#i feel like i will be corrupted by my power

[theflopwonder]

I THINK ABOUT THIS ALLL OF THE TIMEEEEEEEE.

(also teehee i will be using this as an excuse to discuss what realistic racial dynamics in Gotham would look like bc I am a black new jersyian, which isn’t the point of this post but it activated my ranting chip, and is going to mirror a lot of what op says)

The thing that a lot of comic writers like to skimp over, unless it's to perpetuate harmful stereotypes, is that disenfranchised neighborhoods, particularly in the inner city, where Batman's work is initially concentrated, especially in the early years, are usually overwhelmingly populated by black and brown people. Historically, for black people specifically, this is because of a Great Migration period during Jim Crow where black folks would come up to the more industrialized north for increased job opportunities and less racism. This is why Newark, NJ has such a high African-American population to this day, it was one of the hotspots.

As a black person who has lived in both NJ suburbs and its inner cities, inner city gothamites would not like Batman for a long ass time, if at all. Why? A lot of comics will focus on Batman stopping a drug deal or a gang member, but do nothing to address the socioeconomic conditions, or demonstrate cultural competency in portraying these neighborhoods' relationship to drug dealing, drug addicts, gang affiliation, and organization, which is often very morally complex, and SURE AS HELL doesn't consider their relationships to police forces or assumes that the power dynamic is shifted in favor of the black and brown inner-city neighborhoods, rendering the cops useless and letting crime prevail which is even WORSE and just blatantly untrue.

OR They just take on a paternalistic view of "these neighborhoods and the people in them need to be saved from themselves". So they have this white man swoop in and save the day and everybody in the neighborhood is just supposed to love him, while the uptight politicians are the ones who have the criticism so you, as the viewer, will already have the seeds of hate planted so you feel vindicated when they are revealed as corrupt and THAT'S the real reason they hate Batman.

In the beginning, Batman will be seen as someone who contributes to the prison industrial complex. He is not helping the citizens of Gotham, he is just a cop. He is a symbol of another white man wreaking havoc on a predominately black neighborhood, and the police won't do anything to stop him. This will even be exacerbated by him beginning to work with the police. If Batman wants to be looked upon fondly by the people he is supposedly helping, he's going to have to acknowledge the racial divide between uptown and downtown Gothamites. He is going to have to WORK for his respect and understand the reasons why he, as Batman, may never get it

(my headcannon is that No Man's Land is when the perspectives of BOTH Bruce Wayne and Batman's reputations turned into net positives. For Bruce it was going to Congress and being the only one to fight directly for them, [as one of the major points of NML was how unfair it was to poor people]. For Batman, it's that when he couldn't get the kids left in NML out of the city, he stayed and protected them anyway. He didn't just go running off like everybody else [even tho he technically did, but y'know, they don't know that), and leave them stranded and alone? That's worthy of respect to them.)

Now if I was too apply ALL OF THIS to Red Hood ... the one shred of hope of black and brown citizens of Gotham would have is that Batman does not use lethal force. He will ruff up our people, break an arm or a leg or a nose, but he will not gun them down. He will not use lethal force. They will not lose their lives. He will let them see another day. And if they see another day, then they have the possibility to do better, and THAT is where Batman and the people of Gotham's hood will be able to find common ground and coexist with each other.

That is completely gone when Red Hood enters the scene.

No, people in the Gotham's hood would not like Red Hood, he would just make things worse. Way worse. He would be the actuality of what everyone feared about Batman. He would ruin a decade's worth of work that Batman put in trying to fix his reputation within these neighborhoods.

You only understand that when you understand black and brown people's relationship with law enforcement.

They will mistake black and brown mothers telling their children to be inside before the streetlights come on as "lower crime rates" and would they be correct? On the surface, sure. But it wouldn't be because of anything productive, it would be because you have successfully scared an entire neighborhood into complacency. You've essentially put them under unofficial marital law dictated by a myth and justified it by saying "Well Batman only scares people who need to be scared,"

(They do this in Batman v Superman, very blatantly, and with a Black woman saying it verbatim, and it's ... it's an interesting choice, I go back and forth on how I feel about it considering the timeline conditions but for now I digress).

I'd even go as far as to argue that the ONLY people who would like Batman as a concept from jump are non-black people in the suburbs. Batman is the type of idea that allows white people to have a conscious spa day, to offer up a simple solution to a complex problem so they don't have to do any deeper thinking about it. He is the whitest of the white savior concepts. Oh he's getting those drug dealers off the street? Thank god, they'll keep that fentanyl away from our promising young and precious suburban kids.

However, once Bruce Wayne began announcing all of these initiatives to help poor people, despite this being the thing that would be what make the crime rates go down and stay down, it also resulted in black and brown people ascending in socioeconomic status oh..... now those kids from the hood are going to be moving into our good schools.... they're going to corrupt our children and expose them to guns and drugs and gangs OH NO! NOT MY GOTHAM!

Semi-Anecdotally and Semi-Historically: This happens a lot in NJ & NY. Speaking for NJ, this happens a lot with kids in inner cities like Newark, who will move downwards to places like Plainfield, and then Plainfield becomes essentially segregated in everything but schools, and people will worry that those "Newark Gangsters" will corrupt their kids, so they move them down further into suburbia to like ... Edison, or Piscataway, where high housing is enough to keep people out. Then they begin defunding Plainfield schools, and stationing Plainfield cops in black parts of town until they decide to gentrify the neighborhood again.

(This is also why you shouldn't listen to people who question why people still live in Gotham. At one point, Camden was one of the most dangerous cities in the world. It is also a college town. Newark is still not a very safe place to live. It is ALSO technically a college town)

Canon-Wise, let's look at Robin issues 25 & 26 (my detested) where a storyline about bringing guns to school has one of Tim's classmates say this verbatim.

He ends up losing his life to a black student via gunshot. It’s framed as ambiguous but to me there’s an obvious reason why this escalated LMFAO don't put your hands on people in a school hallway.

Despite the fact that both kids pull out a gun at the exact same time, and shoot the exact same amount of bullets, who do you think gets more sympathy from both Tim and from the narrative altogether?

Whose motives are positioned as higher in moral value?

Who’s motives are ever even considered?

Who is Tim allowed to lecture gently, vs who is he and Bruce allowed to hunt down, scare, and capture?

This story is allowed to have emotional weight for Tim because he knows Karl. It deliberately attempts to make the reader lose sympathy for Young El because they attach him to a gang.

Batman does make a point to mention that it just easily could’ve been Young-El that died, but it only positions Karl as the only who “doesn’t understand his choice”. They’re the same age. Both high school students. Could it not also be argued that Young El’s situation is worse because he is being exploited by a gang, that is also taking advantage of the fact that he does not fully comprehend the choices that he makes? Or does that only apply to poor former bully jock Karl Ranck.

Let’s also unpack that subtle but glaring racism.

1. The immediate assumption that Young-El will re-offend is racist. Although Tim says it directly, Bruce also indirectly agrees, (conditionally to prop up the "usefulness" of Batman). Was Young El the first person to say it? Sure, but that's just more racism being perpetuated by the narrative because it's not being done to try to make the reader understand black and brown people's relationship to the incarceration system and why recidivism commonly happens, it's meant to portray Young El as a mouthy kid resisting arrest for a crime he committed.

It offers no sympathy towards him even though he is just as much a pawn in the city’s corruption as any other child that falls into a gang. If anything this should be more incentive to y’know … make sure he has help upon release but hey what do I know?

2. This moment, specifically:

If we are analyzing this keeping in mind that Young El does not know who Robin is, but can fully hear this statement being made towards him, ABOUT HIM, in this context that means this can now be considered a VERY racist micro-aggression being aimed towards him. To even hit on the point of each citizen preferring a different vigilante, this is now a reason that Robin's reputation is in the negatives. If I can't count on you to arrest me without being subjected to what can easily be taken as a racial microaggression (because again, he doesn't know who Tim is, or his relationship to this crime and it is unrealistic to expect him to, all he knows is that this white kid is arresting him and telling him that he's essentially too stupid to understand him, which is reinforcing a racial power dynamic) there is now nothing separating you from a regular degular cop.

3. The idea that the fear of seeing Batman will be enough for Young El to not re-offend is racism. That’s not hope for someone's future, that's a form of oppression and is AGAIN fueled by the narrative’s refusal to extend any sympathy to Young El. Telling black and brown citizens that "beyond the law and the courts" (that have historically tried to eradicate us btw) there is …. More fear? More reason to be afraid of the world? And then you wanna end the comic talking about some damn PEACE?????? PEACE FOR WHO???????

Also Bruce’s smile in that panel about scaring Young El … that’s amusing to you? Scaring high school kids that you’re supposed to help? That’s how you want Batman to be “useful”? High school children being exploited by gangs are the people that are supposed to be afraid of the Batman? Oh that’s not… anyway.

In the panel before that one, THEY'RE STILL pointing guns at Young El and the gang, despite the fact that if they are being detained they have already been frisked and had their weapons taken away already.

Sure you can argue that this is less a Batman problem and more reflection of how this actually happens in real life, but idk if I’m writing a story where a deliberate point is made that my protagonists don’t use lethal force … but then they disappear on top of a building and watch as these children and adult gang members are submitting under the threat of lethal force, despite having no weapons no drugs and no way of escape …. you see the problem here?

Hate this mini-arc sooooooo bad. even tho I do think about it a lot when thinking about Tim's relationship with school violence. it's a watershed moment for him and so important to his development, but it's also racist as fuck.

I SAY ALL OF THIS TO SAY. There's a lot of this bullshit that basked into comics, hell, into Batman's very conception that makes it easy to fly over people's heads. I'm sympathetic to it, I first read Robin when I was 15. A LOT of shit was flying over my head. But I do encourage you all to approach these stories with a more critical eye, as they can and do help deepen your understanding of these characters.

And let’s be honest— modern ideas of crime are intrinsically tied to American racial ideologies (the modern American inception of cops is deliberately based on slave catchers). Without considering that nuance, Batman (and definitely Red Hood) can very quickly become another layer of fear and control rather than people who are truly trying to help these neighborhoods thrive.

I know we tend to roll our eyes at "Batman beats up poor people and mentally ill!!!" takes cuz most of the time they're ridiculous and said by people who do not interact with canon but like ... the idea that one person's savior is another person's boogieman is very true, and NOT ALWAYS GOOD, especially if we are considering the usefulness of an american Batman, who is not exempt from american racial dynamics, which very obviously exist in his fictional Gotham, even if subtextually through speech, through drawing, through panel sequencing, etc. Batman is a fantasy, but his lasting power as a character is fundamentally dependent on how well of a reflection he is of real life, and THIS would be the real-life makeup of a real-life Gotham City. I spend a lot of this post critiquing, but I still love these characters, and it's because I love them, that these dynamics are so interesting to explore.

Anyway rant over, I probably did a shit job at convincing y'all but if you made it to the end of this long-ass post, YES PLEASE. EVERYBODY, PLEASE READ CANON.

You know what I've realized these past several months on Tumblr and just...years of consuming content?

It's pretty rare for the fandom to acknowledge Gotham as a city. A real, living city with people in it. Like, sure we always get cutesy posts about Batman or the others from outside perspectives or fics that include interesting ocs (I love u if you do that btw).

But what I mean isn't that. What I mean is: does anyone think of Gotham and its citizens as actual people? Because I've sure seen kind of the opposite.

I see constant arguments or heavily biased (mostly misinformed) posts regarding what Bruce does and how the Batman helps the city. That his riches would get lost in corruption and no one can save the city unless there's violence. You could try and make the argument, sure. But we've seen time and time again in comics that Bruce uses his money to the benefit of the city. We've seen in comics that he employs people who are disadvantaged and gives them opportunities. People know Bruce Wayne gives jobs and treats his employees well. He donates heavily to charities, creates his own organizations, funds Leslie Thompkin's clinic, and consistently updates the safety of his own buildings. People (at least post-Crisis) would know that Bruce Wayne did everything he could to save Gotham after the Cataclysm earthquake/No Man's Land - that he went up against Congress. Of course, not everyone would like Batman. Not everyone would trust the Wayne name. They'd see a stranger who prowls nightly and may or may not rescue you. They'd see the privilege of an old rich name who gets to exert his influence over the city. If you go to him for help, you go to him with the fear, and anticipation of rejection or with the knowledge that he will be safe.

I've also seen the (imo) ridiculous notion that Crime Alley citizens would trust the Red Hood. Maybe some would now, after the reboots and actual comic book evidence that he's doing something. But I cannot fathom living in a city with such heavy crimes occurring and then trusting what is essentially a cop. People don't know the Red Hood. They don't know Jason Todd. They would only know: 1. he has tried and succeeded various times to take over organized crime and drug routes 2. he can and will kill if he sees it fit. In some people's eyes, he would be a cop with even less judicial oversight. In some families, he would be the killer of their breadwinner, of their fathers or family members or lovers. A man with a gun. Eyes without a face. If you go to him for help, you go to him for blood.

This doesn't even begin to lay out the insane amount of vigilantes who live/operate in Gotham. The Batman is not the only figure. The Red Hood is not the only figure. If you boil down Gotham to only the conflict between these two characters, you miss the nuances and varied opinions of the city by miles. If you boil down Gotham to just Batman-affiliates, you miss even more.

For every person who doesn't trust Batman, there's someone who'd prefer Huntress. For every child who lives in fear but can't trust an adult, there's Robin or Batgirl. For an abused woman, there's other women out there who help: Catwoman or Black Canary or Holly Robinson. There's people who'd never trust a vigilante but want safety, they'd have Leslie Thompkins (who operates in Crime Alley) or Lucius Fox who could give them a job.

Not to mention, Batman is very obviously white. There would be some people who would rightfully mistrust white men, and would prefer figures like Orpheus or Onyx or Batwing or the Signal or Huntress (post-N52). There's the Creeper, who would be terrifying but some might prefer the monster over the man. There's Ragman, an explicitly Jewish vigilante who was literally called the Tatterdemalion of the Oppressed and trusted by the poor and homeless. There's Batwoman, Mother Panic, Spoiler, Nightwing, Red Robin, Azrael, Bluebird, the enigmatic idea of the Oracle, Anarky, Ghostmaker, Gotham Girl/Boy, Catman, Alan Scott-Green Lantern, Wildcat.

Hell, maybe someone who lives in Gotham would just straight up trust Superman or the Flash or Wonder Woman more than anyone else. Maybe they'd never once trust someone acting for a perceived view of justice and would just trust an employer like Two-Face or the Riddler or any mobster.

I'm stressing my point here: when you write anyone who lives in Gotham City, keep in mind that they don't know they live in a comic book world. Secret identities are foreign to them, they only know the base actions of each vigilante. Each person's opinion will heavily vary. Every experience colors their view of the city and vigilantes as a whole. Just, idk, widen your horizons and consider about what someone living in a place like Gotham would really think.

To that end, read the comics!!! Research actual cities!!! Take in experiences and history!!! It's all interesting and just adds so much more.

You want one comic that shows Bruce helping Gotham and the various views of Gothamites, read Gotham Knights #32, published in 2002 and titled "24/7." Read it online illegally if you have to!!

[mai-komagata]

sauron's corruption

i feel there is some sort of misconception that morgoth like, had sauron in a dungeon until he became evil, sorta like he did to elves and other creatures. that abuse made him evil somehow.

this is categorically not canon -- even to RoP. look, im not saying two evil people working for each other for Millenia never did bad shit to each other. selfish people can hurt even those they are close to, so it isn't unlikely - although never stated. we can debate wholesome vs toxic angbang dynamics separately, it's not relevant.

but like, sauron wasn't tortured into spying on aüle and betraying the valar in Almaren. He admired Melkor for being more powerful and more efficient and joined and spied on them on his behalf. "for even then he had secret friends and spies among the Maiar whom he had converted to his cause, and of these the chief, as after became known, was Sauron, a great craftsman of the household of Aule." "While Morgoth still stood, Sauron did not seek his own supremacy, but worked and schemed for another, desiring the triumph of Melkor, whom in the beginning he had adored. He thus was often able to achieve things, first conceived by Melkor, which his master did not or could not complete in the furious haste of his malice."

and he had a part in all the evil things melkor did from that point onward. he wasn't some unwilling participant. his only redeeming characteristic according to Tolkien was his capacity to be servile (which tolkien said he lost by the Second Age -- the temple of Melkor was not built b/c Sauron felt the need to pay worship, but because he thought that was a good tool to destroy Numenor).

dunno... i do like sauron redemption headcanons for the end of the world, but anything that implies that he blames morgoth or curses him for who he is as if he has some claim on extracting revenge on morgoth rings empty to me. He's never expressed this sentiment.

Sauron didn't become evil because he was punished into being evil. morgoth isn't to blame, only insofar as he was there for them to be evil together. he isn't among those who needs to extract revenge from morgoth to achieve justice. also -- even when he had good intentions* he reverted to evil again in the second age, and this was AFTER morgoth was in the void. he doesn't need morgoth around to do evil. *which is questionable: "So - as soon as [Melkor] has mentally rejected repentance - he (just like Sauron afterwards on this model) makes a mockery of self-abasement and repentance."

the most compelling dagor dagorath headcanons to me is for them *both* to be restored, because what is the difference, at that point? are we gonna argue 99% evil can be reformed but 99.9% should not be? (also arguably sauron was evil for a lot longer than morgoth, even if he was slightly less evil for being his servant and a much less powerful being...) The real issue is what is the nature of Sauron's destruction, can be be remade? Melkor was never destroyed, his presence is suffused throughout Arda. In some sense, you need to "fix" this discrepancy to heal Arda. Anyway, i end with this quote which I can't quite decipher but echoes my thoughts above:

"[Arda Healed --] Arda without Melkor, or rather without the effects of his becoming evil; but is the source from which all ideas of order and perfection are derived. 'Arda Healed' is thus both the completion of the 'Tale of Arda' which has taken up all the deeds of Melkor, but must according to the promise of Iluvatar be seen to be good; and also a state of redress and bliss beyond the 'circles of the world'.)" dunno even fake theology is hard.

All quotes from Morgoth's ring.

[rowie264]

Councilors vs Chem-Barons

Remember that creators wanted to "show there is merits and flaws on both sides"? While I still feel that agenda in the first season, the second season is... well.

The easiest way to see that creators wanted you to be more sympathetic to Piltover is to look at the rulers of both cities. The Council is flawed but mostly fine, while Chem-Barons are purely bad.

You can protest that 'wait, but in s1 we saw that the Council is corrupted' and... i agree with that. But let's take a closer look at all members with information from both s1 and s2, hmm?

Torman Hoskel was portrayed as silly and easily manipulated person. He is the worst among them.

Salo makes the same appearance as Hoskel in s1. But in s2 he becomes disabled. This is the easiest way to manipulate you into sympathizing him. Of course, this wouldn't change your view of him completely, since his personality remained the same, but you can understand his anger (his suffering is shown on the screen). Besides, later when Viktor heals his legs, Salo changes, losing his arrogance and becoming a good person.

Irius Bolbok is strict, composed and slightly harsh ruler (remember him saying to find the culprit no matter what). But he isn't shown as bad as Hoskel and Salo in s1. He is quite decent.

Shoola was portrayed as reasanable ruler from very beginning. She was the first who said "They [zaunites] may not be your preferred consituents but they're still our people." She was the first after Mel who voted for Zaun's independance. In s2, we see how she cares about people rather than acting in the interests of revenge like Salo.

Cassandra Kiramman was also showed as good person even in s1. She might not be active Zaun's simpathizer but she did schedule an audience for Caitlyn and Vi giving them a chance to change Councilors opinion about Zaun (ofc it's bc Cait is her daughter but Cassandra could just deny her). Also in s2 we learn that she built a ventilation system which makes her the only Councilor (beside Jayce) who actually did something for Zaun.

Mel Medarda is shown as a woman who does things for her own benefit, manipulating others. But she still did vote for the independence of Zaun (albeit for personal reasons). You also can't say that she's a bad person or that she's done really bad things for her cause (like Silco for example).

Jayce is a bad politician and has made few mistakes, but at the end of the day, he is a good man.

Heimerdinger is portrayed as good person as well.

Even though we know that all of them are corrupt (except Heimer) and that they have ignored Zaun for decades, only one of them has no good traits and completely unlikable (Hoskel).

But what do we have with Chem-Barons?

Finn is an idiot and power-hungry.

Rennie is too. She lost her son, which to some extent makes you understand her attacks on memorial (not justify, just understand), but the show itself does not even focus on this fact, ignoring that little nuance.

Chross's goons force children to work in the mines. He also fights for Silco's chair to gain more power.

Smeech's business is connected to shimmer (i guess he provides it after Silco's death?). Only, unlike Silco, Smeech isn't shown as someone who uses shimmer simply as a tool to achieve a higher goal (nation of Zaun). He is just power-hungry like others. Also s2 shows that he doesn't value his own people.

Margot is unloyal as well. "I'd rather favor my chances with Topside". She fights for power like others.

Silco is the only one who commits bad deeds for a higher purpose. All he wants is an independent Zaun, not power itself. We see his positive traits such as dedication to his city, love for Jinx and others, which makes him the only really likable among other Chem-Barons.

Of course the government doesn't represent people themselves. We saw that there are good people in Zaun and there are bad people in Piltover. But you know what it does represent? Creators' true view of Piltover/Zaun conflict.

Despite everything Piltover was ready to grant Zaun independence. The Council was shown flawed but the characters themselves were not completely bad persons. You, as a viewer, can understand and sympathize them. Creators made sure you will sympathize them.

But Zaun? Bandits and criminals who don't think beyond their pockets. The only person who did and tried to do something good for Zaun was wrong, bc s2 promotes us "violence is not the answer" and "power of forgiveness" agenda.

So where are the "merits and flaws on both sides" again?

[mochimochimona]

Analyzing Viktor and Jayce from Arcane - S1 EP5 Part 1, because I am overanalyzing and having way too much fun.

PART TWO: Link.

So we are starting right into the fifth episode, so far no yearning from Jayce because he is too busy to be counselor, but this scene re-affirmed my standing about Viktor beaing actually really confident, except if he is in closed proximity with Jayce (or angry lol). He is arguing with Jayce about him being not there for the progress they wanted to make. But I actually found something else, so hear me out: It is argued that Victor is somewhat reflecting the Undercity, I get that because he is from Zaun. But honestly I think his urgency and agency is actually to help himself, maybe even more as the people in the undercity. At least it's getting clearer here, because he gets angry a tad bit. "There are people who need our help now!"

I think Viktor is not always this outcalling and frustrated, that's why Jayce looks like he feels guilty. And again, this makes me rethink Viktors Charakter, because he IS GODDAMN CONFIDENT and quickwitted and goddamn panicked because he fucking dies omg.

Jayce is pissed off he gets interrupted (again probably) by his job as a counselor while he is talking with Viktor, whom he thinks is an important person to him, but not important enough to get back to the lab with (which is really important for their arc). Again, I do think they are still lab partners here. I am looking forward to get to the scene what made me re-think that, because I doubt myself already LOL.

And also Jayce sassy answer "today is your first day" - he: "second!" hahahaha. Getting off tracked I am sorry.

This post is getting too long, so read further if interested:

Now we get - again - back to my conspiracy theory that Viktor is influenced by Old Man Viktor or something, because the next scene is AGAIN weirdly presented. So grab your tinfoil hats we are going for a ride! So Jayce is like, in the hexgate, "The corruption runs deep, I try to root it out" (boy, WHAT FORESHADOWING I AM CRYING) and asks about the gemstones, giving Markus (it was Markus?) his attention and Viktor is like:

Vomiting his guts out and since he is not on mushrooms as far as I can tell this trip is a bit weird, BECAUSE:

Blood hits the railing and

He touches the blotch of blood coming from his nose, everything as normal as it can be. So if you wanted to tell that he is sick and he doesn't feel good you could easily make him shake, kept this angle or shot and blurred his view. Except they are doing this:

The shot changes and we see the hexgate in it's glory, warping.

And Viktors reaction is interesting.

The colors change from blue to red/purple and my boy is he on a trip or something.

Do you see the red inside the blue?

You can hear his (or a) heart beating. And his panicked face? Viktor, What do your nearly dead eyes see? (sorry, and sorry for making a lord of the rings reference)

More trippin', don't do drugs people.

It warps and Jayce is on Viktors side immedietly, asking if he is alright (ARE YOU BLIND BOY OR WHAT WTF).

The animation made a weird resonancing effekt here, before Jayce says "Viktor" in a bit of a panic.

Viktor: Realization it's Jayce, but this time he is not affected by the touch, but angry (still) and moves on to his lab. This is foreboding of their fallout by the way, because Viktor is not honest with Jayce (and Jayce is dumb oh good lord).

So first thing what comes to my mind, I hope you still have your tinfoil hat on....because it would be funny if he somewhat has a vision or some sorts from Old Man Viktor? From the Rune? If they wanted to frame it as an idea, again that would have been easier to convey.

this scene is either brilliant foreshadowing with the blood near the hexgemgatestone whatever, his reaction and resonance to the hexgem and the choice of color. I don't know shit about the void (which might be shimmer here I guess?) but what I get is that it's a power to corrput and is evil, not neutral evil but (chaotic) evil evil (wait, another reference, this time to dungeons and dragons, I am sorry my brain melts). So the choice of color is really great here next to what Jayce said seconds before. You see, I think nothing what animators do is without something in their minds, they intend to convey something. I bet foreshadowing, but since we are wearing our tinfoil hats I might add it could be that Old Man Viktor is guiding him through the Hexgate/hextech, or whatever else there is. Again, I don't know shit about shimmer, the void or the runes, so if you have something to add here I would be delighted.

You can ditch the tinfoilhat now. Back to the animators intentions: And that's why I think we are reading so much into the relationship of Jayce and Viktor (later on I guess), because a lot of people working on the animation were probably shipping them (I guess? Did anyone confirmed that from the animation team at Fortich?).

If it was foreshadowing (which I highly think) it is BRILLIANT again, can someone give the team a huge raise and also an oscar or something? Also, can we agree to smack Jayce in the head for NOT THE FUCK NOTICING. There is fucking blood on the railing?!?!? Get your head out of your ass and Mel (sorry). I am like ten minutes in this episode and I am loosing my shit.

Also Viktors limping is way way worse. Again, can someone tell me why no one is adressing this? Is Viktor making excuses like he has headaches (yeah of course, who would believe that while he has nosebleeds boy).

Back in the lab and we are cooking. I don't know how much time has passed or how long Viktor is working on that so I guess he just had an idea while he was coughing blood and ruining the nicely polished railings at the hexgates

(This shot is giving me motherly feelings, how Viktor is so hard working, though he must feel miserable. Also it gives me vibes of jayce beeing a little narcissist because he is staring at his reflection and also signing all of his notes, bru)

Also Jayce saying "So you had a vision" BRO I AM ONTO SOMETING. Go get your tinfoil hats people! The WORDING. They could have said "So you had an idea, inspiration". Are visions normal in runeterra?

Also I reached the limit of 30 pictures, so we will have a second post of this.

PART TWO: Link

[call-sign-shark]

I know this has probably already been asked, but I'm méchante and need to make sure 😈. What happened between Heaven and Amos for her to want to murder whoever mentions his name in her presence 😳??

That question has been sitting in my draft for too long, but now that everyone knows about Amos I felt like it was the good moment to answer that. My apologies for keeping you waiting. 🖤

Since the very beginning of HYE there are tiny and hidden references to Amos. While Heaven is pretty much indifferent to people, his name makes her lose it instantly. And yet, she never talked about him. Ever. Even Arthur doesn’t now much except that she had a fiancé and that he used to gift her roses, hence the fact she hates these flowers. So, what happened?

Amos and Heaven have a complicated story. He fell for her instantly and gained her trust slowly. He took care of her the moment she needed the most, that is when she turned 17 and that all the trauma of losing her family jumped back to her face after years of burying it. She was lost, enraged and out of control. When she started to let him in, Amos did EVERYTHING for her. He literally saved her from herself. However, he was often blinded by his ambitions (just like Tommy) and, possessive as he was, he grew too controlling to her liking. Now that you have the full context, here are the three reasons behind her hatred:

1) She feels like he’s responsible for the monster she became. He was the one who helped her discover that she could hurt as much as heal. With her hands and her powers. He turned her into his pet murderer and always fed/encouraged her killer side. If Amos wanted someone wiped from the surface of Earth, he would send Heaven. Also, he was the one with who she crafted her abilities to manipulate. If you ask her, she would tell you that he corrupted her soul and turned her more of a monster that she already was. Encouraged her psychopathic nature. Somehow, Heaven thinks that maybe her eyes wouldn’t look so dead hadn’t she met him. (Let’s be honest, she was a monster before but he did make her worse)

2) He tried to assault her the day of their wedding when she said she wasn’t sure she wanted to marry him.

3) And finally… She hates him for making her fall hard. So hard that she cannot stand how weak she still feels when she thinks about him. So hard that the simple memories of his onyx eyes, sickly sweet smile and divine touch make her sick in the stomach. So hard that she often sees his little quirks in herself. He’s corrupting her, haunting her. He’s an infection. An open wound that would never heal. Yes, she hates him because she hates herself for still loving him and knowing that a huge part of her would desperately love and need him forever.

Tagging those who knows best about him: @justrainandcoffee @zablife @mischievouslittlecreature @peakyswritings @darklydeliciousdesires @evita-shelby

Heaven is Reader in the Arthur Shelby x Reader ongoing series Heaven in Your Eyes.

[animatorweirdo]

Imagine Being Freed From False Gabriel

You find a way to banish Gabriel from your body.

Requested by @weird-addiction

I am back 😀 sry for bothering you

You said a continuation is okay, um remember that Mandela Catalogue fic you did like a year ago or smth (I don’t remember lol) can you do a continuation of that or nah?

🫥🗿

(Author note: I did have this on my mind for sometime. Good to finally get it out)

Continuation of this: Imagine getting possessed...

Warnings: a mental battle with Gabriel, violence, a bit angst, mentions of being at the edge of insanity and finally banishing Gabriel.

----------------------------------------------

- The journey had taken a toll on you. Resisting Gabriel’s tormenting presence while shielding the hobbits from Sauron’s ever-looming shadow felt like an impossible task. Yet, against all odds, you held on, even if you were on the brink of insanity. 

- There was much an elf could handle, but carrying a curse like this was too much even for you. 

- Frodo and Sam had been good companions to you. Despite the immense weight of their own burdens, they had an uncanny ability to lift your spirits and keep your resolve from faltering. Thanks to them, you had not fallen under Gabriel’s control. 

- You endured many trials during your journey and witnessed many things. You had the unpleasantry of meeting Collum. His appearance was as twisted as his soul, a living reminder of the Ring’s corrupting power. You had heard whispers of him in stories, a being consumed by obsession, and it was clear from the moment he slithered into your path that he coveted the Ring.

- However, despite your mistrust and Sam's outright disdain for him, Frodo chose to show compassion, allowing Gollum to join your group and guide you through the perilous lands corrupted by Sauron’s shadow.

- Collum was an unpleasant company, but you admit he was useful. 

-He seemed afraid of you. You already knew that he despised elves, but it seemed even he was able to sense Gabriel’s malice within you, claiming it was something dark and worse than the dark lord. It was one thing you agreed with him. The malevolent entity within you was a sinister and unrelenting force to be reckoned with, a power that felt potent enough to challenge Sauron himself and take the Ring if given a chance. 

- Gabriel's desire for dominance, for destruction, was palpable, and it mirrored the Dark Lord’s ambitions in a way that made your skin crawl.

- You had managed to keep Gabriel’s foul words out of your ears. However, his presence had made you more prone to anger and violence. This became evident when you and your small group were captured by the rangers of Ithilien and in a heated moment, you threatened and nearly attacked them out of rage. It took all of Frodo’s and Sam’s efforts to calm you down, their soothing words cutting through the fog of fury that clouded your mind.

- The men of Gondor warily watched you afterward as elves were not known to lose their temper like that. It made you feel a pang of guilt. 

- These bursts of anger frightened you and it took some time before you apologized to them and Faramir, their chief. 

- He was understanding enough to grant forgiveness, especially when you told him about your possession problem. 

- When you learned there was going to be an attack on one of their cities, you wanted to lend your aid. It was a high risk as you could lose control in the heat of the battle, but at least you could focus Gabriel’s lust for death upon the orcs. If it helped the men of Gondor in their battle against the orcs, then it was a risk you were willing to take. 

- However, the night of the attack was much more violent than you thought. 

- Orcs were everywhere. You fought alongside the men of Gondor as best as you could. However, there were too many of them. You tried to keep yourself in control, but the anger and despair filled you with an insatiable hunger for violence.

- You were at your breaking point, teetering on the edge as Gabriel’s dark influence reached out to seize control. Just as the malevolent force began to creep over your mind, a brilliant light erupted around you, cutting through the chaos. You felt a warm hand gently cover your eyes, shielding you from the blinding radiance, and a calming presence materialized behind you. The oppressive weight of despair and rage momentarily lifted, leaving you breathless and bewildered.

- “You do not need to fear me,” a voice resonated with calm authority, like the toll of a celestial bell. “I am Archangel Michael. I am here to help you.”

- You felt less fearful of the new creature as you knew what an archangel was, and who Michael was. 

- Michael’s voice was calm yet resolute as he spoke. He explained how he had sensed his brother’s escape into your world and how Gabriel had been tormenting and corrupting you. His words carried no judgment, only understanding. Then, he revealed something that ignited a spark of hope in your heart—there was a way to banish Gabriel back to his realm, to the abyss of darkness where he had originally been confined.

- Skeptical but willing to trust Michael, you asked what you needed to do. Michael then explained that you needed to stand on pure land, utter a prayer, and speak Gabriel’s true name, as it would give you power over him.

- You were then returned to the battlefield. At first, you were confused, but when you heard Michael’s voice urging you to hurry, you asked Faramir where you could find pure land. He promptly instructed you on where to go.

- You quickly made your way there, sensing Gabriel's fury as he realized what was happening. He forcefully tried to take control, but with Michael’s words, your will was strong enough to resist him. In a fit of rage, Gabriel’s presence manifested and killed all the orcs in your vicinity.

- Finally, you found the place. As you stepped onto the pure land, you felt Gabriel separate from you. For the first time, you saw him outside your body, and he was even more terrifying than you could have imagined. His form radiated dark power, and the air seemed to grow heavier around him.

- He preyed on the hobbits and the One Ring. You tried to intervene but with a sudden surge of invisible force, he slammed you against the wall, pinning you there with a crushing weight. As you struggled, his attention shifted back to the hobbits, the gleam in his eyes filled with malice and hunger.

- You met his gaze with newfound determination. You knew exactly what needed to be done to banish him once and for all.

"Your name gives me dominion over you, false angel. And I do know your name," you declared, your voice steady. Gabriel's eyes met yours with anger and arrogance. 

"You are Lucifer!" you shouted, your voice filled with conviction. His eyes widened, a flicker of fear crossing his features for the first time.

"The devil, the serpent, the king of hell!" you continued, your words dripping with disdain. 

"In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, I condemn you back to the darkness from which you came!" you screamed. 

- As the last syllables left your mouth, Gabriel screamed in agony, his body beginning to crumble and disintegrate into nothingness. His furious cries echoed in the air, but it was too late—his power had shattered, and he was gone.

- You dropped down from the wall and felt something like a heavy bag of rock being lifted from your shoulders.

- As you sat there, breathless from the confrontation, you saw a single white feather drift down, landing softly at your feet.

- "Well done," Michael’s voice echoed in your mind, the warmth of his words washing over you. "Gabriel will never torment you again." His voice faded into silence, leaving behind a sense of calm and security.

- You rejoiced with Frodo and Sam when you told them what had happened, and then wept in relief as you were finally free from the darkness that had tormented you. 

[pumpkinpatchreblogs]

[Image unrelated. Rambling in tags.]

[mcrcki]

it stopped being about a choice and became a necessity the moment she realized just how far fucking gone he was, how corrupted this power had made him. the moment he confirmed that he was the reason her sister was dead, that mira had been drained by him-- he was still xaden, his voice, his words, everything was still screaming at her that he was still in there, and yet, could she really believe that he was going to be stop there? that he wouldn't continue to fall down this path of corruption until he was no better than the venin that killed liam? 'i don't have a choice anymore.' she knew she should shut her shields down around her mind, and yet, she still couldn't block him out, knowing that placing that last brick right now would seal her decision, his fate.. she would just have to actually win. the praise is the last thing she allows through the connection, knowing it would only distract her, it would only make this all hurt that much fucking more to hear him still be... still be him. she places the last of her shields in place, her mind fully her own, knowing she needed to keep her mind planted in the archives. as she twists away, she watches as she loses one of her daggers to the ground below them. that's one dagger down, she knows she won't have any time to retrieve it.. she would just have to make them all count. zihnal needed to be on her damn side right now to actually win against the very person who trained her. would lightning be the only thing that actually worked, though? was he still human enough that a dagger would kill him? how had things gotten this fucked that she had to even think it, let alone begin planning it! "this is not because you fucking love me! do you actually think i would want to live a life not remembering who i really am? who any of us are? that i would choose to forget my friends? my dragons?" you? the last part was unspoken, not wanting to give in to that ache in her heart. the xaden she was fighting to save very well might have been gone. she dodges his move too slow, too distracted by this fucking conversation. she can fight in pain. she's lived with enough of it to ignore the sting. she needed to focus, to fall back on the moves rhi had trained her in instead of relying on only xaden's training.. he would be expecting all of those first. but before she can move, he's around her, arms warm and so close to feeling like home. but it's wrong, the image twisted as she feels the knife hovering over her throat. hell, any of other fucking sparring match she would have leaned forward to kiss him, wishing he was looking at her with anything but those burning red eyes.. i will not die today. she had to repeat it to herself as she jumped through all the ideas in her head about getting out of this. "i won't forgive you if you bring that knife against my throat. we have fought for this for so fucking long, xaden. don't throw it away for power." she had enough room between them, foot reaching up to kick out at his knee, she just had to get him off balance enough, to get any space between them before she dropped. distance... all she needed was distance.

he knows that any chance of talking will be gone once she pulls the truth from him. and she always manages to pull it from him, there's no doubt about it. and pull it from him she does. 'i'm not making you do anything, violence. this is your choice.' because he also knows she's not going to go down with out a fight. but this is what's best for the both of them. she won't remember the loss of her sister, she won't know what he is, she won't know to fear him. they can go back to the way things were, with no mistrust or pain between them. she and mira might even end up as sisters again, everything would end up fine. and some part of him knows that this is what he'd been afraid of. the possibility this exact line of thinking is what had led him to lock himself in his house with his shields up after that fucking maze. it's raging against the idea of hurting her at all, much less killing her. but the rest of him? it's convinced he's doing what's best for her, and for the two of them together. the look of fear on her face almost breaks that small part, he'd never wanted to see her look at him that way, even when they were nothing to each other. but that part is shoved down quickly at the flash of pain in his thigh. xaden swears under his breath, but his expression twists into a smirk in spite of it. 'that's my girl.' he shoots through the bond, knowing she'll hear it, even with most of her thoughts blocked from him. he's not at all shocked she's managed to twist away, the same clever fucking woman who had solved everything life had thrown at her. "i'm doing this because i love you. wouldn't it be better to not have to think about all of this? to get to live with no worries?" his own dagger is in his hand, shadows curling around him as he prepares to fight. it's not one he thinks he'll lose, he taught her everything she knows. every move she can make is one he'd made first, so how can she best him? a shadow quickly shoots out to wrap around the hand holding the dagger as he stalks forward, slashing at her torso, a shallow wound, he doesn't want her to die in pain, as he grabs at her loose hair with his free hand. once he gets a grip, he pulls her close, almost an embrace, and brings the blade up to hover near her neck, though not touching her skin. "don't you want to be with me without all this fear, violence? i'll find you when you wake up, and we can go back to the way we were."

[messiahzzz]

it’s been almost a year now… is the bg3 fandom finally ready to talk about how gale’s “hubris” is the sole product of actively feeding his insecurities further and straight up denying him help & guidance when he was at his lowest and needed it most. it’s not one of his core traits and never was. he isn’t some closeted power hungry monster that is just waiting to be enabled. what he wants is admiration, recognition and acceptance. which is also what he sought from mystra before the orb disaster happened. he had no desire whatsoever to become a god himself or challenge her rule, he simply wanted to be seen as sufficient in her eyes (“to serve her better”). to be as equal as he could possibly be in a relationship with a literal deity. he has a deep passion for magic and knowledge that affects almost all areas of his life and enjoys the display thereof. he wants to be the smartest person in the room and enjoys when his work is recognized. he may be perceived as arrogant when it comes to his skill, but he IS NOT hubristic. it truly takes so little for him to be wholly content.

[blue-eli]

Ink October day 11: Firebreak

A strip of land that has been cleared, plowed, or planted with fire-resistant vegetation to prevent a fire from spreading.

[moeblob]

OC again gomen ... (her name is Yuma)

[teakoodrawz]

" I'm a Psycho, loving it~ "

[fluffs-n-stuffs]

Amethio sweetie you're not beating the 'related to Gibeon' allegations anytime soon fr

[thegreatyin]

to put a long story short: at the end of ffxiv's base game, literally Directly before the beginning of its first expansion (heavensward), there is a series of quests and story arcs that eventually snowball into an hour-long cutscene in which the entire thing comes to a head in the literal worst way possible. like, "the hero's plans all go horribly wrong and several major characters die onscreen, with others going missing (presumed dead), eventually culminating in the player character being framed for the murder of the leader of a nation-state and being Literally Forced To Flee The Country" wrong.

heavensward leads directly on from this plotline. you arrive at the major location of the expansion in the midst of seeking asylum whilst being a wanted criminal everywhere else in the world right now. it's like. A Whole Thing. the game makes such a big deal out of it all. the fandom does as well. and for good reason!! it's a really good moment!!!!!!

and then roughly 1/3rds of the way into heavensward you find out that literally none of it mattered. nobody important actually died, no changes were actually made to the status quo, and nothing comes of being literally kicked out of the country for (what is implied to be) several in-universe weeks, if not months. None Of It Mattered. None.

TLDR; the bloody banquet is a major, exciting, and very infamous twist that seems like it's going to segway into a MAJOR upheaval of the status quo and some really intriguing ramifications for the story as a whole... and then heavensward does away with literally all of that and practically writes the entire thing off as a waste of time.

you may be able to see why i'm so salty about it.

[uncanny-tranny]

My biggest take is that police are under no protection of anonymity in the police force specifically. Citizens, by nature of being a citizen, have the right to anonymity in any capacity that is not a direct threat to the law or other people. So many cops operate as though they deserve to be completely anonymous in the same way that an individual citizen can, and that's where corruption will be exasperated.

[spawnofbhaal]

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