#i hate fanon land

[throwawayasoiafaccount]

i am reminded once again that people are so weird about rhaegar.

it’s interesting but nauseating to see the shift about him on the anti-rhaegar side of the fandom as it’s clear that people are still wildly and crazily deep in their fanon versions of him, but have decided he’s somewhat useful to them as the fandom becomes less accepting of the ‘targaryens are bad and all mad’ narrative that was floating around for years, so some of the antis have slightly changed their tunes.

i should clarify that the shift does seem subtle right now, so maybe it’s not going to affect the way the antis discuss rhaegar that much, but i find it interesting and a bit annoying so im gonna discuss it.

the shift is basically starting from ‘rhaegar was a moron and killed his family by fucking his whore so he deserved death’ and seems to be heading to ‘rhaegar was secretly really cunning and cruel and actually loved elia but she was iffy/neutral of him and he only got with lyanna to have a baby and left her to die cause he was always gonna go back to elia.’

both of these are crazy interpretations imo, but the second one is even worse than the first. the first interpretation is at least a tad bit understandable, but the second is completely based on fanon land nonsense.

because… how is rhaegar seen as cunningly cruel when he’s only been paralleled with dany and jon, two incredibly kind characters? one of the first times dany is directly paralleled to rhaegar is when dany was protecting others! while we do learn a lot about rhaegar through these parallels, there’s also an on page interaction that completely contradicts the ‘rhaegar is cruel and callous’ interpretation. it starts when jamie is recalling rhaegar’s departure to the trident, he remembers when jon darry snapped at him, telling him to obey and stay with aerys; then rhaegar takes the time to console a teenage jamie and ease his worries before he leaves. we have all this and yet people interpret this character as cunningly cruel and willing to use others for his own ends?

like bsffr… this is a character who prefers writing songs and singing them instead of violence and the song of swords. that says a lot about rhaegar, and it’s all good things.

speaking of good things said about rhaegar: barristan as whitebeard, when he was still sussing out dany, calls rhaegar able, determined, deliberate, dutiful, and single-minded. these are all positive descriptions. barristan also later says that there’s a lot of good to be said about rhaegar, more than any of dany’s other relatives. this is not the description of someone hiding a nasty personality behind a perfect facade, it’s a deliberate set up preparing us readers for the big rhaelya reveal and to contradict roberts anti rhaegar propaganda.

i also want to mention the other side of rhaegar. he was described as melancholy and was said to have sad eyes, and according to cersei he looked wounded. it seems like he suffered from depression. and based on the parallels between aerys and viserys, i think it’s safe to assume that aerys was likely abusive to rhaegar like viserys was to dany. what’s written in a world of ice and fire supports my case and shows that things were always very very tense between rhaegar and aerys. things were so tense in fact that aerys even brought varys in as spymaster partly because he mistrusted rhaegar. that is a very terrible environment for someone to grow up in, and yet rhaegar still pulled through so much so that characters still sing his praises years after his death. that’s impressive and shows how good of an impression he left on so many characters.

now, i also want to discuss the rhaegar x elia ship as it’s getting more popular as the tides keep shifting. one quote that these shippers use to support their ship is the “rhaegar was fond of elia” remark made by barristan, but the context of that conversation is specifically left out by these shippers. basically the conversation began when dany is telling barristan that she’ll do her duty and marry hizdahr, so she asks barristan if rhaegar wed for duty or love. barristan hesitates and tells her that rhaegar was fond of elia but says nothing about love. context is key here. and while it’s not surprising that these shippers need to strip away the context as they have to go up against rhaelya, which has a lot of textual support, it is deceitful and proves that their case is weak in compassion to the build up of rhaelya.

anyways… yeah… this shifting tide is weird af and seems like a huge backwards dive into fanon land, and while i can’t control anyone i think i’ve done my best to stay true to canon by mentioning what we know about rhaegar and trying to keep my interpretations grounded.

tbh… i don’t even like this character that much, but i think his impact on the fandom is so cool. cause it’s like… here is rhaegar, a sad boy, and yet so many people treat him like he’s satan incarnate responsible for everything bad. it’s like so wild and so far from what little we know of him. so, basically, because of this fandom discourse, i became interested in this character and am now one of his defenders. yeahhhhh….

also, because so many people liked to basically shit on rhaegar for ‘doing nothing’ and ‘just letting war break out’ i found it kinda fun to theorize about what he may have actually been doing at the time of the rebellion. as of now, i’m pretty set in my belief that he specifically went to dorne to conspire with house martell and potential allies in order to overthrow aerys. my theory is based on what we know of his personality, and i think his last words to jamie clearly hint that he had some sort of plan in place; and since he was last in dorne, it’s only logical to conclude that there was something going on.

that’s all

[cursedonyx]

Ominis vs Duncan

One of my favourite enduring popular fanons in HL is Ominis & Duncan Hobhouse's rivalry - though they never really interact in game, and Ominis' lines about him are limited (he literally only has two; 'Duncan owes his reputation to you' and 'Once a coward, always a coward, just ask Duncan Hobhouse'), I love speculating on why they might despise each other.

I've seen some brilliant theories, including a phenomenal tiktok video about Duncan landing Ominis detention (that I've sadly not been able to find since) and Duncan's generic lines about not liking muggleborns, which flies directly in the face of Ominis' beliefs, but I think there could be more to it.

Though in my own personal headcanon I reckon Duncan being a pureblood supremacist tracks (he's established to be cowardly and bigots are typically cowards), I think Duncan's cowardice plays a larger part.

I reckon that when these wee lads started Hogwarts as little eleven year olds, Duncan wanted to present himself as bigger and badder than he actually was, and chose an easy target to bully. Who would be easier to pick on than the blind kid? Who would be more impressive to beat down on than the Heir of Slytherin himself? The kid from the family of notorious dark wizards, who better to be cruel to in an attempt to showcase himself as a protector of others? The kid that's already unpopular?

I get the feeling Duncan might have targeted Ominis in their youth in order to make himself feel more powerful and pretend that he was just trying to fight against a supposed dark wizard so others wouldn't hate on him for his bullying and might even join his side, but he made a grave mistake.

Ominis grew up with the Gaunts, and as such would have been used to far worse intimidation, threats and bullying than anything Duncan could have come up with, meaning he would be generally unruffled by insults and snide comments, and with his newfound friendship with the Sallow Twins, one of whom was mischievous to the extreme and the other a talented and intelligent duellist, the revenge turned back on Duncan would have been pretty immediate and severe.

None of the OG emerald trio strike me as particularly vindictive, but Duncan does. He's petty and mean minded, if his voice lines are anything to go by, so he would have likely done his best to bully Ominis as much as he could, and his initial failures would have frustrated him, leading him to amp up his efforts to hurt and upset Ominis. Being a Ravenclaw, he's probably clever, so he may have even been quite sneaky in how he went about it.

This, coupled with his pureblood supremacist beliefs, would naturally have pissed Ominis off to the extreme. Ominis doesn't strike me as the type to let things slide, so he would have eventually reacted to it, encouraging Duncan to continue, leading to a vicious cycle, fostering a long held resentment of each other that lasts throughout their years at Hogwarts.

Thoughts?

Masterlist

[yandere-kokeshi]

Please give us your Gaz headcanons I need that man carnally

— Yandere Headcanons of Kyle “Gaz” Garrick

Warnings: Yandere behavior, fanon ideas by me, civilian(ish) reader, unhealthy relationship, detailed talks of kidnapping, manipulation, and (slight) smothering affection.

A/N: I went a bit overboard, so please excuse me, LOL 🫶😘

Kyle is an obsessive man, committing his whole energy and mind to memorizing everything; including the sweet images of you. As sweet as he can be, he’s just as manipulative and gaslighting in a sense of keeping you safe. Supervising over your items, mostly your phone and friends, while securing the many facts you’re only safe with him. 

As much as he hates it, many haven’t stayed with him. He’s loyal– maybe a bit too much. He’s had many heartbreaks because of the strong hearts on his sleeves, forcing him to realize many of his “lovers” were just with him because they needed love, not showing affection to the actual pieces of him. 

It disappoints him. He needs love like everyone else. A certain somebody to help, to shield, to love. Someone he could count on after a hard day of work, and relax in their loving, warm embrace. 

But, you weren’t any of those lying skanks.

No, you weren’t cruel, or tried to take advantage of him — even if you two were still best friends. You’re something ripped straight from a fairy-tale. The rare ones that he’d read late at night during high-school. 

In all, meeting you was the best decision he’d ever make. 

Walking into that coffee shop he regularly visited too, patiently waiting in line and finding his eyes swiftly landing on your form from behind, was the prettiest sight he’s ever seen. Feeling his heart batter so fast for you, equally told him that he’d love you forever. 

He wasn’t sure what was so hypnotizing of you. Maybe the fact you didn’t care what you were wearing, going out in public and wearing your nightwear without a care. Or how your voice was so addicting, like he could listen to it forever; another form of an audiobook, is what he’d say. Or maybe, just maybe, how cute your tongue was when it blepped out like a cat, focusing on whatever you were watching on your phone, waiting to be seen by the barista. 

You were too pretty to be ignored. Forgotten. To be used by another person- and immediately, he knew you were the one for him.

He bit his lip, ignoring the “what ifs” and went for it. His crush on you was far too much more than something simple. It was love at first sight on his part. 

Kyle will start at slow, a hand grasping your shoulder and catching your attention; asking about your order and ending up with your phone number. Gentle flirting is what it is, and it makes you feel a bit lighted. A nice man, a hot one at that, coming at you at this lame coffee shop? What a score.

In all: Kyle goes down the “original” hole of getting to know you. Shows up to your apartment, holding a vase of your favorite flowers and asking you out brightly. But, of course, ignoring the fact that a few nights ago, he was scrolling through his laptop, and was clicking through your network profiles, finding himself adoring what he sees. Eagerly writing down your likes, preferences, dislikes, and best-friends. Even your enemies in thick red writing. 

He goes all out on gaining your attention. Loves taking you out on all types of cliché dates, such as the arcade and late evening dates to a charming restaurant. Or his favorites, an inside-date with popcorn and M&M’s whilst watching a horror movie. Secretly hoping you’d get scared and, just maybe, roll into him for comfort. 

It’s the small things that are first, his eyes following your form everywhere. He’s hoping you feel the same. Hopes that you feel your own heart beat just as fast as his. Hands sweating and all shaking whenever you imagine him. Or the fact you’ll crave him as much as he does. 

And the second you agree to be his – the rightful love of his – is when he really starts to show how much he gives everything his all. The very suggestion of letting you even breathe near anyone or anything that might be of competition.

Within the relationship, it’s completely normal. It all started on a normal pretense, and made you two fall in love so lovingly. He’s so kind and sweet. An ultimate gentleman. Never pressures you to do anything, and loves forehead kisses more than anything. 

Kyle’s type of affection is so loving. He loves any type of excuse to spoil you, especially with his home-cooked food, and loves to be held and be holding you at any time. A hand in your back-pocket is expected, and tries so hard not to pinch or squeeze your globes.

Showers you in compliments galore, even if it’s the smallest things. “So pretty with your hair like that today” “My shirt looks so good on ya’”, often rubbing his face deeper into your neck with his kind words. “So glad you’re mine, love.”

Oh, and, let’s not forget, he’s extremely clingy; emotionally and physically. Sending good morning and good night texts, just loves the idea of you thinking of him as you lay your pretty head on that pillow, as he does the same. 

But, he’s a harasser who sticks by your side. Always wanting to be the one to drive you to work, hands touching yours as the two of you eat breakfast and dinner, even kissing you sloppy when he’s just brushed his teeth for that morning. But can you blame him?

To you, he was an amazing man — your norm boyfriend, turned into fiancé then husband. He loves you dearly. But, there’s a deeper, darker side of him that even you do not know. 

Despite his laid and cool back approach, Kyle is constantly thinking of bloody and brutal thoughts. He’s aware he shouldn’t have them– but he can’t stop having them. 

He snickers when a man barely brushes against you. Growls when someone unexpectedly touches you. Or how anyone else compliments you, he lets out a sigh and notices your smile is too bright. A tad jealous, but rarely shows it towards you, but rather in his mind where he’s satisfied with his type of savage ending. 

Though, he’s not prone to aggressiveness. He’d never kill for you, never. His heart clenches even at the thought of you missing someone he murdered with his irony knife. And with that, he only uses his murderous tactics if needed.

And instead, he prefers using manipulation. Dropping subtle hints of the people around you, making you double-think of their actions and ensuring you’re aware of their dangers. You shouldn’t trust them, only him, okay? 

However– if you began to see the red flags. The ultimate words of leave, and to break off with him, he won’t be so happy. He tried everything to keep you happy, and you do this? Betray his trust and say to you, “we aren’t compatible with each other”? 

But, the both of you are, right darling?

Eventually, you will see that, and since you want to leave him, it’s necessary to keep you in the house. You can’t live without him. And nor can he without you. Both of you are puzzled for each other, and with time and dedication, Kyle will have you submitting to his ways. Even if it breaks his heart.

—

Masterlist || Please consider reblogging and commenting instead of liking, it helps me as a creator!! Stay well!!

© yandere-kokeshi 2024 — Do not copy, modify, edit, repost, or use my works for ASMR readings, tiktoks, or other content.

[rustedleopard]

It's such a minor gripe but I hate it when people in fanon content make it so that the giant swelterstone in the Dunes has a habit of dimming/being covered up at night. It just. Feels like it detracts from the whole "ecological disaster" deal if the swelterstone can just be covered up (why not keep it constantly covered in that case? Then monsters can grow greenery in the Dunes and restore it back to the Meadows). And the Underground is supposed to be a stagnant environment (I think Alphys said that there's no real weather in the Underground. Also the Underground is literally underground. Of course it's not gonna experience weather like the Surface). Having a 24-hour "sun" that bakes the land dry and withers crops and throws off everyone's circadian rhythm feels more in line with the whole "hopeless, unchanging Underground" situation than an imitation sun that "rises" and "sets."

[loveslibrarywp]

Ataraxia; freedom of worry

Aegon || Targaryen x wife!reader

Summary: Alicent got upset with Aegon for being drunk at an important event the day before and slapped him harder than she ever has before. He goes to his beloved wife for comfort.

Warnings: kinda fanon!Aegon. Aegon always being drunk as per usual. Alicent hits Aegon.

Authors note: poor baby aegon needs some love.

“I am sick of you drowning in your cups at any moment you please! You are embarrassing your family with your stupidity!” Alicent yelled at her eldest son. Aegon had gotten quite drunk at an important event held at the castle the previous day. People from the different houses of the land had come to meet and talk of unity.

“I am sorry, mother. I don’t know what came over me.” His eyes were brimmed with tears, he’s always hated when his mother would yell at him, even with how frequent it was. “I am trying to change..” he admitted, he looked down at his feet to hide his emotions.

“Well you clearly aren’t trying hard enough!” She scoffed. She was incredibly fed up with bullshit, always getting drunk and acting a fool.

“You are king! You need to act like it, you stupid boy!” She glared at her son, he had stood there like a child or a kicked puppy. “I said I was trying! Isn’t that enough for you?” He shouted back at his mother, his eyes were red and tears threatened to spill.

“No, it is not enough!” She said with wide eyes and a scowl plastered on her face. He scoffed, “well, I’m sorry I’m not as perfect as you! I’m sick of you always being on my back!”

She stopped in her tracks as the words spilled out of his mouth. She stomped up to him and smacked him right across his face, leaving a red mark on his cheek. His face flew to the side and his red eyes widened.

“Get out, I don’t want to look at your face right now.” She walked away from the man and leaned herself against the table of the councils room.

He left silently, his cheek burning from the slap. He walked to his chambers as quickly as he could. The tears finally spilled over his eyes and down onto his cheeks. He wanted someone to be there for him. He wanted someone to help him. He needed someone.

His wife was the someone he needed. He rushed into the room to find his wife sitting on the cushioned chair by the fireplace, reading a book. She looked up from her spot as the door slammed shut.

“Aegon, my love, what happened?” She rushed up from her seat and over to her husband. He just cried as he took her into his arms. She held his head to her chest as he cried into her.

“Sit.” She commanded him into the chair that she was just in. She placed herself on his lap and he wrapped his arms around her to rested his head on her chest. His sobs started to die down as she held him and shushed him as best she could.

“Whatever happened, my love?” She caressed his cheek to look up at her. He sniffled, “my mother shouted at me and then she hit me..” he said, then he realized how pathetic he sounded, he sounded like a child crying to their mother.

“Why am I such a fuck up?” He asked with glistening eyes. His wife pouted at her husband, feeling his sadness. “Baby, you’re not a fuck up. You are a wonderful man and king. And you’re human, and humans mess up sometimes. You are trying and that’s all that matters.” She said as she held his face in her hand.

“But mother-“ he started. “I don’t give a shit about what your mother thinks.” She cut him off. He just stared at her in adoration, how could he have gotten a woman so caring and understanding? He wasn’t worthy of her.

“I don’t deserve you, darling.” He said as he buried his head into her plump chest. She giggles at his words, “I don’t deserve you, my love. You’re so handsome, and brave, and ambitious. You are a wonderful husband and king.” She smiled.

He looked up at her. He swiftly grabbed her face and pulled her into a rough kiss. Their lips became one with each other. They broke apart after a few seconds of kissing.

“I love you so much, my sweet wife.”

“And I love you, my dear husband.”

[gloriousburden]

This is SO late, but I just have to say my piece on the Loki Series and Mobius (both derogatory).

The only good part of the series was when Loki landed in the Gobi Desert and flicked away his gag, after that, all the gentrification, oocness, and other stupidity began for me. The way he would never say 85% of those lines, and how he was made to be so “quirky” via humiliation after the Battle of New York?

Mobius is so fucking far up his own delusions, like he basically watches other realities and people through screens, he only socially interacts with other TVA staff, is friends with one of the main fascists in charge, etc. 

His fucking “I’m a nice guy” act makes me want to fucking punch him all the more harder.

In some ways, I have more respect for that TVA officer in Roxxcart being like “they’re all going to die” and Loki for say that also in Pompeii, than Möbius’s meandering holier-than-thou bullshit of basically softening the blow with “good taste” by distracting a little girl with candy as he blows up her timeline.

People hate on Brad for his treatment towards Loki, but love on Mobius for that v similar treatment. Talking down to him, condescending him as not a threat, calling him privileged and harmless and basically saying that he knows Loki better than he knows himself.

I will be forever be disgusted and spiteful that Mobius never got treated as nearly much contempt as Brad and Renslayer, nor did he have something horrible happen to him because of Loki.

Like he just EMBODIES the naive, starry-eyed fool that arrogantly thinks he’s an expert on someone but will never get out alive once meeting that someone.

It was far more interesting to me to see Loki in captivity in “Avengers” and “Dark World”  (both had flaws for me) acting like Hannibal in “Silence of the Lambs” than the bullshit I saw in the Loki Series. And “Dark World” also let him have some more vulnerability without completely demolishing his dignity and character.

I got up to the episode after they met He Who Remains, and I don’t think I’m going to finish this mess. 

So sorry for seeing this months later. Thank you for the ask! Honestly… The second I pressed play the first episode of the series when it came out in 2021, I just knew that… this is going to be really bad. When he first walked into the tva, I was bewildered at how out of character he was. This is Avengers 2012 Loki we’re talking about! He would not say that shit. Instead of his usual dry, sarcastic, old englishy-esque way of talking and humor, it was, as you perfectly put it, very… “Quirky.” He wasn’t even that “quirky” in Ragnarok!

Exactly! The “I’m a nice guy” thing about Mobius has always irritated me so badly. I’ve really never liked him, and was surprised to see such a positive reaction. The negative reaction to Sylvie, I expected of course, But… they’re both bad! Wish people would understand that.

Yeah.. the double standards with Brad/everyone else, and Mobius are so annoying. Why is it okay for Mobius to continuously belittle Loki, throw him into a time loop where he is repeatedly physically assaulted, mock the death of his mother, and all the other bullshit he put Loki through just because you want them to be together romantically? And… this isn’t even some toxic relationship “turned better” situation. They don’t even acknowledge the shit Mobius has done to Loki!

People don’t even talk about the other bad things Mobius has done. It’s a series about people being mislead and morals being questioned, yet… so called fans don’t get into any of it at all. Just ship discourse, and fanon. If I liked the series… I think I’d get into the themes of chaos versus order, the people of the tva being mislead and lied to, etc… But they don’t even do it in the series as everything is a second thought, and doesn’t match up. The writers don’t care, and neither does the fandom.

Agreed! Series fans always say that the belittling of Loki, and the underutilization/erasure of his past characterization is just him… “healing” and being “vulnerable”…. Loki has been vulnerable before after the events of Avengers 2012 (Tdw), and he still was him! It wasn’t an immediate switch in his behavior, and didn’t erase everything that made him, him!

The psychology of Loki’s character from Thor 1, to the dark world was so interesting, and even well done at times. I know a lot of people on this side of tumblr don’t love Tom that much after the series, but I truly do think he understood Loki very well, and portrayed him beautifully back in the day. There was so much care put into his characterization. He stood out from the snarky, quirky superheroes of the mcu.

I miss when it was understood that Loki’s character should reflect the origins in Norse myth. That he is not evil, nor good. Not that he’s strictly good, and not at all evil just because he’s suffered! He’s the god of mischief, chaotic in his nature. Not the god of anti hero with a shitty redemption arc!

Ugh, people are so blind to everything that happened with Mobius, because they’re too focused on shipping him with Loki. Some have the nerve to complain about the mischaracterization, while not realizing that their ship is mischaracterization as well! You can’t cherry pick.

Thank you for the ask!

[destiny-in-the-universe]

RC9GN Commentary + Thoughts

my current and ridiculous hyperfixation on RC9GN is dominating my entire life, oops- but basically, this is mostly me once again testing the waters of not only a potential fanfic with a reimagined/continued-fanon season three and beyond but before i start

Here’s my general commentary of the show!

For starters- Randy is so neurodivergent-coded? He has ADHD, and I feel if his actions in the canon are viewed from a more ND angle, a lot of his behavior makes so much more sense to be honest; he stims, he doesn’t exactly think before he acts sometimes (and it’s only later - once he’s truly thought about his own actions - that he finally realizes he could’ve messed up), he gets overstimulated, and on another thing- he definitely has displayed signs of not only rejection sensitivity dysphoria but he also looks for others’ approval - not in the people pleasing way, he wants to be noticed and he can’t exactly get that

The show can be mature- and it shows in certain moments. Howard‘s beef with the Nomicon is genuinely legitimate, and we see he hates and despises being alone - he’s not socially anxious, but he does seem to only have Randy as his friend; though could it also be tied with Howard just being so used to having him as company that not having him around just gets a little distressing? They were friends from literally three years old- maybe it’s the knowledge that Randy’s now faced with this life-threatening role?

Another thing! The whole thing with the First Ninja (part of the commentary and thoughts of this post) having lost his entire family at the hands of the Sorcerer? That has got to have developed some serious ptsd and survivor’s guilt- it could explain why he’s so strict and rational and attempts to be this mediating figure but also suddenly gives up and loses his temper (like- if his soul is in the nomicon, then has he had proper contact with people? He’d have been completely isolated-)

Going off on “Finja” (though i seriously need to give him a name-), his official introductory episode could’ve gone so much better? Like. I get it, why he seemingly gave up so quickly but also- I think he sees his younger self in Randy and that’s why he could be harder on him, but going back on the last point; “Finja” has gone through so much - even if it isn’t inherently canon - and goodness me, I wish we could’ve seen more of his character- and the idea he’s Randy’s ancestor? Hello?

Massive Commentary incoming!

The Norisu 9 is such an interesting concept- I want to know more, but for that I need to write it; who were they? They were a clan- could they possibly be brought back as other ninjas that fight alongside the Ninja? (AKA Randy) If that’s the case though, wouldn’t it have been mentioned beforehand? Then again- this is entirely fanon. Maybe it’s only in specific moments; like we all know there are eight other realms - apart from the Land of Shadows - that Randy would’ve had to face. Imagine just-

The Norisu 9 are carefully chosen, and that’s likely why they weren’t seen before? Maybe it was thought the bloodline vanished- or only show up when fighting against specific threats like, say, the Sorceress- but now I have to figure out who would be the rest of the Norisu 9? Off the top of my head, genuinely- Debbie should be one of them (a theme of dark purple? But seriously- I feel they all have a select set of powers) - i can’t fully explain my thoughts right now, but also Theresa? Like, they definitely have certain qualities to be ninjas- though that still leaves six more people-

Also like, I really want more on the tengu and the ninja? I have a lot more dedicated to the fanon season three and this is only one part of my thoughts but- i keep thinking about the one episode where tengu! Howard (in the time travel/season one finale episode) was hurt and it affected Randy; like this has so much potential? Like just imagine the angst that could create- or even if Howard was permanently linked to the tengu, and he developed powers and things went a little… south - there is going to be so much I’m going to explore with this tbh

I need to dedicate an entire nine post thesis purely dedicated to my attempts at interpreting the different realms that Randy would have had to face if the show wasn't suddenly cancelled, oh my god

Another thing- the Sorcerer had so much potential as a villain; it's basically what he could have been if the show wasn't posed so much as a lighthearted action-comedy, but this is also a topic for another day. The amount of brainrot I've been dealing with is so ridiculous, someone help

[kitkatt0430]

In canon, of course, when Jason goes back to Gotham on his Lazarous Pit Fueled Rage Bender (TM), he sees Tim as Robin, a small kid in his old colors who probably doesn't fully understand the danger he's attracting from Batman's enemies or the exacting standards Bruce has that (like a lot of adults) he won't explain until you fail them (and maybe not even then) and...

And Jason doesn't see Tim for himself. Jason sees Tim as a stand in (replacement) for himself that Jason can project his feelings of failure and self hatred on to. I see a lot of the fandom having Jason apologize in part with a 'it wasn't about you and I shouldn't have made it about you, it was about Bruce' slant. And while that's great, love the much needed apologies and mending of their relationship in fanfic spaces but...

Jason does take his anger for Bruce out on Bruce. Jason takes his anger at himself out on Tim.

And while I wanna unpack that at some point, eventually... what if Jason saw Tim and instead of the pit rage kicking in to make Tim a dumping ground for his anger at himself... Jason saw Tim and saw a kid that needed to be saved. Saw himself, young and naive, thinking that Bruce was a hero who'd always be there for him and put him first. Trusting that Bruce would always believe Jason so long as he told the truth. Trusting his absent mother would love him when she came back into his life.

It's not a 'oh now that I've met Tim I realize my rage toward him is unreasonable' reaction (though I do enjoy those fics) but a 'never hated Tim in the first place, but is still seeing Tim as a stand in for himself' type thing.

Jason looks and sees what seems like a kid just like him standing where he used to and wants to do for that kid what he wished someone had done for him. So he... kidnaps Tim. With good intentions; he doesn't want to hurt Tim, but give Tim a soft place to land away from the dangers of being Robin. Tim wouldn't see it that way, but Jason starts the 'kidnapping to show his brotherly love' fanon thing early here.

Tim, of course, is super excited when he realizes his kidnapper, the Red Hood, is actually Jason somehow alive again. He connects the green eyes of glowy rage with the Lazarous Pit which at least explains why Jason is all angry-snappy about Bruce when Tim tries to get Jason to go home.

So Tim would start trying to figure out how to defuse the Bruce-related anger by explaining why he blackmailed his way into being Robin. And while Jason isn't in the right frame of mind to recognize he's being a bit unreasonable about being angry that Bruce didn't grieve for him in exactly the way Jason wants to have been grieved for - destructive rage towards the Joker instead of inwards self-hatred that Bruce was actually succumbing to - he does rightly recognize that Bruce needing to rely on a child to rein him back in was extremely harmful and unfair to Tim. Jason wants Tim to be angry about this, not understanding that Tim underwent very different kinds of abuse in his formative years.

Jason would get physically abused by Willis and while Catherine meant well, her dependency on her son as her caretaker while she got high was it's own kind of emotional abuse. It was anger that gave Jason the strength to protect himself and stand up for himself and others. Righteous anger can be a good thing, it can fuel the desire to change things for the better. But anger can also be exhausting and it's an emotion where it can make everything look like a nail to it's hammer. And I do like the idea that caught in the Pit Rage's influence, Jason would experience both kinds of anger in a heightened way. Smacking at Batman and Joker and Black Mask and lesser targets like nails to hammer. But also righteous anger and a desire to protect and help kids like him. Like Tim.

But Tim's reaction to the abusive levels of neglect his parents saddled him with has left Tim with a crippling need to be perfect while accepting that doing so will only achieve a minimum level of attention. He's attention starved and touch starved and expects his best - which is often better than others but how would he know that? - not to be good enough. What Jason identifies, rightly, as Bruce behaving badly towards a kid (at least in Tim's stories about his early days as Robin) is actually an improvement over his parents in Tim's eyes. Honestly, the better Tim is treated, the more confused he gets right now, so some of what Bruce has been up to more recently with him has probably left Tim utterly bewildered and making incorrect assumptions why Bruce is acting that way.

(Has Bruce identified the problem with Tim's parents and been genuinely making efforts to help Tim that Tim doesn't recognize because he's been taught that he's an imposition and Bruce isn't actually trained to identify the correct way to handle this kind of situation? Probably, but that's not what this idea is about.)

And so we have this battle of wills going on. Jason trying to keep Tim safe from harm and far away from his revenge plans. But constantly having to up the Robin proofing of where he's keeping Tim stashed because Tim keeps trying to summon Batman for a family reunion. The two of them having heart to hearts during the day, desperately trying to understand each other and get through the other's stubbornness.

I honestly don't know where this would wind up by the end, but the front half of the idea feels relatively solid.

Also Bruce is totally melting down over Tim being missing. Tim's parents probably haven't noticed yet. Alfred has probably been going out with his shotgun while no one is paying attention to him and trying to glean info on who took Tim in his own way. (His pseudo grandson is missing after the one before him died and Alfred doesn't at least make threats in an attempt to find out who took him? Nope, Alfred is being proactive about this. I can see this leading him to Red Hood and Jason just being relieved that Alfred, at least, isn't gonna judge him harshly for having guns as his weapons of choice.)

(Alfred - *threatening to shoot Red Hood for taking Tim*

Jason - So this means Alfred won't judge me for shooting bad guys, yes?)

[sickknotdoom]

volume 5 predictions ⁉️

main tagging bc i genuinely think im onto something with these

brigh as protagonist/major character (he was on the landing image before the site went down so)

hospital has to temporarily close due to investigation? idk how to phrase this like. not accepting new patients? if it's going to take place mainly outside, then this makes sense imo

maybe we're gonna see the doctors lives outside the hospital? if cuddles. lets them have those....! like if it's gonna take place outside then that makes sense i think

brigh x rem softcore.

puppy's brainwashing explored (PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE i remember that post i made really early into the account about how i hated her writing/thought she was a negative stereotype but honestly i wanna see this explored........ please........)

uni coming out! v5 ref is the first one that states she's transfem (w/o having to boost the green) and there's already been "foreshadowing" to her identity and relationship with carrie if you do enough mental gymnastics

sunshine and nya appearance + secret relationship that got their offices split apart

morgue from preboot (without livings sadly)

SOMEONE'S GOTTA DIE!!!!!!!! my best bet is hemera, not bc i want her to (i love her and will sob) but bc there's been a trend of fanon jokes/desires being crammed into canon (bpc, rewriting v1 to appease doomry shippers, etc.) and since most commenters treat her like a mini-cuddles, i wouldn't be surprised. second most likely is mr v, third is doom but for completely different reasons (i think they kill themself. again i love them and will sob)

wait it would be so cool if the old puppy design was like. canonically on spinch but dead. and we saw a gravestone that said Here Lies Brake N. Harts

[inbetweenhours]

Because I am obsessed with this one line from Battle Cries by The Amazing Devil and will continue to reuse it in artwork I of course had this though for using it in comparison to the twins of Rivendell, Scott and Xornoth. As I though more about the piece it evolved into a study of the cycle of corruption and hate between brothers within Rivendell’s leadership. This fight that was born in Rivendells foundation and which died only with the kingdom itself.

Doing this I managed to put a lot more thought into my actual ideas about how the majorly slumbering pantheon that the Stag Gods herald from operates its history especially. I revisited my concepts of Alinar and Cohnel, and I made sure to keep in mind the key differences in all the brothers relationships, as well as how the corruption and championship affected them. 

Below the cut im gonna ramble about the lore both canon and MOSTLY my won fanon that provides background to this piece and how it came together in my head :]

I am going to go through each set of brothers and describe their history. From their conception, to their finality, in the context of being a pair. 

The Stag Gods are unique in their conception. For the sake of ages they are affectively twins. The pantheon they hail from was born in the time after the titans fell. As Pixlriffs describes in his opening to season 2, mighty titans once roamed the earn and when they fell their bodies became the lands that empires now rise and fall on today.  The era of gods that Exor and Aeor were conceptualized in were some of the first creatures to evolve to inhabit the lands that these titans bodies became. The first stags, the first serpents, the first flora. The first seasons, of winter, to spring, and summer. Wilderness was born and from it rose divinity in its first era. That of the Stag gods.

When Aeor and Exor were young fawns they were nothing more than animal. Young and reckless, exploratory as they took on their responsibilities. Bringing order and chaos, winter and summer. A cycle  ever chasing one another. They were so different, but they were brothers. They could not be without the other, as is their cyclical nature.

They are affectively the same age. And they grew up in a time where they and the other gods were the only sentient life around. They are neither benevolent nor malevolent gods. No deity is, because those are mortal terms. Their understanding of mortality is comparable to human understanding of ants. They work, and they have built great things have systems. But everything looks so simple from the gods view. 

The gods take care of mortality in the same way a man may take care of his dog. The dog is loyal and loved and cared for, but it is still only a dog. When the corruption first rose it ugly red shades across the land the gods grew weary. It threatened their precious pets, destroying mortalities hard work and making them ill and crazed. So the pantheon banded together and supposedly defeated The Corruption. It took the full strength of most, and so most of the pantheon fell into slumber. The Stag Gods among the few who continued to stand.

The brother stags founded Rivendell high in the mountains, a place to protect and watch over the mortals they personally  had found preference in, the elven civilization. For a long time the elves worshiped both stags, but as time went on a preference for Aeor and his orderly ways grew. Exor grew jealous, and emboldened by the last remnant of The Corruption which has laid in wait for it time to rise again, he acted out. And as more and more conflict grew between the brother stags, the corruption took its hold in Exor, turning him cruel and greedy, and in turn twisting up all the gods followers as well.

We all know how this story ends. Aeor and his brother fight, divided finally, futile, by The Corruption, and Exor alongside his followers are banished to the mountain peaks to waste away in the caves.

Alinar and Cohnel are the next of the brothers. They are third generation Rivendells citizens. Alinar is older than Cohnel, by some years. They come from a comfortable family, nothing so noble, as the country  flourishes around them. They play together in the streets, Alinar leaning Cohnel by the hand too keep him from running off. The play in the snow and as thy grow older  dare to hike further and further into snowy peaks. Till one day they would discover the ruins of where Exors fanatics were one sealed away. 

Alinar would urge them to leave, taking Cohnel home. Enough warning in old tales told as bedtime stories enough to ward him away. But not Cohnel. Ever cursed with youthful curiosity he would return alone. And he would not be seem for many months. Declared missing Alinar would mourn, grow, and push himself to help others where he could not his brother. He would join the council leading Rivendell, where he would be in a position to see the rampant increase of missing persons. The unease and fear it drew throughout their kingdom.

And  under oath to protect the people Alinar would set out, meet his brother again on the battlefield. Now corrupted from his once boyish youth Cohnel is nothing of the baby brother Alinar once guided. Still, the boy has their mothers nose, and the same eyes. Alinar is weak in one moment and decides he cannot kill his baby brother. But he is a member of the council and a hero of the people. Aeor gives him help, guides him as his champion and  brings him to the conclusion of a banishment spell. So he does just that, never to see his brother again, and goes on to become the champion of Rivendell. Heralded as its first king.

The final set of brothers are best known I presume. Scott and Xornoth, twins of Rivendells monarchy. Xornoth is older, and that is important to me as I often debate giving them a real age gap but I will stick with the twins lore for now. Descendants of Alinar. As members of the monarchy these brothers lives are different to the others. They found more solace in one another as refuge from responsibility and ridicule from their parents. 

Both princes grew well educated, and with that they knew even more of their history than perhaps the general public were privy. Their ancestry, and that of the gods more available. Both were devout in their academics and their religion, as they were brought up to be. However a key difference was Xornoths ability to push boundaries, push questions. Always a thirst for more, more more- especially in the way of knowledge. They drudged up arguments with mere curiosity and while Scott entertained his brothers thoughts, he was much more well behaved. Not risking mentors or parents good temperament for answers when he could easily keep his mouth shut. 

Still, he encouraged Xornoth’s curiosity, even as it grew more fascinated with more forbidden insight. More curious to Exors scorned history. With so much historical documentation of devotion to Exor destroyed out of fear a long, long time ago Xornoth only grew more despertaly curious. And when they found note of old banished groups of ollowers in the mountains he pleaded with Scott for a coverup. 

Scott allowed it, the two sneaking away and Xornoth returning with an ancient tomb. Obsessive was what Xornoth was turning into, red glint in their sharp eyes growing more by the day till finally  something gave. Where there was once passive irritation and distain Xornoth grew quick to anger and  violence. Till finally the ysnapped, and in a late, fitful arguement with their parents they killed them both.

Scott had not an idea what happened. Not until he awoke the next morning to maids screams. His parents dead, and his brother gone- nothing more than a banishment sigil burned into their bedroom floor as indication to where they had went. Scott would be coronated, and with his kingship he only became more devout to Aeor. 

Scott believed his brother dead, and moved on for over a decade till the events of season one as we know it. Xornoths return, the understanding of what had happened to them. Being championed, and capturing his brother. Hoping dearly to find a way to undo Exors influence. Till finally out of time the two battle on Rivendell peaks, overrun with corruption.

Scott decides to be selfless, killing himself on the rune blade. and As he bleeds out Aeors presence withdrawals from him. As Aeor withdrawals, so does Exor. Until it is only Scott, delirious with bloodloss and pain. Until it is only Xornoth, finally in their right mind after decades of corruption and divinity puppeteering them. And they see their little brother, and know they had failed to protect him from themselves when they ran away. There is nothing left to be done as Xornoth moves to hold Scott in their last moments. Offering the smallest comfort as death takes them both by virtue of their connection.

The cycle of brother, loved and corrupted, which started in the seeds of their kingdoms foundation and that has withered with its end. It is all finally over.

[dreamwreaver]

It would be kinda funny if, for all those Lilith owning Alastor's soul theories, those two ended becoming friends instead, like a bit of subversion of expectations. Let's not forget that besides her daughter and her daughter's hotelier, she also loves pineapple pizza. There's also her being an advocate for resistance against Heaven (like Charlie) and sending out her voice across Hell as a powerful sinner demon (like Alastor.) I'm kinda hoping that she sees Alastor with Charlie and immediately assumes they're together (like Lucifer) but congratulates her daughter for bagging an overlord while thanking Alastor for helping her when she couldn't (remember the fact he arrived after Charlie called her mom for help)

Ngl that has been popular fanon since the pilot. Luci hating Alastor while Lilith is full supportive mama. She went for a bad boy too, she gets it. And I will say that if she knew about Vaggie's origins she'd be rightfully distrustful as the exorcists are creations of her ex husband. Not to mention the fact that Vaggie still seems to unconsciously view herself as being above sinners the same way that Lucifer does. Lilith was a human, and I don't think she'd take too kindly to her daughter dating someone who for all she touts about believing in redemption, doesn't seem to really think it's possible for people.

This is of course, assuming the Lilith we're going to see is true Lilith. Again, I don't think they would have made a point of showing us as many happy family portraits as they did if it was false. I can even compare it; in the same universe Stolas and Stella have exactly 1 happy family portrait of them at LooLoo Land. One, out of an entire mansion of portraits and the series knew it wasn't important we see a happy family that once was because it was a facade.

But I'll hold off my theories until we have a closer release date lmao

[dandelion-wings]

Hello! Love your fic and blog. I would love to hear your thoughts on something. There's a thing I sometimes see people say...that like Kaeya should have told Diluc his secret earlier than he did. (And I agree that he should have told him at a different time. And I do think it is generally a good thing that would strengthen their relationship, after they work through it, and it gives Kaeya a confidant.) Idk, it's complicated because I kind of feel like Kaeya doesn't really owe anyone the truth until such a time that he is put in a position of potential or active harm to Mondstadt. But I am generally of the opinion that people are way too harsh on most of the characters that keep secrets, as if that in itself is a moral wrong.

Hmmm. I had to think about this a little, anon, because "should" is such a loaded term here!

I think so much about evaluating his choices here depends on context we simply don't have in canon. Is Kaeya actually in Mondstadt for any malicious reason, or did his father leave him there to protect him in some way (and if so, did he justify it with a false mission to make Kaeya cooperate, or is Kaeya fearing a war that isn't actually likely to come)? If there was a reason, was he an active agent (spy, saboteur, what have you) or a helpless pawn (c.f. this post)? If there was an actual plot, has his loyalty changed and he doesn't have to do anything for Khaenri'ah going forward, or does he fear some kind of secret trigger word or magical control that would make him a danger to Mondstadt no matter what? Is "Khaenri'ah" only the Abyss Order at this point, or are there actual non-Order Khaenri'ahans still around that Alberich Sr. is trying to save? (Or, in between the two, is he on the "save/purify the hilichurls" boat with Caribert, but is taking a different tack than the Order, or working with them only reluctantly?)

An important question for me has always been whether the fanon that Kaeya is "a prince" is true because, if he is, and there is an actual plan, and there are actual Khaenri'ahans this plan was meant to save, then morally speaking I don't think he should have told at all. I tolerate royalty even in my fiction only and exclusively on the premise that they serve their people No Matter What (this is why I still hate Ei >> ), and I would lose all respect for him if those three conditions obtained and he still chose Mondstadt.

But like... my insanely high standards for fictional royalty aside... Kaeya was a kid abandoned in a foreign land. That's the one thing we know for absolute certainty. Even if he was around Diluc's age of eighteen, and even if Mondstadt definitely gives responsibility to kids way younger than in our world, to me that's still a kid. "Should" seems to come with moral judgement here that's pretty harsh, given that, and I say this as someone who does judge Diluc around the same events--but with the same ambivalence, for the same reasons, of him being a kid in a tough spot. (I did not make better decisions re: sibling relationships than either of them at that age, let me put it that way.) Also, honestly, if Kaeya had confessed earlier, I don't think Diluc was the person to initially do it to--leaving aside all moral questions, I think the smart person to tell would have been Crepus, an actual adult who, while not perfect as a parent by any means, I feel likely would have chosen to protect his adopted son from blowback. He almost certainly had the experience as a businessman to control when and how that information was disseminated to any relevant parties, including Diluc himself.

I honestly don't even think Kaeya "owes" anyone the truth even if it does put Mondstadt at risk, though that comes from the premise that he still feels conflicted somewhat (which canon has drifted away from somewhat but I do stubbornly cling to, because it's spicier, and I don't love them blandifying my boy >> ). He gets to make his own choices. And then he gets to deal with whatever consequences fall out for them! And honestly, while I feel like the morality of secret-keeping in the real world depends very much on the secrets and their impacts, and can often go horribly wrong, in fiction it leads to some of my favorite kinds of narrative drama. So I guess that's my takeaway!

[olderthannetfic]

My fandom got new content recently. Rather, the trailer for new content.

[ Maybe "my fandom" is misleading-- I've been in love with this world since the mid-2000s. A major character I was fond of in the original medium got promoted to one of the leads in the most recent expensive adaptation. (Un)Fortunately, they became part of the Big Ship and was subsequently UwU-fied.

Fanon became the lay of the land. People who had never seen the adaptation, much less the originals, were pervasively vitriolic against any slight against it. They legitimately thought it was actual canon. Even some of the biggest creators in the fandom have admitted they don't watch/read/game, yet people take their word as The Gospel.

The gods forbid if you didn't kiss the ground of the Big Ship and its fanon.

Anyway. ]

The reblogs/retweets are unavoidable. Short of deleting accounts to reset the algorithm, I've done my best. No amount of blocking or muting certain words has saved me. I've seen the same gif of That Character 500x over with every simp (do we still say that?) text vomit option under the sun.

I'm.... just sad about it. Adaption quality aside, this specific storyline has been dear to my heart ever since I read the originals so long ago. I'd like to see it anew. While I don't actually hate the character at the core, fandom has really given me a revulsion reflex that I can't seem to separate.

I wish I knew how to fix it.

--

[jackoshadows]

What I don't understand is why Sansa stans, who want to get rid of Arya in Winterfell, go for the laziest fanon of Arya being a tourist - a theory that's borrowed from ultimate hacks D&D and the garbage TV show and which ending GRRM has repeatedly disavowed.

Arya becoming some kind of world explorer at the end pretty much ignores her book story, narrative arc, characterization and throws away the material in her so far written 32 pov chapters for an ending they came up with because of a made up headcanon. An headcanon which is far removed from the book character.

If one wants to get rid of Arya in Winterfell to make way for Sansa, the least they could do is actually read Arya's chapters and attempt to come up with an ending that makes more sense for the character.

Arya is a character who wants to help. From Mycah to Weasel to Samwell Tarly, Arya is someone who stands up against injustice even at great risk to herself. She's selfless and would sacrifice her personal happiness for the greater good. She wants things to be better, for herself, for her friends, for the smallfolk.

One ending could be Arya Stark as a leader of the Riverlands, helping rebuild from the ravages of war, helping the people who survived. Arya, who has the empathy and the skillsets to help them, who has listened and learned from her father on how to govern. We see Willow Heddle take care of orphans and managing an inn with a quiet efficiency that mirrors Arya's and Gendry hanging around helping her. I could see Arya and Gendry continue their relationship, fall in love, marry and settle down in the Riverlands while Arya either rules the Riverlands as the Tully heir/Cat's daughter or as Lady of Harrenhal helps Edmure Tully rebuild the Riverlands.

Or, if Jon Snow leaves for beyond the Wall as the leader of the new territories and lands there, maybe Arya goes with him. Considering their close bond and love for each other and the fact that home is where each other is - something else that is again established in the books - if she had no choice but to leave Winterfell, going with Jon Snow to help him lead the freefolk beyond the Wall could be another option.

Or if Bran does end up becoming King on the Iron Throne, then she could stay in KL to help her much loved baby brother. She wouldn't like leaving Winterfell, but Arya is a character who sacrifices and does what's right, no matter how hard it is for her to do personally. Plus, she wanted to be a king's councillor and build things. Her training and skillsets with the FM would also make her alert to any future LF/Varys types trying to plot against Bran - not that someone who can see into the past and present needs a master spy...

Or Arya and Brienne start a school for young girls who are interested in learning different things and have teachers who actually develop their talents based on what they are good at instead of being hateful for what they cannot be.

In my opinion, any of these endings is better than 'Arya, world explorer' an empty, nonsensical ending that has no connection to the character's book story and is actually contemptuous of the suffering and trauma this child has been through over several books. Meet new people and learn new languages? What do these folks think Arya has been doing so far? The girl's been traveling from her second AGoT chapter, meeting countless people. sailed the narrow seas, engaged with new cultures, learned new languages. She's been there, done that.

What's even more ridiculous is that it's Sansa stans who often engage in the oppression olympics of Sansa having suffered the worst, that Sansa 'deserves' Winterfell because she suffered the most abuse, that the only ending that makes sense for Sansa is being back in Winterfell because she suffered so much etc. And yet according to these very same folks, Sansa is going to roll up her sleeves and tirelessly work to lead the people of the North, while Arya is going on a cruise ship vacation and vlog about the new cuisine she is trying out...Hey, maybe after having suffered the most of ALL characters in the series, maybe it's Sansa who deserves the cruise ship vacation, you know?

We have the author himself saying that Arya's harrowing experiences and journey through Westeros and Essos has aged her up so much that he considers the character older than some of the 40 year olds in the books! And yet there are still people harping on and on about tourist Arya ffs.

I personally think Arya will be in Winterfell at the end of the books, either helping her younger brothers Bran/Rickon lead the North or more probably as a leader in her own right.

Arya is a central character in the series, the female character with the most POV chapters. There's no way GRRM has one of his lead female characters end up playing a supporting role in her brothers or sister's story. No way.

The author has given her the character development in the books to lead the North. She has a hulking huge grey direwolf at her side - the sigil of house Stark. She is the lone Stark who has the Stark look. Her direwolf is named after the first Dornish princess who changed female inheritance in Dorne - a big clue for a character who has chafed against patriarchal restrictions on what women can and cannot do. I mean this is how we are introduced to Arya Stark in her very first AGoT chapter:

“The Lannisters are proud,” Jon observed. “You’d think the royal sigil would be sufficient, but no. He makes his mother’s House equal in honor to the king’s.”

“The woman is important too!” Arya protested. - Arya, AGoT

It's clear to me that her arc is heading towards her being the first Lady of Winterfell/Wardeness of the North, nicely bookending her arc which started with her wanting the woman to be as important as the man, arguing for equality when it comes to their house. That's how organic story telling and building a narrative actually works.

I am aware of the principal Internet forums about A Song of Ice and Fire and I really used to look at the American and English groups. Nowadays, the most important site is Westeros, but I started to feel uncomfortable and I thought it would be a better idea not to get to these sides. The fans use to come up with theories; lots of them are just speculative but some of them are in the right way. Before the Internet, one reader could guess the ending you wanna do for your novel, but the other 10.000 wouldn’t know anything and they would be surprised. However, now, those 10.000 people use the Internet and read the right theories. They say: “Oh God, the butler did it!”, to use an example of a mystery novel. Then, you think: “I have to change the ending! The maiden would be the criminal!” To my mind that way is a disaster because if you are doing well you work, the books are full of clues that point to the butler doing it and help you to figure up the butler did it, but if you change the ending to point the maiden, the clues make no sense anymore; they are wrong or are lies, and I am not a liar. - GRRM

[purplink8]

Naomi is one of my favorite characters so I decided to compile my thoughts on her in this post! :D

(Disclaimer: I do not particularly like the fanon version of Naomi & while I do dislike Raye, I still believe without a doubt that he cared for Naomi (enough to go along with Light when he threatened to kill his loved ones, and the first one to pop up in his head was Naomi) and had his (however misguided (by sexism ofc)) best interests at heart for her. That does not absolve him for being, frankly, really really rude + sexist to Naomi and I will forever be annoyed with him for that.

tl;dr I'm neither a fanon!Naomi stan nor a Raye apologist. Anywho-)

Before I talk about Naomi, I want you to take a look at this panel directly above the one in which she first appears.

Before Naomi's first appearance, Ryuk says "I guess women being tough in crisis goes for humans, too." This is said in reference to Yuri being unphased with the bus-hijacking and dragging our fave sexist murderer to Space Land haha.

But I think it's significant that the above quote was said by Ryuk for all women (maybe the real feminism was the Shinigami we found all along!) JUST BEFORE Naomi's first appearance.

Even before Naomi is introduced, the canon has (however jokingly (side-eyeing you Light-o)) established that women are tough in crisis. I do think that's saying something- especially when you'll see (which will be discussed in length in this post) that this statement holds true ESPECIALLY for Naomi.

But we'll come back to this later; let's move on to Naomi actual appearance in canon.

We're introduced to her as Raye's loving fiancé who is also attentive (receptive) towards him as she asks him why he's tired to which he mentions the bus-hijack.

She's quiet in noting down her observations in her head as she asks Raye for more info regarding the bus hijack:

Look at the '...' she has before asking Raye for details. We can read it as hesitation to voice her suspicions before they sound strong enough or as the pause to think it all through OR more likely as we'll see in the panels below, she perhaps hesitates due to the conditions she agreed to with Raye. The pause may also be due to her analytical mind starting to work, she has to mull over the details she's just been given before reaching to a conclusion.

She does speak out on her misgivings as she clearly cares about Raye and thinks (& correctly at that!) that he met Kira.

Only to get shut down by him. Raye is, obviously, sexist and rude here but we have to remember that Raye thinks he's doing the right thing (according to his sexist 'i have to protect her from danger' attitude anyway). He does admit that she was an excellent fbi agent but still, he's not respecting her opinions.

Now this is where my hate for Raye shines through like

"once you pop up some of my babies, that habit won't pop up anymore" ~Raye Penber, probably, i wish i was exaggerating

Raye is unbelievably dismissive of Naomi here. Not only does he not take her concerns seriously, he also follows it up with a 'joke' about directing her intelligence towards being his future wife. Now, I do believe that Naomi wanted to quit her job too but that doesn't make it okay for Raye to y'know treat Naomi like this. And Naomi (being genuinely apologetic) politely chuckles it off.

I think this brings us to an important aspect of her character: she has a sort of passive attitude. She is not that assertive imo instead preferring to be compliant and yielding. She values harmony in her relationships & avoids conflicts by being agreeable (at least with Raye).

Then Kira happens to Raye Penbar and other FBI agents. I find it interesting how these panels are placed next to each other:

These panels are juxtaposed to each other to perhaps show us that while killing the FBI agents may be like a game to Kira & L, there are real stakes involved for those related to Kira's victims- they become pawns in Kira & L's game-: Naomi being the prime example, who is shown grieving Raye's death.

She is intelligent enough to deduce that Raye was murdered by Kira.

Now instead of wallowing in her misery (remember what Ryuk said about women being tough in crisis? yeah this is what's happening here), the former FBI agent picks herself up, gathers her wits + composure, and gets ready to investigate.

We're then shown panels of Naomi travelling alone. I want you to remember that the emotional wound of losing her fiancé is still fresh & forefront in her mind (trying to catch Kira is a very close second). Even if her thoughts are not depicted (her ride to Shinjuku is deathly silent: with neither dialogue nor thoughts- meant to express how she deals with her grief- Naomi takes action and does so quietly), we get an idea of how she feels.

Alone. Torn between feeling lonely/helpless yet determined to catch the murderer who killed the man she loved. Still, she perseveres.

And she gets info from the bus conductor, that there were six passengers other than Raye during the bus-hijack. She figures that since Kira must've been someone out of those six people, Kira may be living somewhere near that bus route. It's a small lead but a lead nonetheless.

Naomi also infers that Kira is able to kill people by causes other than heart attacks too. More importantly, she is of utmost confidence that her finding IS a fact which means she wouldn't be shook off that belief any time soon. Which is really, really bad for Kira as it narrows down the list of Kira suspects considerably well.

I'm gonna focus on Naomi's POV (you'll know why later):

_____________________________________________________________

She enters the NPA building and the receptionists are being much help: saying that there's nobody on the task force here despite her appointment with them, which was made the previous day + asking her to just leave a message when she insists on meeting the task force personally.

This is important to her. Why are they being so difficult? She'd had an incredibly long day, her fiancé is dead and only she seems to have a clue of Kira's powers extend to killing people by causes other than heart attacks. She absolutely needs to tell this clue to the Task Force. If only somebody actually listened to her. (Even Raye, when he was alive, refused to do that).

Then a young guy, who introduces himself as the son of the task force Chief, comes in and talks with the receptionists about a case he had helped solve in the past. Whatever. That information does not help her in the slightest. She came here for one purpose and one purpose only: speak to the Task Force. Why are the receptionists so warm towards him while being so useless to her? And then the boy says something interesting:

He (if she heard correctly) may be able to beat L in solving the Kira case. He's definitely got her attention now. Either he's way too confident or there may be a degree of truth in his statement (well, they did just say how he helped them solve a case when he was a high schooler). Still, it's not like this guy can help her catch Kira when he's not even in the task force, right?

She's just about to mentally dismiss him when:

...he shares valuable information with her- something which the receptionists haven't (even if they had their reasons) and even better, offers to help her (he's the first person to do so ever since Raye died). He chooses to trust her (he had no reason to do that but does so anyway maybe due to the goodness of his heart? (she doesn't know- still he has helped her out a great deal already)).

It feels weird accepting his help but the boy is very polite + willing to help so she does. And offers him her sincerest thanks.

He also seems to think that Kira has greater powers than people think. That surprises her.

To think this young guy has deduced something which she had too...she chooses to confide in him a little (not so much, just a little without details, just as vague as his statement was) that that's why she's here.

The stranger tells his name. Light Yagami. And asks for hers. She's not taking any chances. Raye died because of giving his ID to someone in the bus (who, she's sure, was Kira) and while this kid seems relatively harmless, she's cautious. She has prepared for this. So she gives him an alias. Shoko Maki.

It seems she hadn't heard the end of his deductions. According to him, Kira can also control people's actions before they die- and she finally has someone intelligent enough, trustworthy enough (he trusts her AND has helped her out a lot) who is willing to listen that she cracks, offering him the final piece of the info she has puzzled out: that Kira can kill by causes other than heart attacks.

More information trickles out her (the kid, Light Yagami- she reminds herself- is surprisingly great at putting her at ease)...she tells him about her fiancé meeting Kira before his death. He's silent. When asked about it, he tells her it is due to the shock of hearing that.

Light is a patient listener, asking her details, offering his views on the matter so she doesn't mind telling him everything she has concluded thus far with utter conviction:

He's initially skeptical of course:

Still, he agrees that it's worth investigating into and that's what matters to her.

After thinking about it for a while, he informs her that he's convinced of her theory. Not only does he take her seriously, he also takes notes of the details of the incident.

Light has been as useful as a person in his position could have been and she's really grateful. She wishes to tell the task force herself so she heads back to the NPA.

He's still following her. Maybe he's doing this out of politeness? She tells him that she'll be fine on her own and thanks him for all his help. She turns. The kid approaches her again.

Only to tell her why the members of the task force were said to be absent.

Now she's suspicious. Why does this kid know so much about this investigation which ought to be kept secret from the general public? So she asks him. Only to get hit by this bombshell:

He is, if he's telling the truth, a member of the task force. Well, that explains a lot.

He tells us that all the members of the task force have been hand-picked by L.

Then she doesn't need to go back to the NPA, as she has already spoken to Light who, by his own admission, is a member of the task force which means her insights will be passed on to L.

Now that she knows that L selected Light himself, she allows herself to trust the kid enough (as she completely trusts L) to tell him that she worked with L on a case 2 years ago when she was in the FBI.

Naomi reveals that she'd been reluctant to trust the police and even the task force compared to L who has her complete trust (her plan was to ask them to let her speak to L directly, i.e., she didn't even want the task force to know her insights). Light asks her then why did she tell him something which should've been for L's ears only.

She gives him her reason.

She feels that Light & L are similar somehow (I think it's her gut feeling) and since she trusts L, she also, kind of, trusts this kid as he reminds him of L.

Then, something crazy happens. He asks her if she would like to join the investigation... She is flabbergasted, to say the least. She had come thinking that she'd be lucky if she got to talk to L directly but joining the task force herself?

Still, she has to admit the kid is nothing if not convincing. She feels indecisive. She doesn't know what to do; she's been feeling lost since Raye died. They were in Japan for a short while only. Hell, they were going to get married & get settled permanently in the USA. And now none of it was possible.

Raye was dead. She had to accept that.

What should she do?

But when the kid brings up how she's still a young beautiful woman for this dangerous investigation, she finds her doubts shattering and her resolve hardening. She realizes that she has gotten a new purpose now.

With her fiancé gone, she's got nothing left to lose anymore. Getting Kira (who was responsible for his death) is the only thing that matters to her anymore, as she says in her outburst. She'd do anything, regardless of risks to her life, to make sure that Kira is caught.

She's very determined now to join the investigation and requests Light for the same. He asks her some proof of her identification.

She hesitates, but feels this can't be helped: she reasons to herself, as she apologizes for giving out a fake name earlier. He praises her carefulness. And she gives him her driving license. He asks her some details about the time she was in the FBI. And keeps glancing at his watch strangely often enough to prompt her to ask him why:

He, once again, looks down at his watch as he replies.

He is Kira.

Light Yagami is Kira.

She is horrified, with realization dawning at her eyes that she has already given him her real name, and is filled with dread of what is to come.

And just an instant later, she turns sharply (not unlike clockwork) away from him. She feels as if she's in a trance. He is speaking something to her.

What's the matter?

An answer comes unbidden to her lips, as if that's what she's been supposed to say all along, like she has practiced this chat with him before,

"There's something I have to do."

The words feel foreign to her, and yet she feels that that's what she was destined to say anyway.

Didn't you want to talk to my father?

The words are a blur as she replies mindlessly.

"No. I have nothing to say to him."

_____________________________________________________________

...well, that. was. Dark.

No, really, it's so fucked up how Light taunts Naomi in her final moments that's why I hate him during this scene.

But anyway, I wrote those 1.4k words talking from only Naomi's POV so that we may understand why she allows herself to trust Light.

I think the argument of her trusting Light "that easily" is uh... debatable? If you pay attention to the plot, it's not that hard to believe that Naomi comes eventually to trust Light.

I think people take this panel at its face value...

...which is just Light self-congratulating himself AFTER he got Naomi's real name (only to think 'that was a close call...' in the next panel itself) like? You guys, don't fall into his trap thinking that Naomi trusted him way too easily.

This guy cognitive-restructures his way out of every setback. Just because Light wants to convince himself that it was that easy to overcome this setback of a woman, doesn't mean you have to be fooled into thinking the same as Light too. This is just his hindsight-bias talking.

We know how hard it was for him to figure out a way to get Naomi's real name after she gave him an alias (while being as cool as a cucumber too). Do not forget that before you chide Naomi for being too naive (yes she IS a little naive (y'know the trusting L a 100 percent? after working with him through a computer screen?) but we shouldn't blame her for giving Light her real name). She was being careful all along.

Until Light, with his genius social skills (remember he's exceedingly polite & helpful + just. a. Kid in Naomi's eyes), focused all his intelligence to achieve his goal of getting Naomi reveal her real name and succeeded as he's an excellent manipulator and got luck on his side while Naomi's degree of luck is exceedingly low.

Also remember that Naomi is freshly grief-stricken and this polite kid is the first one to stop and listen to her (+ agree with her respectfully). And then too she gave him an alias. But was forced to give out her real name because the situation called for it.

(I don't put much stock in htr13 stats but I think we can safely conclude that it's correct about Naomi lack of good luck. Also, she dislikes stalkers and Raye stalked Light (yes he was just doing his job but still you have to admit it's a lil funny that she was gonna marry a stalker- ok I'm done now with the htr13 discussion)). Moving on!

After Naomi's death (she was only 28 at that time), L accepts the phone call from her parents reporting her as missing and comes to know that she's Raye Penber's fiancé. L finds her name familiar and has Watari look her up, to find that she arrested the preparator of the LABB case, which reminds him that he worked with her on that case.

When Aizawa & Matsuda suggest that she may have killed herself after hearing news about her fiancé, L disagrees with them saying that the Naomi Misora he knew had great inner strength and was an excellent FBI agent. He thinks that she's try to go after Kira (and he's not wrong).

And that's all the info about her that the manga canon offers us.

In conclusion, I think Naomi is very intelligent yet a little gullible/trusting of people (she chooses to believe in the good of the people methinks), polite, quiet, introverted, a tad passive, and tremendously emotionally tough (seriously tho, she's in grief sure, and that makes her vulnerable to Light's tactics to get her to trust him & all that but it takes guts to go after a killer who can kill just by knowing your name & face just after he killed your future husband).

Canon!Naomi is far more complex than the girlbossified fanon version of her and I love her <3

[vorbarrsultana]

the vampire lestat reread, pt. 1 (lestat and nickistat)

also known as "i decided to reread tvl after the season finale because some takes i've seen online give me the impression i read a completely different book two years ago". i've finished it two days ago, and turns out i have more than 5000 words of notes that significally exceed tumblr character limit. so, i had to split them into three parts.

here is part one, all about dramatic theater kids full of love, sad violinists of infinite beauty, and friends-to-lovers romances doomed by the narrative.

i love lestat.

i forgot how fun and likable tvl lestat is from page one. and how different he is from his fanon characterization!

lestatposting is fun, i get it, but i am starting to get annoyed at the amount of fanfics where lestat needs someone to help him adapt to modern times. he is doing fine on his own, thank you. it took him less than two weeks to start a rock band.

(and the whole iphone thing from "prince lestat" is more about him not seeing it as something useful since he has a mind-skype ability to talk to any vamp on planet earth, and they cannot decline the call.)

lestat is not stupid. impulsive? yes. stubborn? of course. but clever, resourseful, and cunning when he needs to be. all of this makes him a great hunter! also, really thoughtful when the mood strikes, and his quiet, existential moments have some of the best prose in that book.

i wish someone smarter than me wrote a good meta about lestat & social class because he really seems to buy into the idea of "noblesse oblige" i.e. the belief that aristocrats are obliged to take care of those less fortunate. it's present in the way he kills the wolf pack for the villagers (who live on his father's land), and later takes responsibility for the theatre troupe & remnants of armand's coven, even though he doesn't owe them anything.

also, characterization of lestat as someone socially cluesless is simply untrue. sure, he plays dumb on occasion (and hates it every time because early life illiteracy trauma), but he is also good at reading people. like, he got a pretty accurate read of armand behind the angelic facade during their first face-to-face meeting. the only people he has trouble reading are those closest to him because he heavily projects his abandonment issues on them.

lestat's struggle of being "too much" contrasts nicely with the struggle of never being enough which is so crucial to louis. hashtag made for each other.

and juxtaposition of lestat's desire to be loved for who he is and louis's struggle with identity is also delicious.

this time i also related so much to lestat's "malady of mortality" and his search for meaning in the world. which ultimately fails because he is forcibly turned into a monster, and now every ounce of happiness he might bring into the world (and lestat desperately wants to do good!) is outweighed by him killing to survive.

and marius later reinforced the belief that vampirism has no higher purpose, and no wonder that nola!lestat is a shell of his former self.

lestat's turning is the most classic horror moment of the vampire chronicles to me. the mina harker of it all. the creature of night shrouded in terror snatching an innocent victim from the arms of their love right before bleak november sunrise.

also, all the implications of what magnus has done to lestat were even more clear during this reread, and i wonder if that was the reason rolin "i-love-narrative-parallels" jones added bruce into claudia's story.

the book also explains perfectly why lestat is so well suited for vampirism. his curiosity, thirst for new experiences, and adventuring spirit are his eternal engine on the devil's road :)

however, the downside of that personality facet is that lestat steamrolls over his trauma telling himself "this is fine! look, satan, i am making the best of it", which in turn leads to the iwtv nola mess.

and i feel like this constant search for positives in vampirism (that unwilligly turned lestat & claudia share) is why they can't really relate to louis, who chose it for himself. if these two start to get too existential, the temptation to throw themselves into the fire might become unbearable.

lestat equating his loneliness with his evilness is interesting, but i have nothing to say about that for now other than equation being there.

lestat's explosive temper is also present in the book. there is a constant pattern of lestat doing things he regrets the most (like the theater performance fiasco or eating people at notre dame's steps) when he is angry or upset.

let's talk about nicki. i love him, despite half of fandom hating on him for some reason.

lestat has a type, which is "good catholic boy" with narrow view of good and evil. except louis is of a parent's favorite, conforming variety, and nicki is the rebellious one, driven to the utmost cynicism by religious dogmas.

however, despite being a self-proclaimed cynic, nicki practically drowns in catholic guilt, almost reveling in the fact that everything he does, from playing violin in the boulevard theater to having an affair with lestat, is wrong. there is no meaning in anything, and he is doomed to die a sinner's death.

he is doomed! by the narrative though.

lestat and nicki's philosophical difference seems to be that nicki (unlike lestat) does not believe in inherent goodness of the positive emotions. for him, "sin always feels good", therefore happiness they bring performing = sin.

but still, nickistat's love is so touching. after lestat ghosts nicki to protect him, he still trusts lestat's love for him and the troupe, thinks best of him, and shuts down all nasty rumours. in turn, lestat equates all the good that was in his mortal life, all his hopes and dreams with nicki. he is a symbol of everything magnus took from him.

AND THEY COMMUNICATE THROUGH MUSIC, AND IT'S THEM AT THEIR BEST, AND IT'S BEAUTIFUL.

nicki almost became lestat's charlie. when they meet face to face for the first time after lestat's transformation, he can barely contain his hunger magnified by attraction.

the most terribly sad thing about nicki is the unfairness of all that happened to him. he had seen lestat being shot right before him, then he disappeared with dying gabrielle, then the coven kidnapped and tortured him until he lost his mind.

and for nicki, the dark gift is a confirmation of everything he believes in being true. the meaninglessness of it all. evil being the only certain thing in the world. the way to fall into a deeper, darker abyss than the one that was before the mortal him. and it is a confirmation that lestat's inner light he loved so much will eventually burn out.

(his spark in the dark, if you will.)

(and lestat's dream before turning nicki hurts, because he dreams of growing up and growing old together, of maturing past magnus's eternal lelio with sunlight in his hair and summer sky in his eyes. oh, the lesdaughter of it all.)

there is certainly a parallel between nickistat's bitter "in darkness, we are equal now" vs loustat's comforting "in the quiet dark, we were equals".