason to kill them, he clearly doesn't want people to know anything about it. It wouldn't surprise me at all if he'd tried to erase his past from history, burning books and killing bards... Is Goultard a tale people recount around campfires to try and scare each other? Is he a cryptid???

Do people still know about Goultard's past in the wakfu era? Did he make sure this story would be lost to time? What did Goultard do during those 600 years to clean his reputation and shape the way people see him? How much of what's left of the legend is what Goultard carefully crafted himself?

Let's end part one on these questions that keep me up at night...

Part 2

[raayllum]

If Aaravos is somehow defeated for good in the next season, do you think the villains for arc 3 will be the Cosmic Council. The cycle of revenge seems to have been set in motion by their callous murder of Leola, and that was in response to her teaching primal magic to her friends. Perhaps once they observe the destruction wrought by dark magic, they’ll decide the mortal world is broken beyond repair and will try to destroy it in a desperate attempt to preserve their cosmic order.

I don't think Aaravos will be defeated for good in S7. With that in mind, I think there's two main paths the show could take:

The season ends with Aaravos teaming up with the good guys to work together to take down the Cosmic Council.

Aaravos' mortal body is destroyed, which means he'll eventually be reformed and come back. In the meantime, the Dragang and co. want to find a way to reduce his threat, either directly with the Cosmic Council who are now paying Attention (because they're at risk?) or in hopes of making contact to get aid once the Dragang knows other Startouch elves like, exist.

If we had another season in arc 2, and Aaravos hadn't just burned Katolis to the ground, I could see option 1 being more viable, but we don't and he did, so I think he will ultimately remain the Big Bad of the series. While before he wasn't powerful enough to stop the Cosmic Council, he's presumably working to become powerful enough to take them down, and depending on how far he gets in S7, may succeed in upending their status quo (fallen stars, and all that). This makes sense: the most powerful character is usually the antagonist simply because then it allows for protagonist power crawl or an easy reason as to why the protagonists can't just automatically win and it's going to be more of a struggle (aka interesting) to see how they pull it off.

So we're looking at option 2. This for a few reasons:

The Cosmic Council wanting to destroy the world wouldn't be that different from what Aaravos is currently already doing, so we'd trade antagonists but not goals. This sort of switch isn't unheard of, but it does mean that rather than continuing to develop Aaravos, we switch to more characters who are just him but presumably less sympathetic (and therefore less effective for TDP's storytelling).

The Cosmic Council and Aaravos remaining villains / antagonists entirely leaves no tangible path for the characters to learn much more about Startouch elves or access to power than they currently have, both of which being things they'd presumably need to defeat either Aaravos or the Cosmic Council.

We have more indications at this point that the Cosmic Council has already decided Xadia is beyond saving. This is reflected in Sol Regem's viewpoint, who knew / worked with them ("and fix what is broken in Xadia? No one can save it") and explains their indifference / lack of interest in what's going on below the Heavens. I think they assumed that because their order had been broken, the world would simply destroy itself (the long spiral to chaos) and they washed their hands of the whole affair and dipped to wait it out. What's time to an immortal being (who isn't grieving)? We know they left around the time of Elarion and turned their backs on Xadia, abandoning everyone (not just humans).

That's not to say I think they were Involved before, but TDP typically critiques 'Watching' ("we can't just stand here and watch while humans and Xadia keep hurting each other") and labels Indifference and/or Witness Without Compassion as a Bad thing.

So if the Cosmic Council are indifferent to the world's suffering, and not paying attention, and fucking Dipped, why get involved again? Why would they care? The same reason most people with power and privilege eventually care: XYZ thing affects them negatively.

Now, this could go two ways, I think, depending on how season 7 develops.

Aaravos' mortal form is destroyed, but before that happens, he's successful in weakening the other Startouch elves (making them mortal, making them fall, etc etc) and making himself subsequently more powerful than them.

Aaravos is unable to weaken the other First elves and achieve his aims, and his mortal body is destroyed.

The first option here means that the 1) the Startouch elves can't automatically defeat Aaravos, 2) he's now upped the ante even further on his second return, and 3) the Council and dragang now have a reason to work together, powering each other up without automatically turning the tide.

The second option here means lowered immediate stakes, but could lead to something really interesting in arc 3, which the Dragang (particularly Callum) trying to figure out to reach the Cosmic council. Surely everything will be okay if they can just make contact and get help! Only for them to finally connect, eggs all in one basket, and the council doesn't give a shit because they have no reason to (although I could see the Merciful One potentially helping).

I probably lean towards Option 2 (Aaravos) for big bad, and Option 1 for S7's development, but Option 1 for s7 still feels plausible to me. We'll just have to wait and see!

[fantasyinvader]

I think something that clicked for me is the whole teacher angle, as well as how the game handles giving out information. The game asks you to guide your students, and in turn is trying (in spite of the translation) to guide the player as well. That the game itself is a lesson in how to be moral, but rather than spell that out it instead wants the player to figure this out for themselves. We know from the devs interviews they deliberately designed the game and story so that the player would not find out everything in a single playthrough,

The game wants players to piece everything together by working together. Hell, in essence even understanding Houses requires the player to rely on others in defiance of Edelgard's philosophy rather than playing the game over and over again. The game doesn't want to tell us it's moral, it wants us to figure it out by thinking.

Let's look at it with the fact that the devs said they only expected players to finish 1-2 routes of the game. They expected most players to pick the Black Eagles house, either because Edelgard initially was supposed to come off like the obvious hero or because she's a cute girl. However, they said that siding with her is about having different beliefs than the rest of the game and ultimately lead to oppression because, surprise, she's the one playing the part of the villain. How does this work then?

Well, for starters her own route makes it clear that she's a very manipulative person, keeping her allies in the dark while telling them lies to make herself look good. Silver Snow backs this up in Japan, with her actually saying she was attempting to sway the player to her side. This would also explain the inconsistencies between her character arc in Safflower and the route's endings, she effectively faked character growth for PR purposes and even her supports are about her managing to bring people around to supporting her and her ideals. However, what she does in the endings is more in line with the ideals she spouts in Azure Moon during the parley. Those ideals, however, were informed by her understanding of Fodlan's history as well as her experiences with the experiments, which is contradicted by Verdant Wind giving the players and alternate account as well as outright saying Edelgard was manipulated into going to war. This is backed up by Flower, as we learn Edelgard's version of history was passed down to her from her father after Hubert had already revealed that he was an Agarthan puppet and directly contradicted Edelgard's claims about who was behind the experiments and how she should have told you this, which brings us back to her being manipulative and trying to sway the player to her side. On top of that, it shows she misunderstands Fodlan much like Claude, but Claude was able to see that his views were based on first impressions and how wrong it was to hate people without getting to know them.

Rather than saying all that, the game expects us to figure this all out ourselves. That we are supposed to fight Edelgard as the game was written around Silver Snow and it's story. It's why it frames the choices that lead to joining Edelgard, to have different beliefs that the rest of the game, as “changing the story.” Silver Snow is the natural progression of events, on the same level as Moon and Wind. It's the moral path in light of the reveal of what Edelgard has been up to.

You are a freaking teacher. You're meant to guide your students, help them become fine upstanding adults, not let them guide you.

I mean, it still leads to a frustrating game. The reveal happens and then the game pretty much puts Edelgard's real mask back on. Characters will explain things that directly contradict her, or even have legit reasons why joining her would go against their character or backstories. People learn revelations but seemingly forget about them. All because the game wants us to figure it all out ourselves. That it doesn't want to tell us what to think, but rather tell us how to think as pretentious as that sounds. And hell, that's probably the reason why the translators got things so wrong because the game was telling them X but when we were supposed to pick up Y which contradicts it and use it to figure out Z. Convoluted to say the least.

[madcatlad]

I doubt Jesson intended it but... why do I keep running into this really heavy theme throughout mcd.

Hear me out:

Children turning out to be monsters despite their parents efforts.

Let's start of with the obvious red flags

Zenix.

It is implied that he was very young when he was taken in by Garroth. It is also said outright that he was a shadowknight even before that. The dark implication of this is that Zenix became a shadowknight at a young age (children becoming shadowknights is rarely mentioned within mcd, it notably is only implied with Zenix, and Alexis.) Garroth took Zenix under his wing, so much so the kid was literally described as like a son to Garroth. But despite his efforts Zenix betrayed Phoenix Drop. The way they address this issue stands out to me as multiple characters seem to describe Zenix as "already gone" from his arrival to Phoenix Drop. Even Laurence. Now one could chalk this up to Jess being unable or unwilling to truly address Zenix as a tragic character, and simply paint him as the conniving villain the series needed at the time (before Zane). And i think there is some truth to that. However the fact that Zenix' motives have remained notably undefined and his actions seem to contradict from what we are told about him so insistently. Even for Jessica this is a clear sign that something is up. "Already gone"... because my writer brain loves parallels I automatically connected it to (again) the only place that this idea is brought up in the series: Zane.

Zane.

Zane in mcd is evil, his motives also seem a little unclear at times, but this is because he characterized to be power hungry, unpredictable, and- undeniably evil. But was it always this way? Zane would prefer to watch the world burn than rule it. He seems to just hate people, so what terrible event caused such a terrible person? Nothing apparently. As said by Zianna, he was "always that way".

Zenix' "Already Gone" hits far too close to Zane's "Always That Way" for me. And the parallels don't end there, Zenix and Zane mirror one another in interesting ways. Both have familial-like attachment to Garroth, and their nature/motivation seems to torment and confuse him endlessly. They both became shadowknights (both were chosen by the shadow lord despite being outside of his usual "type" - Zane:At twink, Zenix:A child.) And they both seem to be obsessed with power, yet both have some kind of trauma surrounding people in power (Zane:Garte, Zenix:Implied to have been wronged by a lord in some way.) All this being said I have to point out Zenix and Zane both start with Z. They are the only ones aside from Zoey with a Z starting name, and since they already share so many qualities I can see this being a way for Jess to foreshadow this.

Garroth, like he did with Zenix, he questions what led Zane on his path but Zianna seems to put this idea to rest entirely, and her word is taken as fact. Which is fair the idea isn't too shocking, considering the kind of person Zane was. But the fact that even Garroth thought to question the cause of Zane's nature and is immediately shut down by Zianna, and then it is never mentioned again. It's just to reminiscent to how Garroth compartmentalized Zenix' downfall and never mentioned it again. It's just too close.

Zianna at the end of the day is Zane's mother, which one could argue that she knows him best, however parents can be blind to the trauma that young children might face and the results that this may cause. Important to note is that Zianna is likely a victim. A constant state of fight or flight could absolutely block her from realizing or addressing the effects of prolonged trauma in her children. In her mind she was taking the blunt of the rather, a shield between harm and her children, but as in most cases, and as shown in both Garroth and Vylad this was not the reality, so it would be easy to connected that this would be the same with the middle son, Zane.

But in the misfortune of her situation Zianna did the best that she possibly could. But Zane ended up the way he did anyway. The way that Zianna is characterized in her short time on screen really encapsulates the backbone of this concept. Her guilt, and her grief are so compelling, and the manner in which she rationalize her traumatic experience is very believable... but identifying a child who was raised in a household that actively encouraged cruelty as just "always like that" is very suspicious to me. And the strong thematic intersections aligning between Zenix and Zane makes me believe that there is something going on here.

Brian

Last but not least.

This reveal was unexpected but impactful. It was shocking because of this concept. Despite Molly's best efforts Brian became a traitor anyway.

It came alongside Zenix' in a way which I think is interesting. It was implied that they had some kind of relationship. And they both ended up betraying Phoenix Drop.

I wonder where this guy is now...

But some honorable mentions since this concept is interesting to me. (Most of the arcs were put aside so it is interesting to think where they could have gone considering the circumstances, so I'm connecting it to this mini-theory.)

Season 1, when Baby Alexis was turned into an adult SHADOWKNIGHT! She was returned to normal of course but still... is that a possible destiny for her to be weary of?

Leona. Kiki is so sweet, and a great mom, bit... there is too much mystery and unanswered questions surrounding this child of her's. (Why did Zane even do this?) She is somewhat implied to kinda-but-not-really be Zane's? Regardless of the reality one way or another she is a result of Zane, a pawn in his plot, maybe one that died with him, maybe one that returned with him, we don't know.

Considering this thematic presence throughout MCD I wonder where this would have led in season three. It would be interesting if this heavier side to the series continued. Especially since Aphmau is raising the heir to a destroyer's relic. If this theme is to be believed then where would that lead to in Alina's destiny?

"Minecraft Diaries: Son and Daughters"

https://archiveofourown.org/works/46724815