#how may tags are in this fandom

[compressedrage]

Okay I can't not talk about this anymore– I've got a headcanon/canon-compliant au/interpretation of the Life Series events (as I'm sure many of us do) and the most recent season is working so well I just have to talk about it somewhere

sticking it under a cut, bc I just know im gonna go off and make a long post :P

(I haven't been in this fandom very long, so this is probably not very original, but I don't care! I'm having fun! anyway–)

The Life Series is a time loop. And Grian is the one who's keeping it going.

It was just meant to be a fun game, but then the Watchers found him. They warped Grian's game into their own twisted tournament, with the intent to take the winner as their champion.

They're about to take Grian again, when he reaches out with the power he'd kept locked away, and he resets the world.

Every time the bloodshed stops and the Watchers are about to reap their champion, Grian wrenches them back into the void and forces a world reset.

Except... with every reset, the world cracks a bit more. First, it was the boogey man. Is it the Watchers trying to push their influence on the players? Or is it something else? Grian isn't sure.

It goes until Secret Life. And then Grian is absolutely sure, because the world has shifted enough for the Watchers to slip their claws into it. They've gotten impatient. They want their champion. Grian tries, but there is only so much he can do with the weight of the tasks on his back. His own power is beginning to slip through too– he even manages to bring Jimmy back for a time, even if it's only a ghostly projection.

And then it's over. Grian is dead, drifting in the void.

(I have a scene in my head where he speaks with Mumbo while waiting for the end of the session. he basically tells Mumbo that he's been doing this and he doesn't know how to stop it, because he has to save them all)

And then Scar wins. And it nearly breaks him. Grian hovers over him, prepared to grab him and reset the world, when the Watchers yank Grian back into the void. It's a harsh, eldritch conflict in the void, and it's all Grian can do to hold onto his sanity, and throw his friends into the next loop.

But in it all, he momentarily forgets Scar. Still in the previous loop. He goes back to get him, but it's been an entire year for Scar. He's weary, and barely registers that Grian is real.

This new loop is the most broken yet. But Grian is still holding it all together as best he can. If it weren't for him, every weird aspect of this world would descend on his friends all at once and they would instantly die and Grian would lose track and then he would lose them–

So he holds things back, trying to keep things straight and monitor how his friends are doing. But he's starting to slip.

Mumbo knows what he's doing, and it doesn't sit right with him.

Scar is a victor. And his lonely year has given him plenty of time to regain lost memories.

Ren doesn't quite understand everything, but he knows Grian knows way more than he should.

Grian's not going to be able to hold it all together for much longer.

[hellspawnmotel]

gravity falls x the night of the hunter (1955)

[mitathemita]

please take a gander at my best boy

[hailsatanacab]

A Persuasive Argument - dpxdc

"Great!" Danny says, clapping his hands together to get everyone's attention. The dinner table falls silent as everyone looks towards him. It's a full house today and, honestly, Danny's a little nervous. "I'm sure you're all wondering why I gathered you here today."

"It's dinnertime. In our house." Duke mutters, while doing a very bad job of concealing his yawn. He holds his fork poised over the braised beef, but, just like everyone else, still looks towards Danny before tucking in. It's intriguing enough to wait.

"Yeah, no one misses Alfie's dinner." Dick says, with a brilliant smile that Danny can't help but return.

"Precisely! What better time to talk to you all than when you're all actually here!"

"Wait, I thought you came round to work on our English essays?" Tim asks, blinking owlishly.

"I'm afraid I've lured you here under false pretences, Tim."

"This is where I live."

"I would still really appreciate help on that essay though, I mean, what the hell is Hamlet even about? I just don't get that old time-y language, like 'Hark! A ghost hath killed me!' - absolute rubbish, what does that even mean?"

"The ghost never kills anyone in Hamlet, he's there to tell Hamlet that he was murdered. Have you actually read it?"

"No, but it sounds like you have. Tim, I want this guy to help me with my essay instead. I know for a fact that you haven't read Hamlet, either."

"So? We don't need Jason, I've read the Sparknotes."

"Hi Jason, I'm Danny, pleasure to meet you, summarise Hamlet in three sentences or less."

"Am I auditioning to help you write your essays? I can't believe you’ve gone through your whole school life without reading it, it’s good!"

"Hamlet, along with a number of other classics, was banned in our house because it portrayed ghosts as intelligent and sympathetic beings rather than evil, animalistic beasts. I didn’t even get to see The Muppet's Christmas Carol until last year with Tim! It was surprisingly good, and I hate Christmas because everyone always argued and it sucked. But we're getting off topic. I—"

"No, no, please go back to that, because what the fu—"

"Boys, please." Bruce interrupts, looking to the world as if he wants to hang his head in his hands. "Danny, you were about to say something?"

"Oh, yeah, Mr. Wayne! Thanks!"

"Please, call me Bruce."

"Well, that very succinctly brings me to my point, because I'd actually really like to call you dad."

Nobody says a word. Nobody even blinks, all as shocked as the other, watching open-mouthed as Danny pulls his laptop out from beside his chair. Bruce can definitely feel a headache coming on.

"Before you say anything, I've prepared a 69 slide PowerPoint presentation on why you, Bruce Wayne, should adopt me, Danny Last-Name-Pending. Please save your questions, comments, and verdict until the end, thank you."

[stealingyourbones]

Out of all of the people The Ghost King Phantom expected to relate to, it definitely wasn’t the scrawny red headed photographer of the Daily Planet. Jimmy Olsen has gotten so many temporary superpowers over his time being Superman’s friend. Hell, he once gained a 4th dimensional being’s reality warping abilities when he was given said dimensional being’s powers during a fight. Sure there’s a dozen or so heroes with the same amount of powers he has, but none as suddenly granted to them as a all powerful god that can relate to a teenager.

[stoutguts]

“What is Soap’s favorite fruit?”

Neil: Chocolate chip

Soap: Chocolate chip

Roach: (doesn’t exist in the remakes)

Ghost and Gaz (simultaneously): That’s not a fruit

Soap: Chocolate chip

I can’t get over how fucking funny this is.

[elevenveggiestraws]

“Take my right eye.”

“Excuse me?”

“Since I’ve already staked it once.”

…

“If you lose one of your eyes, won't your combat ability deteriorate? Why would you take such a loss because of me?"

"If I had to choose, I'd choose you, Han Yoojin-gun."

[iwritenarrativesandstuff]

On Kurapika's Self-Imposed Isolation

While I recognize that probably everything I'm about to say is going to be super obvious, I just wanted to briefly touch on Kurapika's self-isolation, and the reason behind his not picking up his phone or exchanging anything more than clipped words and business after Yorknew.

I think the obvious answer is that Kurapika doesn't want his friends in harms way, or to be used as a bargaining tool against him. This is an understandable and probably accurate conclusion. After all, Gon and Killua did get taken hostage, and Kurapika was forced to negotiate an exchange. Chrollo picked up on Kurapika's "weakness" right away - that he values his friends' safety before his revenge. Fortunately for Kurapika in this situation, Pakunoda was a whole lot more similar to him than he would've cared to admit, as she placed a value on Chrollo's life even though everyone in the Spider was intended to be replaceable. So, now that he's been through Gon and Killua having potentially gotten killed or seriously hurt, and Chrollo knows that he has a soft spot for them, it does make sense that he would try to push them away for their safety and for the sake of not having an exploitable "weakness" in future. He may also not want to burden them more when they have their own lives to live - he does slip off without telling Gon and Killua for the sake of not distracting them from Nen training, after all.

Except that he already tried all this earlier in Yorknew arc. He tried to tell them they shouldn't get involved, and they all agreed that the risks were massive - but his friends agreed to undergo the risks anyways to help him. Kurapika was even grateful for it - "I have been blessed with good friends."

So, for him to push them away solely for this reason after the fact, knowing that this was very much a likely situation to happen, is a little odd to me. Kurapika knows full well that Leorio would be frustrated, Killua would be offended and Gon would worry. So, I think there's a little more to it than that, and I actually would venture to say that "keeping his friends out of danger" is more a secondary reason for his actions - one that would come across as more of a reasonable excuse to others.

The primary reason is likely a lot more selfish than that. Kurapika has to ensure his mission comes first. And unfortunately, he is fully aware that his path and choice in abilities is deeply self-destructive.

Kurapika needs to make sure that he doesn't have exploitable weaknesses, sure, but he also just as much needs to purposefully worsen his headspace - and he can't do that with those three around.

Think back, what are the happiest moments we see from Kurapika in the series? The one that comes to mind first, and the one I'm sure most of us will think of immediately, is this:

[ID: A screenshot from the 2011 anime adaptation. Kurapika smiles - he looks at ease. End ID.]

It's one of the sweetest scenes of the series imo, right before the whole group is reunited for the first time since the Zoldyck Family arc, and it's even more notable because it comes immediately on the tail end of this...

[ID: Three panels from HxH Chapter 101. Kurapika removes his contacts over the sink. His expression is distant. End ID.]

...and this...

[ID: A panel from HxH Chapter 101. A close up of Kurapika's vacant and furious expression, his eyes wide and dangerous as he says "It might as well be you." Though the art is in black and white, it's apparent his eyes have gone scarlet. End ID.]

...and this.

[ID: A panel from HxH Chapter 101. A distant Kurapika speaks on the phone on a rooftop at night, the cityscape of Yorknew around him dark, but speckled with lights and stars. He says "The Spiders are dead." His face is not visible to the reader. End ID.]

This is, up to this point in the series, Kurapika at his lowest. In contrast to Gon, who is happy to hear that the Spiders are dead already because now Kurapika can focus solely on finding his peoples' eyes, Kurapika... is clearly not happy - and that's because killing the Spiders himself isn't just revenge. It's penance. It's survivor's guilt. Kurapika's powers, which Izunavi even comments sound much like he is chaining himself in the process of chaining his enemies, are oh-so-beautifully prophecied to destroy him - and Kurapika was aware of this from the moment he set off down this path of revenge.

(As a side note, this is why I'm really hoping we see Gon and Kurapika interact again after the Chimera Ant arc - while Gon has always been pretty attentive to Kurapika's emotional state, in Yorknew, he lacks a true understanding of why Kurapika would go so far... but as of now, he understands rage fueled by guilt and grief all too well. I know we're all rooting for Leorio to reach Kurapika, but barring that, I really think Gon could get through to him - after all, they are similar in several ways, and I find it fairly apparent that Gon reminds Kurapika of Pairo.)

But back to the main point here - I do suspect Kurapika expects (if not wants) his revenge mission to destroy him. I think a lot of times, we forget just how young Kurapika is, and how much his character is dictated by honour, and the abandonment of it.

Certainly, he can and will go against his principles for the sake of his mission... yet, almost paradoxically, he's bound to his promise to his fallen clan; a promise to avenge them made in anger.

But Kurapika... doesn't come across as a naturally angry person to me at all.

He seems like the stoic, vengeful type on his initial introduction... and then we get his panic at Gon's recklessness

[ID: A panel from HxH Chapter 2. Kurapika and Leorio wear matching expressions of panic in front of Gon, calling him out for his recklessness. End ID.]

...and his near-immediate forgiveness of Leorio after getting the first inkling of his character - of someone who cares just as fiercely as he does.

And after that point? Almost all through the Hunter Exam? Kurapika smiles so readily at them. He's sharp and funny. He mediates at times, but is stubbornly prideful in others. He's very amused by his friends' antics, and it really does seem like he starts to enjoy himself, with them. And, more than that, he counters Leorio's initial impression of him as an independent loner - on several occasions. He decides to follow Gon because Gon intrigues him. Asides from Gon, it is Kurapika who is the most unwilling to fight each other at the bottom of Trick Tower. Kurapika who makes the first move to team up with Leorio, even though that arrangement benefits Leorio much more than it does him. Kurapika who refuses to abandon Leorio to his fate in the cave, and who checks on Gon after noticing his bad mood. Who was furious enough watching him get beat down by Hanzo that his eyes went scarlet for the first and only instance outside of Spider mentions and Emperor Time. Who quite readily detoured to help rescue Killua.

[ID: Three screenshots from the 2011 adaptation Hunter Exam arc. In the first, Kurapika smiles at a sleeping Leorio. In the second, Kurapika stifles laughter as he pretends he's asleep. In the third, Kurapika has an open-mouthed smile as he acquires the airship tickets for them, Leorio and Gon standing behind him. End ID.]

Look at him! He's so bright! So happy!

...too happy. Too happy to do what he promised himself he would do. And that's his biggest fear, isn't it. Without his rage... what is he left with?

[ID: A panel from HxH chapter 2. A close up of Kurapika's eye as he says "I do not fear death. What I fear is that my rage will one day fade away." End ID.]

Kurapika is far, far less mired in anger when he's with his friends. I actually dare to say that at certain points, he was able to go for lengths of time without thinking much about it - alternating between almost forgetting in one instance and being hit like a sledgehammer on exposure to a reminder in the next. This violent swing is... actually the beginnings of the natural process of healing from loss and trauma. But to Kurapika, who's made a promise to his people's memories, this is not a relief. This is betrayal.

I think that actually scares him, that he can almost picture it. A life beyond his guilt. That he, too, could learn to be happy, even after unimaginable loss.

And so, as Kurapika continues his mission offscreen, finding more and more gruesome reminders of the cruelty inflicted on his people and losing more and more pieces of himself in the process (in his own words, no less), he prioritizes his responsibility to them, and pushes away his distractions. He cannot be a soul at peace until his work is done; he must be in turmoil. He pushes people away who he cares for, and binds himself, and keeps his people's eyes on him, quite literally, because respite, for him, is unacceptable. Perhaps that guilty part of him even hopes, by the end of this, that his soul will be so unrecognizable as to be fundamentally unsalvageable. But the truth of the matter is, or at least what comes across to me, is that Kurapika cares much more fiercely than he hates. He knows what matters most. And for as long as he does, he still hasn't truly lost himself.

[ID: A panel from HxH chapter 350. Kurapika looks down at baby Woble with a gentle, yet complicated expression. The inking is somewhat softer. End ID.]

Kurapika's soul is kind, really. And it wants to heal - but for the sake of his mission, he needs it damaged and bleeding. And so, he forces himself to exist in that pain. All alone.

[ID: A panel from HxH Chapter 344. Kurapika, dressed in a black suit, sits with his back to the reader, looking down at a photo in his hand. He is slumped a little before the church vigil he has prepared, all his clan's eyes lined up in their jars and honoured with flowers and candles. He thinks to himself "There is no home for me to return to... and nobody to welcome me back. I have nothing left." End ID.]

[thedragonhermit]

It's the 10th anniversary of the release of ORAS this year, and it's 8 years since I first started working on a combination of the May Is The Adopted Child of Hardenshipping au and the Archie/Maxie Are Possessed By Kyogre/Groudon au (with a twist of May x Zinnia) and making it my own sort of take on a Delta Emerald type thing. And, well, I've recently started working on it again (no promises about actually posting a finished fanfic, even though it's been 8 years 💀) and ended up redrawing the art I made for it back in 2016!

Original under the cut :)

[myimaginationplain]

I've come to the conclusion that being assigned the fandom-mandated "sunshine character" is the worst possible fate a character could face

[trappedinafantasy37]

POV: Your evil murder kitten's mask has slipped and you can see how deep she is drowning in fear and paranoia.

[raemeh]

Hello Sherlock & co fandom

[Dr. Watson] [Detective Homes]

[vellichorom]

I thithj,,, you c oudl make. Suuch a pretty human bill design,,,. Perchance ,, (insert noises from my batting eyelashes))

Only if yoy wanna of course no pressure or abnything ^_^

I FEEL UNDER-QUALIFIED TO PERFORM SUCH A FEAT BUT FOR YOU, DEAR ANON, WHO WERE KIND ENOUGH TO BE INTERESTED IN MY HUMBLE LITTLE TAKE... I have tried,

what's this the 4th tumblr sexyman i've gijinka-tized ???

more or less based off the idea of if you asked bill what he'd look like as a human & he actually dignified you with something decent to look at / uncomfortably human skinned demon

honestly i don't think ANYTHING tops the " canon " design ( a joke though it might have been ), so this is just a Slight adjustment FROM that; little more uhhh zesty

i can't stress enough the fact that i think he's constantly hurting & twisting himself in this form. for pleasure of course - see the busted knuckles & broken everything under the suit. oh wait you can't

WHAT DO WE THINK? is he pretty 👀

[necrotic-nephilim]

I’m gonna be honest I didn’t realize the new 52 messed with Kon that much till I read your post and now I can’t get over the potential. I’m a Tim/Kon girly at heart so I would devour anything you write exploring the 52 vs typical Kon. Also Time being in a clone sandwich is 👌.

the new-52 messed Kon up SO bad it's ridiculous. like, to the point i would personally argue he's a completely unrelated character to pre-Flashpoint/Rebirth Kon. his personality, his suit, his origin, all different. the only real similarities are the name and powerset. and even New-52!Kon's powers are slightly different from pre-Flashpoint!Kon. New-52!Kon is a clone of a future version of Jon Lane Kent, cloned by N.O.W.H.E.R.E. to provide genetic material to Jon Lane Kent, whose body was not handling being half human/half Kryptonian well, it was a whole thing. New-52!Kon is also where we get the infamous "Kon-El means 'abomination of the house of El' and Kara basically named him a slur in Kryptonian culture" tidbit, because that is the only time that's canon. (originally Kon-El was a name gifted by Clark to accept Kon as his family way back in the 90s) he also never went by Conner Kent. New-52!Kon just straight up didn't have any real human identity or connections, outside of being very close to Tim and some Titans.

the very TLDR of Kon's history is: during post-Crisis/pre-Flashpoint, a clone called Superboy is created by CADMUS. at first, he's considered to be a clone of a dude named Paul Westfield and is not Kryptonian whatsoever, he was simply made to look like Superman and only has Tactile Telekinesis as a power. then, it was made canon that actually he was a clone of Lex Luthor and Clark Kent, but Lex hid this fact and slowly, Kon developed more Kryptonian powers. he's given the name Kon-El by Clark, and is taken in by the Kents, getting the name Conner Kent. then Flashpoint happens, we get the New-52, and we're given the above version of Kon-El, who is a clone of Jon Lane Kent, created by N.O.W.H.E.R.E. who has mostly very strong telekinesis powers and some Kryptonian powers. he's with the Titans for a bit, then at the end of the New-52, he kills some aliens and feels bad about it so he decides to fuck off and is never seen again, it's presumed he's dead but never confirmed. then Rebirth happens and DC makes Jon Kent the current Superboy, we get Supersons and all that, and it's assumed that no version of Kon-El exists. just at all. he's not around whatsoever, Jon is our only Superboy. *but* in 2019, we get a new Young Justice run and the pre-Flashpoint Kon-El is back, and we're given the explanation of: Kon got accidentally teleported to this alternate realm called Gemworld and then Flashpoint happened, and since that was a Crisis Event that changed the timeline, the poor lad got *erased* from the timeline, causing most people to *not fucking remember him* and for him to remember a timeline that no longer exists. some of the Young Justice team vaguely remember him, Ma and Pa Kent remember him, but notably, Clark *does not remember him*. it's not an issue of "Clark ignored Kon in favor of Jon" it's an issue of "Kon was erased from the timeline and didn't exist for years bc he was stuck in Gemworld and Clark just doesn't remember Kon or Kon's timeline" which to me, is far more tragic but i digress. since then, Kon has been back and is present in most significant Superfamily runs, with his own recent mini-series, Superboy: Man of Tomorrow. (which was very good btw)

so basically: the New-52 fucked Kon up so bad they wrote him out of comics for years and then brought back the pre-Flashpoint version, but never *explicitly* killed the New-52 version off. so hypothetically, it's possible that there are currently two characters existing in the DC universe named Kon-El who have been Superboy. and like i said above, one of New-52!Kon's only real significant relationships was with Tim, it was the only thing the New-52 managed to get right about Superboy, his closeness to Tim. they have a *lot* of moments that read incredibly queer. and ofc, it's just outright confirmed in Dark Crisis: Young Justice that Tim had a crush on pre-Flashpoint!Kon at some point. so while comics are intent on pretending New-52!Kon doesn't exist, i am intent on putting Tim in a clone sandwich.

because i do think it's fun to play with Tim having genuine feelings and potentially a relationship with both of them. and the fucked up nature of him not fully *remembering* his relationship with pre-Flashpoint!Kon (which is a canon thing, in YJ(2019) Tim has vague memories of Kon he's struggling to piece together and understand why he cares about this guy he doesn't recognize so much) and how frustrating that is for Tim. he knows he loves Kon, but it's all foggy besides that. and so it's even *more* fucked up if Tim dated New-52!Kon before he got emo and ran off into the unknown. obviously in canon no one has told current Kon about New-52!Kon bc comics are doing the good ol' tried and true of "sweep that shit under the rug" but for fanfic, i think it's fun to ask the question of: would anyone *tell* Kon? especially Tim? who now remembers dating both versions of them? would he admit to Kon that briefly, he had another Kon? how would Tim cope with that and move on? personality wise, they could not be more different. they dress and act and look different. they're not the same person, but there's certainly a questionable factor of Tim's dating history including two Kon-Els.

the idea i've had for a while is Tim slowly starting to date pre-Flashpoint!Kon again. it feels familiar and like home. and Tim has grieved and accepted that wherever New-52!Kon is, he doesn't want to come home, he didn't love TIm enough to stay and try. so Tim takes the Kon he has, and genuinely has a happy relationship. like for once, life is good and things almost make sense for Tim. but then, of course, New-52!Kon comes back. he decides he wants to try again and he finds Tim. only to find well. he's been replaced. and technically, he's been replaced with the *original* that he didn't even know *existed*. and if being a clone is bad enough, that just makes it a hundred times worse. because imagine knowing you're actually the second Kon-El your boyfriend who you never *technically* broke up with fell in love with. that's gotta give you some kind of complex.

so i think it's fun if both Kons try to step back and let the other Kon date Tim. both of them have reasons to feel like the "replacement" or "fake" Kon, and it makes them incredibly awkward with each other. do they count as the same person? bc they definitely don't *feel* like the same person to each other, but with weird timeline stuff, who can really say. them settling on an awkward throuple that's really meant to be Tim just dating them both but somehow they end up dating each other too is so fun for me. they both feel like imposters to the Superboy name but are so deeply in love with Tim Drake, it's the one thing truly connecting them. and then of course, Tim feels bad in that somehow, he's betraying both of them for having feelings for the other. but they make it work, with a lot of awkward angst and miscommunication. i just think it'd be fun. very difficult to write to get all the weird timeline nuances down in a way that's understandable in a fanfic (bc you can't just. infodump like i did on this post) but doable. also difficult to tag, because even though i argue these are two different characters, i'm pretty sure Ao3 groups them under the same character tag. so it'd be difficult to convey it's not *really* as selfcest-y as it would imply. comics, man. DC will never acknowledge New-52!Kon again, and he's admittedly a terrible adaptation of Kon-El, but. i think he was sort of neat in his own right and i'd *love* for DC to just inexplicably bring him back and make the current Kon deal with the consequences of all that. and them make Tim kiss them both. obviously.

[dreamingofthewild]

I don't have any skin in the game so I probably don't have the authority to comment on this. But I find it weird how some people in the fandom put Wyll, Karlach, and Halsin on a pedestal for having come out of their abusive situations with their morals and humanity intact.

If you prefer the perfect "good guys", there is nothing wrong with that. I also enjoy stories about hero's who despite everything they have been through never lose themselves. But you can't expect everyone to walk out of a traumatic situation with a smile on their face a love for humanity immediately.

What are we saying that, if bad things happen to someone that they must remain optimistic and kind? Astarion, Lae'zel and Shadowheart are still worth saving.

I mean, Astarion can show that he is capable of changing if your character can show him empathy and kindness. Afterall, not helping him heal is how you get the ending where he continuous the cycle of abuse. Often people are quick to discard 'difficult' people rather than attempting to help them, and so they fall back into bad habits. Then that is used as 'proof' that the person is a monster.

No one is born evil. Either like Lae'zel and Shadowheart the environment that someone grew up in can affect their behaviour, or like Astarion, having all their fundamental needs stripped away. I am not saying that this excuses their behaviour but is explains it. And in real life I get that people don't always change, but this instance, they can depending on the choices that you make.

I have also mentioned before how Gale is weirdly considered morally corruptible by some because he chooses to stay with the PC after killing the tieflings as opposed to not dying. He is not giving in to evil here or showing that he is weak willed. Considering the bomb he has in his chest is his bending of his morals so that he doesn't turn into a mindflayer and explode everyone really a an evil choice?

Not to mention how he is villainised for a mistake he made where he had good intentions. Gale is one of the "good guys". His desire to survive at all costs and his ambition do not make him a bad person. With the orb he made a mistake, but he does not deserve to be punished for his lack of wisdom and curiosity there.

There is nothing wrong with liking good characters who always make the right decision, who always do no wrong, and who always remain hopeful no matter what happens to them. But I am critical of how the complex, morally ambiguous and not perfect characters are sometimes treated in the fandom. A character is not bad because they are messy and human.

I am not saying that everyone has to help them, but it's just recognising that they are all abuse victims and they all react to that abuse differently. I'm not saying that the ones who don't change are boring but it's weird to put them on a pedestal and claim that they are better because they are 'nice' from the get go and continue to be always do the good thing no matter what happens.

I guess I also love stories of redemption and the complexity of human nature.

[radiance1]

The Destroyer and his just as Great Apprentice

In a land on the continent of Beast Yeast, where strength ruled supreme and all lived in fear and awe of Destruction. Sat a temple that stood still in time since aeons past, through the rise and fall of various civilizations, untouched by the Tide of Change and the single largest surviving piece of history since the primordial past.

Sat upon a throne that once laid empty yet forever unclaimed, sat none other than the one once regarded as the great Herald of Change.

The Great Destroyer.

“Bored…” The Destroyed grumbled to himself, head resting on his hand as he looked down upon his throne room. “So bored…”

“Great One.” Nutmeg Tiger Cookie, general of the Spice Swarm, stepped forwards, bowing her head as she spoke. “Whatever ails you so?”

Burning Spice Cookie scoffed. “Tell me, Nutmeg Tiger Cookie, how goes the preparations to begin our bird hunt?” 

“Saffron Buffalo Cookie is assembling his army as we speak.” Nutmeg Tiger Cookie stated. “Though it will take some time to prepare the transportation to Crispia, I assure you Great One that we shall find the thief and bring her before you soon.”

“Oh?” Burning Spice Cookie hummed, raising an eyebrow. “And just how soon is ‘soon?’”

“At the very least, a few weeks-”

“Too long!” Burning Spice Cookie shouted, slamming his fist down against his throne. “I have waited eons within the Silver Tree, months for Dark Enchantress Cookie to grant me a new body, and now you tell me I have to wait even more just to have a good fight!?”

“Apologies, Great One-”

“An apology is not enough!” Burning Spice Cookie stood up from his throne, stalking over to Nutmeg Tiger Cookie. His hand wrapped around her throat as he lifted her from the ground, a literal fire in his eyes as he stared into her own. “Go to Saffron Buffalo Cookie and tell him to hurry up, or I shall crumble both him and his pathetic little tribe!” 

“O-Of course, Great One!” Nutmeg Tiger Cookie coughed out, a grunt leaving her lips after Burning Spice Cookie threw her onto the ground. She quickly got up to her feet and bowed her head. “I shall inform him right away!”

“Hmpf.” Burning Spice Cookie huffed as he watched her leave, walking back to his throne and sitting back down. “Pathetic. So many cookies and none can offer me a good fight, ‘Spice Swarm?’ Don’t make me laugh!” He leaned back on his throne, a frown on his lips.

“When will the little thief make her way heeeere?” He groaned out. The boredom was killing him. “Daring to claim my Soul Jam and daring to make me wait? The absurdity of that fallen Sovereign!”

He itched to destroy something, to have a good and enjoyable fight. 

Yes, a good bit of destruction always sent his jam boiling!

But what to destroy indeed…?

Perhaps that little Kulfi tribe? No, no. Too weak to offer him the fight he craved. Perhaps the Pepper Pangolins? Breaking through their armour would be easy, but if he wanted to play around a bit they should last him a while. Hm… No. He wasn’t feeling it. How about the Cilantro tribe? They have been growing a bit numerous compared to the others as of late, culling their numbers could prove fun… But then again, destruction without destroying all of it was always unsatisfying.

And the Saffron Buffalos were preparing to head off to Crispa to capture the fallen sovereign.

“Ugh!” Burning Spice Cookie threw his head back against his throne, hitting the arm of his throne once more. “There’s nothing to destroy! If I didn’t need that pathetic storm to bring me Golden Cheese Cookie I could have destroyed everything and cure my boredom by now!”

Honestly! Years of imprisonment and boredom, now finally free to walk Earthbread once more, and he was only met with even more boredom!

Perhaps he should pay a visit to those little Faerie-

Oh?

What was this?

He brought a hand up to touch against his Soul Jam. It felt as if it were… Resonating. How odd…

Was Golden Cheese Cookie already here!?

Haha! Wonderful! A little threat and they were already working fast! Fast indeed!

He closed his eyes, peering into his Soul Jam to see through Golden Cheese Cookie’s own, just to get a look at her. To once more see the thief that dared to claim half of his power before he got to see her with his own eyes.

So he was impatient, whatever.

Except for the fact that-

“What.” Burning Spice Cookie growled, snapping his eyes open as they leaked with flames.

-Golden Cheese Cookie was still in her ruined kingdom.

“How dare they!” He got up from his throne and grabbed his axe. “Those pathetic little bulls dare to try and deceive me! They’re looking to be crumbled, I see!” Burning Spice Cookie smiled, stalking out of his throne. “Ohoho, if that’s what they wish for, then I am happy to oblige!”

Before he paused.

If Golden Cheese Cookie wasn’t in Beast Yeast, then who or what, exactly, was his Soul Jam resonating with?

The Beast’s brow furrowed, momentarily forgetting his anger in place of his confusion. Was this another trick of the Witches? No, most likely not, those blasted creators were most likely still unaware he was free from his imprisonment. 

Did they bake another Cookie with the power of the Soul Jam? If so, then why on Earthbread was it resonating with his Soul Jam in the first place?

“Hmm.” Burning Spice Cookie crossed his arms, a thoughtful expression on his face as he thought over the matter for a moment later. Before a savage grin overtook his face. “Well then, I suppose I’ll just have to go and see for myself!”

If there truly was another Cookie baked and bestowed with Soul Jam in his realm, then he could finally have the fight he craved while waiting for his little thief.

—

This was outside of his expectations.

He expected a worthy adversary baked and blessed with Soul Jam, a Cookie he could throw beneath the Tide of Change to see if they could overcome it or be swallowed whole!

Yet what he got was not what he expected.

“You dare to mimic my appearance, small fool?” Burning Spice Cookie scowled down at the tiny imposter, the one that his Soul Jam resonated with as if they were actually someone of note.

“I want to grow up to be feared and powerful just like you!” The Cookie exclaimed, lifting up their imitation of his own axe as they looked up at him with such clear admiration and adoration that lit up their face. “So yes, I did!”

Burning Spice Cookie froze.

How long ago was it, since a Cookie had dared to look at him in such a way before? To dare make such a boastful claim to his very face? To imitate him of all Cookies. Children looked at him with naught but fear and apprehension, as did all of the Wild Spices under his domain.

Except Nutmeg Tiger Cookie, but there was something wrong with that one, so she didn’t count.

“Well…” Burning Spice Cookie crouched down, still towering over the small Cookie who looked so similar to him that it was almost praiseworthy. His Soul Jam was still resonating, though at a lesser degree than it was before, a gentle thumping compared to before. To have a child look at him in such a way was… “You have guts.”

It seems he had gotten soft.

—

“Keep your eyes open, my apprentice!” Burning Spice Cookie shouted over the roaring of the Spice Storm. “You wish to be just as fearsome as I? Then you cannot allow yourself to fall victim to something as paltry as this!”

“Yes- achoo!- sir!” His apprentice shouted back, letting out a series of coughs as he struggled to keep his watering eyes open. 

Burning Spice Cookie lunged, raising his axe before bringing it down on the smaller Cookie. Who quickly raised his own to block the (very much held back) strike.

“Good!” Burning Spice Cookie laughed, the fire in the child’s eyes was adorable. He brought up his knee to crash into his apprentice, sending him flying for a short distance before he managed to get his wings under him. “Keep that energy, my young destroyer! That fire shall serve you well!”

His apprentice flew towards him with a cry, swinging his axe down the exact same way in which Burning Spice Cookie had done a moment prior. “Ack-choo!” He sneezed, missing his strike entirely from his shifted focus. Burning Spice Cookie stepped to the side, bringing up his knee once more and crashing it into his apprentice’s stomach, knocking the air from his lungs before batting him away with the flat of his axe.

“Come now, you can do better than that Golden Spice Cookie!” He shouted, resting his axe on his shoulder and his hand on his hip. “You hold but a fraction of the Light of the Change, yet even that should be more than enough to overcome this! Do better, young destroyer!” 

Golden Spice Cookie coughed, looking at him through one watering eye before sneezing. He slowly got up to their knees, using the shaft of their axe as a crutch to get up on their own two legs, wings low to the ground.

“Yes, that’s it!” The Beast encouraged, raising a fist. “Don’t you dare just lay down and accept defeat! If you are able, get back up again! Fight until your last breath, even if your very dough begins to crumble, keep fighting until you are able to no longer!”

“Yes sir!” Golden Spice Cookie shouted, wings spreading out to their full extent behind him before he rushed forwards. Closing the distance between him and his mentor before flapping his wings and taking to the sky, before crashing back downwards like a meteor.

A metallic clang was muffled by the Spice Storm as their weapons clashed, the ground beneath Burning Spice Cookie cracking into a small crater from the weight of the attack as the Light of Destruction and a small fraction of the Light of Change resonated between wielders.

“Good, good!” The Beast of Destruction laughed, manic and proud as he easily held his ground before the clash. “Just like that, my apprentice! The power bestowed upon you should be used in its entirety! You hold power leagues and bounds beyond that of pathetic Cookies, now use it and entertain me!”

Burning Spice Cookie swung his axe, knocking the far younger Cookie away and ending their clash. He ran after them, following up with a two handed, overhead strike.

The ground cracked, a clear line splitting it open as soon as it and his axe met.

The young destroyer avoided the attack by taking to the skies, wings carrying him the furthest they were able (and dared) to within the Spice Storm before folding against his back. Gravity quickly took hold once more, sending him on a downward descent towards his mentor with both hands around the handle of his axe.

Burning Spice Cookie grinned. His Soul Jam roared, his jam was boiling.

This was going to be fun!

—

“Ah, Great One…” Nutmeg Tiger Cookie began slowly, tentatively, as she stared at the sight.

“Hm?” Burning Spice Cookie dipped his thumb into a cup of gathered lassi, bringing it up to wipe at the spice in his apprentice’s eyes. “What do you want, Nutmeg Tiger Cookie?”

“Forgive me for asking, but who-”

“Achoo!”

“Cease your squirming or we’ll be here forever!”

“-Is that…” She said, staring at the winged Cookie that, for some reason, was being cared for by her master. Alongside that, looking like a carbon copy of him.

If she didn’t know any better, she would have believed-

Burning Spice Cookie snorted, a snarl coming up on his lips as he glared at the general. “Do I need to explain myself to you, Nutmeg Tiger Cookie?”

“Of course not, Great One!” She said hurriedly, to which Burning Spice Cookie simply huffed and rolled his eyes.

“How much longer?” Golden Spice Cookie whined, causing Burning Spice Cookie to click his tongue.

“Patience, my young destroyer.” He said, gently rubbing some more lassi onto the child’s eye. They had been fighting in the storm since it had begun (Burning Spice Cookie’s idea, of course) and to its very end, so to say that his apprentice was covered in spice was an understatement. “Good things come to those who wait.” 

“Hmm.” The Cookie whined, but said nothing more.

Burning Spice Cookie paused briefly, very briefly, before continuing.

When was the last time he had ever uttered those words to another? It was most definitely a very, very long time ago.

What was he even doing, sitting here and rubbing the spice from the eyes of a child as if he were his guardian? Burning Spice Cookie was not, of course. A mentor was far different from a guardian, but still. Why was he being so… Lenient? Soft? Gentle, with a child he barely knew for less than a day?

A child that held but a shard of Destruction and Abundance, yes. But if anything, he should have just crumbled him right then and there and reclaim the fragments of his power. Yet instead, he had taken him under his wing.

Metaphorically speaking, of course.

Hm.

Perhaps it was something he was to think of later.

He got up to his feet, throwing the cup of lassi behind him and hearing it shatter on the floor. He then strode past his general. “Clean that up.” He commanded, before beckoning the young destroyer with a hand. “Come, Golden Spice Cookie.” Then he walked out of the room.

“Oh, coming!” Golden Spice Cookie said, quickly getting onto his feet as he ran after his mentor. “Bye miss tiger lady!” He said, waving at Nutmeg Tiger Cookie before a shout of “Hurry up!” Made him turn away and run out of the room.

Nutmeg Tiger Cookie crossed her arms, slowly looking towards the shattered cup and spilled lassi before glaring at it in disgust.

She was not cleaning that.

She then walked out of the room, looking for a Kulfi.

That was all they were good for, after all.

///////////

Not even going to lie, this inspired by this post made by @totallygray and this comic made by @mixierupperc20 to be honest. Check em out and allat.