#i know they want to have characters who model good behaviour. but also no they dont.

[website-com]

i recently watched the madmen episode where timeline wise MLK was just assassinated and hey they didn’t handle it well

[therainscene]

It’s blink-and-you’ll-miss-it, but the Alan Turing poster really tells us so much about Will that I consider it to be a significant piece of foreshadowing for S5.

First, let’s dissuade ourselves of the notion that Will chose Turing for his hero project for nerd reasons -- Will’s preferred flavour of nerdery is escapist fantasy, not computer science. He doesn’t know what an IP address is and the first thing he thinks of when he hears modem noises is a movie he likes.

No, he chose Turing because he admires him for being a gay man who accomplished so much in his short life.

On one hand, that’s pretty heart-warming -- the fact he’s willing to identify with other gay men and look up to them as role models shows us he’s making good progress in accepting his identity. On the other hand, it’s heart-breaking, because Turing’s story is not a happy one -- he was caught having a sexual relationship with a man and forced to choose between jail or chemical castration. He chose castration.

I remind you: Will identifies with this guy.

Will is growing up under the twin specters of AIDS and homophobia and likely assumes he’s destined to die young too. He’s been abused and bullied so much, I imagine he’s heard and internalized it all: that he deserves to die, that he’s disgusting, that he’ll never be fulfilled in life.

So when puberty begins crawling its way inside him and implants those shameful desires that make gay men so worthy of abuse... he chooses castration.

For all the sad pining he does in S4, we never really see Will express desire for Mike -- he never checks him out or shows signs of nervousness when they touch. He behaves with perfect platonic decorum at all times...

...unless we consider That One Scene With The Hose.

Sexual interpretations of this scene are controversial, and I can understand why; we’re so used to seeing Will as this innocent, immature little boy that it's shocking to catch him fantasizing so lustfully, even though these sorts of thoughts are pretty normal for a 15 year-old. But I think that’s the point. We’re supposed to feel uncomfortable about this, because Will feels uncomfortable about it too.

He’s done well in accepting his identity, but he’s an absolute repressed mess when it comes to accepting his sexuality.

So, that’s what the Turing poster tells us about Will. Here’s where the foreshadowing comes in: Will is not the only queer-coded character to have been metaphorically castrated.

Henry’s experience bears striking similarities to Turing’s: he too was caught engaging in a natural but forbidden behaviour and forced by his government to undergo a medical procedure to suppress that behaviour.

His villain speech to El in 4x07, which is ostensibly about his powers, also reads very strongly as a scathing criticism of heteronormativity, and it’s covered in rainbow motifs.

The metaphor here is obvious: Henry’s powers are a manifestation of his homosexuality.

Which implies that Will’s homosexuality can also manifest as powers. They’re repressed because he’s repressed.

It’s not a coincidence that the sexual tension was through the fucking roof in the infamous sauna scene. Every time Will’s supernatural ability to sense the Mind Flayer triggers in S3, Mike is also nearby.

What’s interesting about Mike is that his queer acceptance issues mirror Will’s: Mike has a healthy relationship with his sexuality (he casually checks guys out and plasters his bedroom walls with posters of buff dudes) but he just can’t bring himself to accept what this implies about his identity.

Always with the symmetry, these two. They complement each other perfectly; one’s hang-up is the other’s strength. They have a lot to teach each other about being queer.

And as repressed as they are, I think they want to learn from each other -- Will lets himself get flustered when Mike flirts with him in his bedroom, and Mike hangs on to every word of wisdom Will shares with him in their heart-to-hearts.

Internalized homophobia is a powerful force, but their bond is so strong that it empowers them to fight back.

Henry’s powers symbolize his anger at being mistreated and his desire to take that anger out on the world... but Will’s powers symbolize self-acceptance and love.

So he isn’t just going to defeat Vecna with his powers, and he isn’t just going to get the boy: these two things are one and the same.

[rindouheart]

hiii!! how's your day going?? i hope you have a good day♡♡. i was wondering if you could write some headcanons about yukimiya and nagi (i know you said you write for almost everyone but you can ignore nagi if you dont want to write him) having a crush on someone who is really flirty and affectionate??? you can avoid this request if you dont feel like writing dont be pressured please. thank you for reading my request, take care♡♡💕

YUKIMIYA and NAGI falling for an affectionate s/o 🌿

content. pure fluff + gender neutral s/o

author’s note. hi cutie, tysm for your request + AWWW YUKKI MY BB i love him more than my own life and yes, i also write for nagi despite being a btch towards reo (love/hate relationship with this giant marshmallow). I hope you like it!

YUKIMIYA KENYU

this boy!!!

he’s obviously used to be surrounded by people (especially girls) since he’s a model.

yukki has experienced many love confessions towards him, but he never had the chance to say the ✨ magic words ✨ to someone important for him.

and then there’s you. his best friend since childhood. you, his special someone.

you’ve always loved to give him hugs and to compliment him about his football achievements.

he just goes aww when he sees you.

yukki realises that he’s in love with you when otoya asked him “are you looking for them again?”

holy shit.

he absolutely adores when you give him loads of affection.

how to make him melt on the spot: say “i love you so much, yukki”

oh boy he fell so hard for you.

“you know you’re the best person i’ve ever met in my whole life?”

yukki dot exe stopped working

yukki often has to cover his face when you say something flirty to him.

he’s so embarrassed omg, he can’t even look at you without blushing 😭

he used to think that flirty and extremely affectionate people were kind of a burden, but you made him reconsider his opinion.

you’re so charming and sweet that he wants to protect you

while he was in blue lock and hadn’t access to his phone he missed you A LOT

yukki would probably confess to you on the two weeks break: he invited you to a cafè to meet his teammates and friends.

then, when you all went to the nearby arcade, he won a pink teddy bear in one of those damned claw machines.

he gave it to you and asked if you wanted to be his partner (!!!)

shocked otoya and karasu in the background

NAGI SEISHIRO

clearly clueless

he didn’t mind your clingy behaviour.

at first, reo introduced you to him, because he thought that having a couple more friends wouldn’t harm nagi’s health.

nagi was like “okay, whatever”

you weren’t sure if nagi was okay with too much affection all at once, so you just sat beside him and laid your head on his shoulder.

“you’re comfortable”, you pulled out your phone and started playing a random game.

reo absolutely adores you two as a soon-to-be couple.

nagi has mixed feelings: he loves and hates the fuzzy feeling that you give him.

“sooo… we’ve been picked to participate in this football special programme” reo was the one who told you about blue lock.

“can i give you a hug?” you asked to nagi before leaving

he obviously said yes!! he didn’t mind your affectionate behaviour at all!!

while his stay at blue lock, nagi always thinks about how much he misses your lovely actions towards him.

and when you kiss him on the cheek and say “i’ll miss you, seishiro”

he just 🧍🏻

reo basically died on the spot

nagi will never admit that he has feelings for someone who has an opposite character in comparison with his.

he would invite you to his apartment and play genshin impact with you (adorable)

“how did you become so good at league of legends? this game is so difficult” - nagi loves when you compliment his gaming skills.

you’re the only person who can play badly and not annoy nagi. this is how he tells you “i like you”.

you fell asleep on his shoulder while he was playing fifa on his PlayStation.

he thought that you were the cutest person he’s ever seen (yes, he took a selfie and sent it to reo).

he would confess his love for you by initiating an hug or whatever that has to do with affection.

he’s so awww when he hugs you, this 190cm marshmallow gives the best hugs ever, but he doesn’t know that.

@rindouheart ‘s headcanons — 01222023

[thiswaycomessomethingwicked]

Okay here I am again because the Grima brainrot is particularly intense rn and I just saw a post talking about.

Grima but as a woman. Like genderbend. Nothing changes, same looks, same personality, same behaviour, same ambiguous feelings for Eowyn. (I’d smash.)

I think it’s actually interesting considering that Grima’s flaws in the movies/books are hinted also to be rooted from his “unmanliness” (as Tolkien presents a lot of characters with honour and values considered “male”.)

But I think that even if he were to be a woman, there is a great deal of traits Grima wouldn’t possess to be considered conventionally “feminine” by Tolkien’s and many’s standards. (Such as beauty for example).

So yeah, it just occurred to me and now I’ve been thinking about this since 3am. This is the reason why I’m pansexual. We don’t care about gender. We care about silly evil pookies okay.

As always have a great day/night ! ^^

Yesssss!

Grima & Gender is a super interesting thing that I think about all the time. I love thinking about him and manliness, femininity, secret third and fourth options etc.

I know I reblogged the ask/reply that I had about Grima on Gender and Magic, so you have the gist of most of my thoughts as it relates to Grima performing gender (or not, as the case may be) within the context of masculinity.

But Grima straight up as a woman would be very interesting. Particularly because Rohan is quite gendered when it comes to the wielding of power - and quite binary in who wields what power.

(E.g., when Theoden departs Edoras to fight Saruman, he despairs over leaving the city leaderless because Eomer won't stay behind. It doesn't occur to him that Eowyn is even an option until Hama suggests it.)

Therefore, Grima being in a position of power that is traditionally masculine would be very interesting. Indeed, her entire performance of gender would likely be impacted by the uniqueness of her position. Queens, historically, were more passive in Rohan than in other countries so it's not like she would have someone to model herself on. Nor would there be a model for other people on how to receive and perceive Grima.

(Morwen, maaaaaybe, but honestly her epithet of Steelsheen is more about her appearance than anything else. Though perhaps her personality could be inferred from it... But truly, we only know her in the context of being wife and mother.)

Given the absence of models, would Grima into the more masculine aspects of how people would be reading her? Would she do the whole performance of "I may have the body of a woman but I've the head and heart of a man"? Or would she hyper-perform the femininity song and dance as a way to balance it out/make her more palatable to some?

Aside from the occupying a masculine position of power within the context of Rohan's society, Grima's other personality and physical traits would absolutely count against her being seen as appropriately feminine.

Good qualities for a Rohirrim woman to have is height, slenderness, fairness of face, and youthfulness. Grima's tall...and that's all she's got going for her.

Grima is also neither high-hearted nor noble in bearing let alone in birth (because nobility of birth is very important to one's perceived Goodness and Worth in Tolkien's world).

Grima is a sneak, a liar, a thief, and power hungry. Grima would be, fundamentally, a Woman Who Wants Something. And what she wants are things women shouldn't want.

Wanting Things in general, for both men and women, is a dangerous game to play in Middle Earth and the texts punish many of the people who do any major "unacceptable" desiring (or creating) of things outside their purview.

Grima's obvious foil, Eowyn, is a prime example. Eowyn wants to be a warrior, she wants to be queen, she wants to be part of the Gondor noble family (and assume the power and privilege that comes with that), she wants to be seen and heard and to have an impact on the fate of the world.

Some of her wanting was out of a selfless desire to save her home and her people, but a lot was also just her having dreams and desires.

Eowyn may have been named as Shieldmaiden of Rohan but it is evident that this was meant as an honorific that wasn't meant to be actually acted upon. Save, of course, in the gravest/most dire circumstances when all is lost and only women remain to defend the land because the men are dead. This is, indeed, the gist of the conversation she has with Aragorn and you can see her resentment and anger about what her expected role is to be compared to that of her brother and the other men in her life.

I think the fact that Eowyn reflects, in many ways, the ideal of womanhood is what saves her from being punished too hard. Eowyn is tall, fair, slender, young, high-hearted, daughter of kings, and has selfless and noble motives (alongside the more human ones).

She is allowed her transgression. She gets her great moment of battle against the witch-king. She gets to make her mark, to save people, to change history.

But, she also receives a bit of a personality transplant as a result of it. She gets to be a wife - but not a queen. She gets to be a mother who heals people. She gets to be a Proper Noble Woman and live, once again, in a gilded cage. The very thing she was so furious about initially.

I know there is the idea that she is healed and she has overcome her anger and has changed - but it still feels like the text punished her and robbed her. Of course, a huge part of the problem is that Eowyn is the only women we spend any real time with - if we had more women with diverse journeys and endings, it would be different.

It's subconscious to a certain degree, I think, also heavily informed by Tolkien's Catholicism alongside the culture of the time. The importance of the Marian archetype of womanhood etc. And we know Tolkien loved Eowyn's character and thought about her a lot, wanted to write a good story for her, but some of that stuff sneaks in regardless.

But all of this to say - if that is Eowyn's ending...what would happen to Grima? One who would be committing greater transgressions against gender performance let alone the whole Light Soupçon of Treason.

Because aside from wanting material wealth and power, we know that Grima potentially desires Eowyn. In the movie it's explicit but the books are more ambiguous. We are told, via Gandalf, that Eomer was concerned about Grima ogling his sister and threatened to kill him over it. Crucially, we never hear from Grima about this specific item and we certainly never hear from Eowyn.

Indeed, Gandalf's line to Eomer about how his sister is "safe now" says far more about Eomer's fears and concerns than it does about the reality of the situation. We know in ROTK that Eomer didn't know his sister's heart or mind - he didn't know she was unhappy with her position in the household and broader society, he didn't know she wa so angry and resentful, he didn't know she was in emotional pain, he didn't know what she wanted, he didn't know jack. Therefore can we think him reliable when it comes to being a fountain of knowledge about his sister's desires?

I mean...considering no one was paying much attention to her, and when they did they were reading their own things onto her (coughEomercough), perhaps Eowyn liked having Grima pay attention to her? Like, who knows. Someone who may have seen her and may have known what her fears and desires were might have been novel/nice (before she realized he's selling everyone out for a corn chip). Heck, Gandalf implies that Grima had a pretty good handle on Eowyn's innermost dreams and wishes, so take that as you will.

(I now have this image in my head of Eowyn and Grima getting wine drunk out back of Meduseld and bitching about people.)

All pure idle speculation for the sake of pot-stirring. Anyway, I keep getting distracted.

Grima as a woman feeling lust, though - that would be another strike against her. Honourable love and the implied desire that might exist because of it is fine. But in the text overt desire of a clearly sexual nature is presented in a mostly negative light. Let alone, in this speculation, Grima is lusting after another woman! That's even more unnatural and contrary! What a freak /sarcasm.

Then there's the cowardice - which is shown as a negative no matter who is displaying it. Though, I think of all the aspects of Grima, this is the one that would get more of a pass as a woman than as a man.

So yeah - given that Grima's entire personality is one that is contrary to what is modeled as Good Femininity it would be very interesting to see how it played out over the course of the text.

Everything from the banishment, which was predicated on Grima being expected to do battle alongside Theoden in order to prove that he is still loyal - what test of loyalty would Grima as a woman be expected to perform and then fail because she's too chickenshit?

The relationship with Saruman would be construed in a different way, also the hold Grima had over Theoden - that would take on different implications. And those implications would also change how Theoden is perceived, too, which is interesting.

That Theoden is leaning on a woman for support in ruling would make him seem even weaker and more foolish. It would be so interesting to see it unfold!

Then there's the rivalry with Gandalf - the positioning of them as two sides of the Odinnic coin.

Also the being tortured and tormented by Saruman after Helm's Deep. Not to mention the Scouring of the Shire and Grima's ultimate end. If Grima is a woman, in this, I think Tolkien would have had her ending be different.

----

Alright, I've banged on for way, way too long about this and went no where in particular, and all has been said before in different ways so I'm not landing on anything new or insightful.

Just wittering...I love wittering about Grima so thank you for giving me the opportunity to lol

<3 <3

[swords-of-a-soilder]

My QSMP Headcannons vs in game Canon

Feel free to correct me if I get the Canon wrong.

•Tallulah uses hearing aids-this one is actually cannon but people tend to leave it out in art.

•philza uses a walking cane after purgatory- while Phil stated multiple times that the condition of his wings gave him poor balance, even though his wings are somewhat better I imagine the constant back and forth for someone who was never really good a balancing paired with the weight of his new wings probably make it very difficult to stay balance while walking.

•Fit, Tubbo lost limbs in purgatory- correct me if I'm wrong but I'm pretty sure Tubbo didn't lose a lib in Canon, and I'm also not sure if the texture of Fit new skin is meant to be read as a prosthetic but I like the idea.

•Richardslyson has a prosthetic leg- this isn't excalty clear whether or not it's canon, we know his model in game has a leg that doesn't connected to his shell but it also important to note that Phil adjusted Richards statue to reflect a prosthetic leg, so you could technically consider it canon.

•Phil is demi-romantic- I know Phil never gave a clear sexual orientation to his in game character, but watching them interact with other love interest he gives the vibe of a demi-romantic person.

•Fit and Phil are divorced on really good terms- the kind were you realize your better as friends, which would also play a part in Phil discovering his is demi-romantic. Obviously in canon they was no clear past relationships established between them.

•Bolas actually does see Phil as a father figured- obviously Cellbit calmed he was joking when he called Phil dad, however Baghera still seems to call him that. I also really just want Cellbit to have a good father figure lmao.

•Rose is Phil's mother- I could go into detail of how the goddess of life birth the angle of death, but I equate it to her being his mother as God is your father but like she's his mother directly. She made him, she raised him, she'll protect him like her like depends on it.

In canon Rose just seems to be the Spawn entity but I like to imagine her as his Spawn entity. That would mean that she spawned him into existence in the hardcore world.

•the federation isn't evil, just misunderstood- I'm not saying they are good, just more morally grey. They do horrible experiment and treat the residents curly in our eyes, but in their eyes this is normal.

They do things thinking the residents don't know any better and therefore their complains are invalid, quite like a narcissist parent.

•the eggs can shape shift- I love the idea of the eggs taking on physical traits of the person (s) that they feel loved by slowly the more fond they become of them.

So the original Chayanne would stay an egg for the first two days then shock his parents by appearing as a little boy with blond hair.

When badly injured they go back to egg form.

•Charlie is in fact part slime and that's how he shape shifted into gegg- technically the qsmp info channel confirmed this in the qsmp full story videos

•Jaiden was a part of project blue bird- again not confirm, but I really like the idea that she was raised by Cucuchroo and that's why she naturally acts kinder to him (but she doesn't remember)

•the island has a respawn entity- following the concept of Rose aiding Phil's spawn, I like to imagine the whole island has a entity that revives players after death, and thus respawning in other demension ie the nether, takes much longer as that a different entity all together.

•the radiation of the blast from purgatory turned Foolish into a shark human hybrid, I mean technically canon since has the speed fins now.

•Forever has a survivor complex- this is up to interpretation of whether or not it's canon but I perceive Forever's behaviour as someone who feels he had to save everyone; He is the president after all.

•Forever likely still has feelings for Phil- or better yet the feelings have developed into genuine love as opposed to obsession, but from observing Missa learnt the best way to love Phil is to respect his wishes.

•Lovejoy is canon in the qsmp and is sponsored by the federation hence why Wilbur often leaves for tours. I'm actually not sure if this is canon or not, I recall Phil joking about it but I don't know if that's the Canon explanation as to how he's allowed to leave the island.

•Missa like Wilbur is sent on sponsored trips by the federation; in which he gather information on other islands, the resources of said island and whether or not their populated

•The codes are corrupted dead eggs- I'm mostly getting this theory from the codes disguising themselves as eggs and codaflipa, but I really like the idea that the codes are eggs that have died in the past with past residents and are restless.

A good backing for this is how Sofia found the eggs to be non organic, which makes me think that in a way they are computer programming, an sentient artificial life.

That does however bring the lore question of how their ghost can return, I think codes are a store of ghost form for them, with the code of their existence being shattered after a while they degraded to code monsters.

This would explain why they kill eggs (they want more company) and how they're able to disguised as them. Codaflipa can only return a few times because it's difficult to keep that form with shattered codes.

Now it is hinted at that the eggs are artificial, Sofia and the details of A1 being hints at that, but there is no Canon confirmation of such to my knowledge

I also know that Etoiles seem to believe the code killed eggs because they were being controlled by the federation, but I don't believe that seeing as the federation went out of their way to get the eggs back.

[not-poignant]

I'm rereading utb and while i def understand and agree with ef being held accountable for things, at the same time, it seems like everyone is constantly acting as if he's supposed to know how to have a healthy relationship and to cope with his emotions, much less his trauma, without anyone actually explaining or modeling this

Like, everyone constantly brings up the fact that he tried to kill Kadek even once they've acknowledged why and gary is starting a relationship with him while also essentially his prison warden and with how little ef has experienced in the world, especially as a psychologist, gary still not doing anything to help him get better coping skills makes it feel like he's setting him up to fail

Like, temsen is technically correct that ef domestically abused gary but he has literally never seen a non abusive partnership and is literally a prisoner in his current one

Idk, I really love this fic so, so much and thank you for writing it and i don't even need a response or anything, I just get defensive of ef when I'm reading sometimes bc he's trying so, so hard basically all the time and it seems like people acknowledge it sometimes in the moment but then don't give him the tools to make it any easier

Answering this one publicly because I know you're not the only one who feels this way or has felt this way!

Okay firstly, some of this conflict I'm evoking in the reader is intentional. I want people to feel defensive of Efnisien. I want people to think 'hey, hang on a minute.' There's a lot of reasons I want that, including the fact that in reality, most people don't recover from being abusive even after they've been in horrifically abusive situations in a vacuum (i.e. the whole world doesn't suddenly stop and become soft as cotton wool just because you've been abused! If you go and interview a whole bunch of people in jail right now, a lot of those folks (especially those who have done repeated serious crimes) will have experienced horrendous and incredibly unfair amounts of abuse, y'know? It's complicated. Yes, they have a right to heal and a right to support. Some of them probably did some pretty awful crimes as well. *coughs*serial killers*coughs*)

Obviously Efnisien is nowhere near that level, but the dissonance remains. He's certainly tried to murder more than one person. But we root for the person whose perspective we're reading. Still, people do not heal in a comfortable vacuum. In fact, most people are asked to be accountable for bad behaviour usually while suffering terribly. Because most people - unless they're certain kinds of extremely rare people - do bad behaviour because they don't know better and/or they're suffering intensely and it can momentarily feel good or satisfying to make other people hurt too.

That's an extremely hard process for the folks who are in that situation. Anyone who has had to recognise they're being a bully, or being abusive, usually goes through a period of time where they can't just immediately change, and what's expected of them seems impossible.

Now to everything else:

This world is a dystopia. There are things happening which aren't going to feel good when you're reading - systemic issues, issues around unfairness - because it's a dystopia. If those things weren't happening, and people just felt blithely comfortable with the entire world, well, that's not actually what I'm going for. There are times it should feel extremely disturbing to read.

So there are times I want readers to feel like things are unfair. There are times I want them to feel very strongly in one person's defense and only later realise the other person was hurt too. There are times I want them to feel like everyone is being unfair to a character. And times when I want folks to feel like the situation just sucks all round. Like, my intention in amongst the hurt/comfort isn't for things to feel easy or nice all the time, I am absolutely challenging the reader by introducing things that feel uncomfortable.

So when folks like yourself tell me this stuff it's like - yeah! It's a dystopia! And - yeah! Unfair things are definitely happening. This is especially true in the beginning when no one really has a concept of how bad things have been for Efnisien, or that he's an alpha. It remains true because no one is perfect. But it happens less often, that's what makes it feel more jarring as the story goes on. If you're rereading it's going to feel worse in the beginning, that's on purpose. The story is doing its job.

it seems like everyone is constantly acting as if he's supposed to know how to have a healthy relationship and to cope with his emotions

I don't really know what scenes you're specifically referring to here (like, just the first few chapters? The whole story? Temsen's single lecture?), but this is absolutely not the case. I'm going to look at the whole story:

The majority of the time that Efnisien is rude and disrespectful, especially once Efnisien and Gary are living together, Gary mostly ignores him, brushes it off, doesn't react or responds like it's normal dialogue lol. He's not constantly correcting his behaviour and he's not constantly like 'hey rephrase that to be polite' or 'I have feelings too' (maybe he should say the latter sometimes).

Gary is more aware than anyone that he shouldn't be Efnisien's guardian and that he's not a companion. He says this, out loud, to several people, several times. So we know that he knows that the situation isn't great / fair re: Efnisien's care (and frankly his own. Of the two of them, Gary's the one who keeps coming close to potentially dying from the other person's actions).

especially as a psychologist, gary still not doing anything to help him get better coping skills makes it feel like he's setting him up to fail

Gary is not Efnisien's psychologist. And psychologists are not doing their jobs on absolutely everyone, 24/7! This one is so important to remember (both in real life and sometimes in fiction). He's categorically not Efnisien's psychologist and it would be even more toxic if he attempted to be this if they were living together!

Gary being a psychologist is his job in the same way being an artist is a job, it's not specifically relevant to their relationship, except that Gary sometimes has better understanding of the root/s of some behaviours.

Ask any psychologist how they live at home and most of them do not want anything to do with their psychology jobs in their personal life, because they're mentally fatigued/tired from talking to people all day. They are not perfect people, they don't have perfect control over their emotions, they aren't teaching everyone the coping mechanisms they need to survive (this takes a lot of labour! It's exhausting! People can't do that 24 hours a day and stay sane. It gets toxic fast.)

The majority of the time Efnisien has extreme emotional responses, Gary just tends to absorb them, acknowledge them, or actively care for him. It's easy to miss these moments because I'm usually not making you feel conflicted about it.

The times Efnisien has extreme emotional responses and then chooses to repeatedly hurt Gary, there are often extreme emotional responses that follow because you know, that's what Efnisien was aiming for! He was trying to severely hurt someone!

Let's move onto Temsen and Efnisien, because this might be more of what you're thinking of, since Gary almost never holds Efnisien accountable tbh. Temsen is a doctor, and a peak alpha who is a leading educator in academic omega rights and theory. He is the first to deeply understand how young alphas left to get away with their smaller abusive behaviours are the kind of alphas who grow up into rapists, murderers and torturers like Christian in Underline the Blue.

(I just want to add, Christian's own abuse and PTSD is real, I don't think any of us are rushing to hold his hand and pat his head, because we sympathise with Nate more than Christian. But Christian has real pain, and real suffering too. He's a great example of how 'you're still accountable for your behaviour though' at its most extreme).

So, Temsen sees Efnisien's behaviour and he lectures and shuts him down like he would any young alpha who is on a really dangerous path. Even within that, he acknowledges himself - out loud - that it's a complicated situation and the time he comes down on Efnisien the hardest, he says the timing is poor. The majority of the time, he shows Efnisien compassion and care, and listens to his opinions, even when they disagree. He is the first to validate his gender both repeatedly in words, and in hormone and medical support. He's the first to change his approach to Efnisien's medical care when Efnisien calls out his lack of respecting his right to privacy, and he's the first to correct Gary about it when Gary expects Temsen to keep giving him information. He offers pragmatic, compassionate advice about many sensitive subjects in Efnisien's life, his health, his secondary gender, his nesting behaviours. And I would say this is how Temsen actually models better behaviour.

Temsen doesn't expect Efnisien to have all of these skills, but Efnisien has to be told what he's doing wrong and how that's not acceptable behaviour and how he's hurting people, to start learning those skills! Otherwise why would anyone bother? Vindictively hurting other people in moments of rage can feel satisfying for folks who aren't being held accountable.

You say no one is modelling better behaviour to Efnisien so I'm just going to pose some questions that are rhetorical:

How many alphas at HIllview are mounting or torturing Efnisien every day? Does Efnisien have choices in what he eats? Is Efnisien's opinion listened to more and more, especially in matters of his health? Do they care about his pain and offer him painkillers when he's suffering? Are the characters in the story trying to enrich his experiences and help him to become a more mature person by helping him overcome his fears of things like going outside? Are the characters deliberately trying to expand his support network by helping him see new people and lean on them for help, instead of keeping him in a box and forbidding him from seeing anyone? While also taking into account the safety of others?

Are the characters largely gender affirming once they learn more about Efnisien?

Are the characters actively teaching Efnisien social sciences to help him understand more about the world and human rights, which includes his own rights?

Do the characters acknowledge that Hillview isn't an ideal place for Efnisien, just a good place for now?

Do the characters want Efnisien to have a future where he's happier?

Do the characters allow Efnisien to have his emotional responses as long as they're not also abusive responses? For example, is Efnisien allowed to cry, nest, seek comfort, or even be angry, provided he's not being domestically violent? (The answer is yes).

Do the characters to the best of their ability explain things clearly and maintain their own boundaries around Efnisien to remind him that he can also maintain his own boundaries?

Are Efnisien's wishes largely respected where possible? (The answer here is also yes - such as refusing internal exams with Temsen, or having control over what he does most days and how he spends his time etc.)

Can Efnisien see lots of examples of people talking civilly to each other and often with great care, and not being abusive to each other? Can he see alternative forms of conflict resolution, management and repair?

Is Efnisien offered opportunities to repair rifts that he's created himself, after being cruel to someone?

This is just a start, but these people through these behaviours are already role-modelling a ton of better behaviours than anything Efnisien has been exposed to in the past. And we can see that Gary himself role models a lot of these things to Efnisien directly, including apologising frequently and quickly when he realises he's made mistakes. This is how Efnisien learned to apologise! And he literally has thoughts like 'Gary does this / so I guess I should do it too.' That's literally role modelling a behaviour :D

Gary's actually a pretty good role model, and the only reason Efnisien's behaviour starts to improve at Hillview as well as his quality of life is because Gary and Temsen are role modelling these behaviours.

Like, temsen is technically correct that ef domestically abused gary but he has literally never seen a non abusive partnership and is literally a prisoner in his current one

Efnisien isn't literally a prisoner in his current relationship!

I feel like when folks identify really strongly with a character, it's very easy to miss the times when Gary and Temsen for example brainstorm ways for Efnisien not to live with Gary. Aside from at the very beginning, these characters have actually talked about - in the story, in dialogue - options for Efnisien to not live with Gary.

Like they literally talk about making Efnisien a new room in the headquarters and possibly even building him his own building down the track so he doesn't have to be with Gary! As they trust Efnisien more, they offer many options to him. As the story goes on, they are absolutely not forcing Efnisien to stay with Gary, and nor is Gary. Efnisien himself communicates clearly that he would rather live with Gary than be on his own. This is something that gets checked in on, and more than one option is given to him.

Missing this is understandable, it's a long story, but it also means it's not true that Efnisien is a prisoner in that he's being forced to live with Gary. That's only true in the beginning when they literally think he's just a murderer/attempted murderer who's going to kill everyone at Hillview. As the story progresses, it shifts to 'well he's not a murderer, what are his other options?'

Can Efnisien live a free life wherever he wants? No. That's where the 'dystopian universe' tag comes in. He's not safe to, but Hillview staff wouldn't be concerned with educating him and teaching him independence if they didn't want him to live as independently as possible one day. It's not like Gary has to try to get Efnisien comfortable with going outside and experiencing the outside world, and it's not like he has to encourage Efnisien to meet omegas and betas etc. to hear different opinions, y'know?

But yeah the role modelling is happening: Efnisien's showing more and more tools in coping all the time! He's been growing them since the beginning of the fic. He's learned to communicate better. He's learned how to articulate what he wants and doesn't want more clearly. He's learned how to care more for others even if he often misses that he has the power to really hurt them. He's learned more (not less) confidence. He's having less (not more) trauma responses. He's learned how to trust in the people around him more, so he's starting to talk more about his experiences of gender. He's learned that what he went through was wrong, and is sharing more about the abuse he suffered.

These things would not be happening in a story where people weren't giving him the tools to cope with his life or weren't showing him ways to communicate differently.

The reason Efnisien talks more clearly and articulately now in the story, the reason he laughs more, cries more (which is more open/honest imho and healthier than repressing it), talks more, talks about his past more, expresses his opinion more is because Hillview has been equipping him with more tools to live a richer life pretty much as soon as they realised he's not going to just murder people at the drop of a hat.

In some ways they're showing more trust than our society would because like, attempted murder could land him in jail for a while in our society, y'know?

The reason they haven't paired him with an actual psychologist is that they don't have any peak alpha psychologists and Efnisien can use alpha persuasion on anyone else, and would certainly get angry enough in therapy to use it. We only need to look at how Efnisien responded to Dr Gary in Falling Falling Stars sometimes in therapy sessions to see that yes, this is a guy who - if he had the tool of alpha persuasion - would absolutely use it to get a therapist to shut the fuck up when he felt like it, lol.

But yeah, as always, if folks are feeling really uncomfortable when reading something I've written, it's often intentional. You're right, Efnisien's situation is unfair. A few of the specifics you've brought up aren't true, and have missed things in the story, but it's still not a fair experience, it's not always a pleasant experience, and it's...pretty dystopian!

When we get really deep into our emotional connection to a character, it can still help to remember that the situation often isn't exactly the same as it feels. But this story also has the tags: darkfic / disturbing themes / dystopian universe for a reason! The visceral discomfort is a feature, not a bug.

[violet-moonstone]

Heathers Part 4: Rogue Heather and Conclusion

Part 3

This is my favourite option, which is why I saved it for last. This route focuses on skills Heather could much more believably pick up on her own—in fact, these are skills we already see her exhibiting in RoB. This version of Heather is very much like Arya Stark—minus the combat training—specifically, Arya when she’s in Braavos. She’s good at hiding, sneaking around, pickpocketing, etc. She would rely on changing her behaviour and appearance to fit the situation and slowly build her arsenal of disguises as she improves her skill and has more resources at her disposal. One day, she might appear as a raggedy street urchin; the next, a bawdy barmaid; then, a haughty noblewoman or cunning hunter.

Her primary use of this skill would be survival—blending into the background or standing out without people knowing her true identity—but this would also be strategic. She could get information either from being a fly on the wall no one considers being cautious around, or by being charismatic and charming people into trusting her. In more extreme situations, she could slip poison into the drink of a bar patron, set fire to the room of someone who thinks she’s their servant, or (in a version of RTTE with a more mature rating) stab someone once they’re in her bed. (I’ve written a fic about this)

I think this option makes the most sense, because it requires no retconning of her backstory and includes the most believable skillset for someone without any training. I also think that with a heavy focus on stealth, it wouldn’t make sense for her to have a large, armoured dragon with reflective scales (once again, sorry Windshear). Instead she could have a small dragon that could help her with fetching things, being on watch for danger, and shooting fire at close range. I’m thinking a Terrible Terror or something similar. Although a small dragon with similar traits to a Changewing would be really cool, like a winged chameleon of sorts—but maybe instead of becoming invisible, it just mimics different colours and textures.

In terms of costumes for Rogue Heather, it can really be anything. She’d probably need a base outfit for when she’s not in disguise, in which case, I’d go for something like the redesigns all the dragon riders except Hiccup got, which was basically putting them in the same clothes as in RoB/DoB but with different colours. I think the outfit Heather’s wearing in RoB is pretty good for a rogue type character already—just use a slightly different colour scheme that’s still faded, and keep the hood from her current design. Her disguises could be much more dramatic and could include wigs and makeup as well.

I have a headcanon that she has a favourite disguise though. Due to all the danger and insecurity she’s faced, she’s become ruthlessly ambitious—not just for revenge, but for wealth and power. She never wants to have to worry about being unsafe or scrounging around to survive. I think her favourite roles to play are rich and powerful women. In these roles, she gets to wear something beautiful—I’m thinking a deep green gown that brings out her eyes. It could also be a reference to serpents and envy, which goes hand in hand with her use of poison and her desire for the finer things in life.

I love this version of Heather. I’m currently in the early stages of writing a very long fic (that will probably just include regular Heather because the story already has a lot of OCs and moving parts), however, if I get enough inspiration, I might write some one-shots here and there about her.

Some ideas for her more fancy/aspirational disguises:

From left to right: Labyrinth (2012), BBC’s Merlin (I always thought Katie McGrath would be a great grown-up Heather)

(Some more historical Norse looks)

And a more everyday look:

(From Voriagh)...tell me this model isn't LITERALLY HEATHER. I think it's the murder in her eyes.

(Arya in Game of Thrones, tunics from Dark Knight Armoury)

Conclusion...After a Note About Combat and Women in Fantasy

Before I finish, I want to briefly touch upon another issue I have with Heather’s character. You may have noticed that the latter two options I gave have a much stronger emphasis on her intelligence and/or social skills than her physical prowess – I did this intentionally because I find that RTTE lacks characters who are not combat focused (Even Johann turned out to be a skilled knife-thrower. I miss when he was just a friendly and knowledgable—though talkative—merchant). While I appreciate that the female characters in the show are shown to be capable fighters, they don’t all need to be. I think fantasy and sci-fi writers tend to forget that making women into combatants is not the only way to make them strong, empowered, or interesting. There are so many ways that characters, regardless of gender, can have agency and be integral to a plot; these ways don’t have to include putting a heavy weapon in their hands. I’ve briefly discussed this in another post, but I think the dynamic between Viggo and Ryker would be much more interesting if Viggo were not physically strong and had to depend on Ryker’s strength just as much as Ryker depended on Viggo’s wits. And while Hiccup’s sword fighting abilities are commendable, let’s not forget that his first great achievement would never have been possible without curiosity, intelligence and empathy—the three things required to befriend Toothless—not physical strength. I love Race to the Edge, and I understand the combat-heavy focus (because “Vikings”) but I do wish there was just a bit more variety when it comes to the way characters navigate dangerous situations.

Alright, so there you have it: My 3 Heathers. I’m very tempted to draw all three of them, to get a clearer image of what their designs would look like. Which one do you prefer the most? The revenge-fuelled warrior, the unhinged alchemist, or the ambitious assassin? Let me know, and thanks for reading!

[mychlapci]

Episode Two - Darkness Rising, Part 2

Okay so Starscream establishes that the Decepticons have access to multiple energon mines, with the one shown at the beginning of the episode holding the most energon. He also calls one of the vehicons, drone, which implies that they’re not sentient beings. This would make sense since they’re canon fodder and mostly serve to flesh out the actual army that the Decepticons have since making a ton of unique character models would be expensive as fuck. 

However, we see in later episodes that the vehicons can speak, a feature I find odd if they’re just meant to be mindless drones following order. This brings up a whole bunch of horrifying implications since the Autobots regularly rip vehicons to pieces in battle. 

I’m gonna be 100% honest, I hate the dark energon plotline. Not only because it completely undermines Megatron as a leader and makes him look like a fucking idiot for just shoving it directly into his spark chamber, but also just because TFP is going to have soooo many plotlines down the road and out of all of them, dark energon will just continue to stick out like a sore thumb. 

I do appreciate that Ratchet is just a hater. Like he just wants to leave and 100% respect him. So far he’s the only character to have actually funny lines. 

God I forgot how ugly Fowler’s model is. Like the other humans look okay, but they did him dirty. 

“BULKHEAD I NEEDED THAT!” 

Optimus for the love of god put your mask back on. Please man you actually look hot that way.

“Pretty big bearings, for a human.” What did he mean by this? Bulkhead what did you mean by that?

Starscream will continue to be the only right person in this show. Like it will literally be Megatron’s fault that they loose their biggest energon mine because he decided to reactivate Cliffjumper’s corpse in the middle of it. And then, when things start going south, he’ll just order Starscream to blow up the entirety of the mine instead of trying to save it. Like TFP Megatron is a terrible fucking leader and from what we’re told, Starscream was actually doing a pretty damn good job of collecting energon considering in the three years that Megatron was gone, no one even once noticed the cons and their mining operations. 

Basically TFP Megatron is a terrible leader and IMO the show would’ve been 10000% more interesting if they actually let Starscream be a competent individual instead of just turning him into Megatron’s chew toy. 

Grrrr. Listen Miko, girl, I think you’re fine and all but good lord read the goddamn room. Every single one of the robots are talking about their friend, who has been presumed dead and you’re asking about the fight? I don’t think I would actually mind this behaviour if Miko actually had other things going on with her character. Like we hear about her host family a lot but not once do we actually see them. Perhaps her extreme thrill seeking behaviour is a result of being shipped off to nowhere Nevada by her family back home, or maybe her host family ignores her and she resorts to getting into danger as a method of acting out. 

Still sticking with my opinion that TFP Optimus is built like an uppercase T. He’s gonna fucking fall over he’s so top heavy. 

God the size shifting in this show is insane. Like Arcee is like 3x the size of her actual altmode. 

I really wish Jack wouldn’t compare his fucking girl problems to Arcee’s partner literally dying. Those two things are not even remotely comparable in terms of emotional damage. Also it just makes him sound really fucking childish and petty that she has the audacity to be angry and annoyed about being forced to babysit some human teenager. Maybe they could’ve had Jack say “I know what’s it’s like to loose someone too Arcee…” Instead of just making him complain about girl trouble. That also would set up a potential plotline involving his absent father. Maybe he died?

It’s really funny that June didn’t see Arcee in the garage despite the fact that she’s literally in the driveway when Arcee reacts to her pulling up. Like there is zero way that she didn’t see the massive robot sitting in her garage. 

WHY DO THEY KEEP SETTING UP WEIRD ROMANTIC NOTES WITH JACK AND ARCEE?! HE’S SIXTEEN FOR FUCKS SAKE. 

ONCE AGAIN COMPLETELY UNDERMINING MEGATRON AS A EVEN REMOTELY COMPETENT LEADER BY MAKING HIM SHOVE AN UNKNOWN SUBSTANCE INTO HIS SPARK CHAMBER!!!! 

Other Notes

They should’ve put Megatron down. 

Episode Three - Darkness Rising, Part 3

Okay the little gesture Miko does when she pats Bulkhead’s interior and then puts her hands in her lap is so fucking cute. Bulkhead and Miko dynamic my beloved <3

At this point you could replace Soundwave with a piece of cardboard and literally nothing would change. Like… he just stands there, repeating other people’s voice lines. What even is the point of him? 

5:22’s Transforming scene between Arcee, Bumblebee, and Bulkhead really demonstrates how big the bots are and how fucking ridiculous their altmodes really are.

Ratchet should be allowed to kill I think. 

Okay Optimus says ‘Late in the war’ when referring to the energon deposites on Earth but like… it had to have happened before humans became a fully fledge civilization creating species, because Ratchet seems confused about Earth being a potential battlefield. WHAT THE FUCK IS THE TIMELINE MAN?????

I will never forgive what they did to Laserbeak. Like what the fuck is that ugly ass thing? Also adds to the continued problem in TF media where the cassettes don’t get to be actual characters and are instead just tools to be used by Soundwave. At the very least if they actually gave Soundwave a proper personality we might’ve been able to glean information about Laserbeak. Or hey maybe an inverse where Laserbeak acts as Soundwave’s voice, speaking for him in front of other characters. That would’ve given both of them an interesting dynamic. 

OH AND THE FACT THAT LASERBEAK IS ALSO AROUND THE SIZE OF A GODDAMN HELICOPTER???? LIKE WHAT THE FUCK???? That cannot possibly be right. And Laserbeak has tentacles… yeah okay fucking whatever I guess. 

Gah I don’t like the Agent Fowler kidnapping plotline. It feels out of place when the focus should really be on Optimus and Ratchet trying to stop Megatron. I think it would’ve been better suited for it’s own episode outside of the five pilot episodes. 

“About five years ago, the government started microchipping their agents.” As an American, yeah that is something my government would do. 

Y’know what, I think I would’ve been 100% okay with Miko throwing herself headlong into danger if she actually got a character arc where she realised how fucking dangerous and stupid of a decision that is. Like obviously TFP isn’t actually going to injure their child protagonists, but like… the show also wants me to be worried about the kids getting injured when they end up in situations and it falls flat when the Cybertronians are constantly telling Miko not to do stupid shit and then she never really learns her lesson, despite it nearly getting her and her friends killed on several occasions. 

Honestly if they’d just moved Fowler getting kidnapped to being it’s own episode, we probably could’ve cut down Darkness Rising to four parts instead of five. 

I think the showrunners should’ve allowed Ratchet to fucking maul Megatron right out the gate. It would’ve been funny and would’ve put Megatron out of commission way earlier. 

Episode Four - Darkness Rising, Part 4

I enjoy the little detail that you don’t actually see Miko getting out of Bulkhead when Raf and Jack do. 

Once again good lord I hope the vehicons aren’t sentient. Because otherwise Bulkhead is just killing so many people. 

Bulkhead’s voice actor nailed that MIKO?! perfectly. 

HOW THE FUCK DID MIKO JUST SLIDE ACROSS THE FLOOR LIKE THAT? HUMANS DO NOT HAVE THAT LEVEL OF TRACTION. 

Y’know for as much as the fandom and the show love to hype up Soundwave as this guy who can see everything on the Nemesis and knows exactly what is going on at all times, he’s sure doing a pretty shit job of noticing three autobots breaking into the ship with their human companions. 

ONCE AGAIN I REALLY HOPE THAT THE VEHICONS AREN’T SENTIENT BECAUSE OTHERWISE THE AUTOBOTS ARE GOING TO BE SO HYPOCRITICAL WHEN THEY SAY THEY CARE ABOUT ALL LIFE. 

Why did they animate Raf putting the backpack on? Literally why did he do that instead of just running with the backpack in his hand? 

Y’know what, shoutout to Jack for having the most normal reaction to being put in a life threatening situation. Miko is acting far too chill about all of this and I think it’s really weird how they keep having characters tell her that she could keep dying and then the dialogue serves no purpose because she just turns around and goes ‘Well I almost died too.’ Like girl that is not helping your case. Your actions nearly got yourself and a twelve year old killed. Again this wouldn’t be a problem if Miko actually learned a minor lesson about throwing herself headlong into danger. But she doesn’t learn. 

She can still be weird girl extraordinar who loves robots and Bulkhead and metal music and thrill seeking without putting her friends in harm’s way. Like that is perfectly feasible!

LMFAO RATCHET IS SO FUCKING READY TO BE DONE WITH THEM. God he truly is the funniest part of this show so far. 

Ugh… yay the first of many Starscream beatings. It is kinda funny how he sounds like he’s being choked but Megatron’s foot isn’t anywhere near his throat. 

Okay Miko, your speech is falling on deaf years because you did actually almost get people killed. Like… girl… you did almost die and I don’t think saying ‘Oh well I went to the best school and had a loving family but I was stifled and didn’t get to be as weird as I wanted to be which is exactly why you should come back to hang out in a place that is liable to get you killed with me.’ will the change the fact that the guy you’re trying to convince nearly died. 

Other Notes

Honestly, as much as I was ragging on Miko for the last couple of paragraphs, I do not actually hate her. I actually enjoy her moments with Bulkhead and the rest of the human cast in the base quite a bit. What I hate is how the show really wants you to think it’s super dark and gritty and oh my god the characters are at risk of getting injured and dying and then one of the main characters literally runs headlong into danger, nearly gets her friends killed, and then refuses to really sit down and understand why exactly her behaviour is dangerous for everyone around her. 

Like genuinely, think about it, what happens if Miko gets injured? Her host family all of a sudden have to deal with the fact that a child they’re legally responsible for has been hurt and then they have to explain that fact to her actual parents. Then the Cybertronians will be liable for Miko’s injuries as well. Like her actions could have genuine consequences for so many other people than just Jack and Raf and if the show actually decided to commit to the fact that she could get hurt, we might have actually had an interesting plot line on our hands. But no, Miko will continue to throw herself into danger because ‘Oh the big robots are so cool and even though they’re literally in a war that’s actually causing them physical and emotional harm, i’m going to continue to talk about it like it’s a video game.’

God girl… I wish you were written better. 

Episode Five - Darkness Rising, Part 5

Why does Megatron keep hating on Starscream, he’s literally just standing there 90% of the time. He hasn’t even done anything wrong in the five episodes he’s existed. 

I think it’s really funny that Soundwave has to be at the radio array in person to deal with the goal of getting the space bridge to turn towards Cybertron. And also that scene is so funny because he’s just hunched over, tentacles sucking away at a random console, not even in any of the ports, just latched onto the box itself. What is he even doing? How do those tentacles even work in terms of extracting data? 

Literally the very next scene shows Soundwave flipping through the cameras remotely so why does he even need the tentacles? And also what the fuck was he doing in the last episode when the autobots were breaking Fowler out of the brig, was he just taking a nap, or does he not have access to the Nemesis’ camera system?

I wish Megatron would’ve stayed dead. The maybe Starscream could be an actual character instead of a punching bag. 

RATCHET WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU JUST STANDING THERE? TREAT HER DAMMIT?!

Other Notes

Okay so despite my less than stellar reviews so far, I would actually rate the Darkness Rising Arc with a solid 6.5/10. Like they're not bad episodes, especially not as a set of opening episodes to get people hooked on the show. I merely have the benefit of having watched the show before and am therefore able to make judgements based off of preexisting knowledge.

------

alright and here is part two of my tfp watch through! another person recommended that i watch the rest of the darkness rising episodes since they're very much meant to be viewed sequentially in a single sitting. i technically watched eight episodes since i do an initial watch through and then a second watch through where i take notes.

-burnt ice anon

scrolling through this wall of text going Hey what the hell Until i realized we just passed a friday, and we’re reviewing tfp every friday now.

I’ll be completely honest with you right off the bat I will have to disagree, I fuckin love tfp Megatron I think he’s so funny. I have zero notes, his dark energon plotline is also funny to me. I get where you’re coming from about his character and role, but I guess but I love a good crazy bitch. He’s a hater after my own heart. 

one thing i guess i just have to dedicate an entire paragraph to is the Jack comparing his girl problems to Arcee’s loss because I also always thought it was weird, but upon rewatch I realized that… he doesn’t? Like if I’m not mistaken, he’s referring to Arcee as his girl problems. Which is, admittedly, still kinda rude, but it makes more sense, considering that she (albeit by accident and unwillingly) dragged him into mortal danger. Sorry, I just thought that was interesting. 

as for Miko… I always have to defend her. She’s fourteen, lacks self-preservation skills, and is insensitive at times because her excitement gets her faster than social norms do. She’s got a brand of adhd i sure know well. She IS however out of place with her excitement, considering how like, gritty and real tfp is trying to be, she would actually fit much better in a more lighthearted tf show. The writers never seemed to know where to take her, always keeping whether she’s learnt her lesson semi-ambiguous just in case they have to find an easy reason for the bots to be at a specific place or do a specific thing. But to be completely honest I never had any desire to see Miko learn her lesson. Also, people do need to cut her some slack, all she really wants to do is watch Transformers, something we get to do on tv, but she has to sneak through ground bridges and stuff to get a tiny piece of action. Sorry, this turned into a Miko appreciation paragraph. i can’t help myself.

[ctheathy]

Hey is it ok If i request platonic yandere iscream and fwench fry x child reader that somehow is they're bio child... Like they don't know how they Just know that we appered one day and Here we are... Have a nice day/night 💜💛 (sorry for Errors)

Yandere Iscream and Yandere Fwench Fwy w/ their biological child

Iscream x Reader x Fwench Fwy

Yandere Headcanons

Short Concept

Author’s note: This request is adorable!! These two would dedicate their lives and potentially end the literal world for a youngling of their own.

Iscream/Reader/Fwench Fwy [Platonic]

[Gender-neutral Darling|Female Darling|Male Darling]

Potential ⚠️TWs⚠️ :

Toxic parenting • Vulnerable/Easily influenced reader • Blood rituals mentioned • Forcing the child within morally questionable interests • Childishness/Narcissism(?) • Tantrums • Bloodthirst • Violent intrusive thoughts • Sweetie, you ain't gonna be raised good

- Iscream:

I personally interpret Iscream as much more clingy and hungry for attention as a yandere. They'd honestly behave too much like an attention seeking child themselves to give you the proper care for growing up in a healthy environment. A creature so desperate for attention and affection would cling to anyone who would offer it. Children are often known to be selfish and will often choose their own profit instead of looking out for those around them. And Iscream is no different here. They'll still care deeply for you of course, but they're just not capable of holding the role of a good parental figure, which is where things can go wrong fast.

A big problem regarding Iscream is that they prioritise their sense of validation more than caring for you like a proper, responsible adult. Just tagging you along to do activities they deem as exciting and mind-blowing enough for their liking, which would obviously be a huge ride of entertainment for a literal child... And though it might keep your adventure-craving mind entertained and happy, it isn't a very suitable way to be raising a child. They're prioritising having the role as the "fun parent" over what's actually good for you and your development. Their behaviour having a major influence on your sense of thoughts, maturity and eventual mentality. Which, though remotely enjoyable during your youthful days, is something that could really, negatively affect you in the long run.

Due to the fact that the schemes they plan and the morally concerning interests they have aren't really supported among the other characters, Iscream is quick to try and get influential with the strange things they enjoy doing. Therefore forcing their inappropriate hobbies onto you, who of course, doesn't know any better due to being so young and vulnerable. You wouldn't know any better and would likely deem a bunch of demon rituals and blood offerings as normal, even when it's clearly not. Something which may also come off as surprising is the fact that they are more laid-back regarding violence and overprotection than Fwench Fwy is. Although demon rituals are occasionally used excuse-wise to keep those around you obedient with the threatening blackmail, Iscream is a lot more hands off while their partner is more overbearing and involved in the emotional aspect of their child's life.

Because they'd be so desperate to come off as a good "role model" for their child, this would usually result in them dragging you along with some rather questionable activities, revealing sights to you that a newborn absolutely shouldn't be exposed to at such a young age. They would want you to feel impressed by what they're showing off to you and either gain praise or showcase interest for it. Something when not provided, is quick to put Iscream in a homicidal mood for a while or sometimes cause a tantrum.

A habit which I believe is easily capable of making a literal child feel guilty, afraid and misunderstood. You wouldn't even have the ability to slowly develop an identity of your own. Because Iscream would love to see your personality match their own, as selfish and narcissistic as that sounds. I've mentioned it before and I'll say it again, but somebody with an irresponsible and childish mentality doesn't have the qualities to care for a kid. They may be talented when it comes to entertaining you through physical activities and such, but they absolutely cannot be considered attentive to your emotional needs. Iscream cannot see and is not ready to accept that you aren't an extension of them. Failing to see that you're your own individual with separate feelings from theirs, and who will eventually grow up to be independent. Hereby struggling to be genuinely supportive.

- Fwench Fwy:

Fwenchie here is a bit more complicated than their partner is ...not only do they have a reputation to uphold among those they consider their friends. But they're also known to be an inspirational and wise figure to the others, a role Fwench Fwy takes pride in and something they don't want to risk losing. As soon as you made your appearance in the dragon's life, they were over the moon. They would take no hesitation in taking responsibility for you and caring for you like a real parent would. And they are definitely somewhat clingy and overbearing with it, constantly close to you and watching you, asking if you need your ‘mommy’ to do something for you. Trying to guide you through life by holding you by the hand.

And from an outside perspective, they genuinely seem like a good parent to you. Maybe a bit much sometime, but still holds good intentions nonetheless ...right? But when paying good attention, you'll start to notice just how consistent they are with it. Despite now also holding the role as a very nurturing parent, there's definitely a flaw that's quick upon being noticed when it comes to Fwench Fwy. Something that also includes the wish granting and isn't something the other characters would often consider to talk about or see it as strange.

Throughout Fwenchie's time with the others, they've been known to be quite casual with their powers, not having a lot of limitations with them... And only an occasional rejection being given when asked for a wish, often for thoughtful and somewhat understandable reasons. The same would of course count for you. You get your wishes when you ask for them, nothing too out of the ordinary here. But where the difference sets in with just how careless Fwench Fwy behaves with it...

Children are often known to get excited and reckless when their offerings are limitless. And when actively being spoiled just like that, it would only get harder to make them stop asking for more. In which, you are no different. And yet, Fwench Fwy allows all of it to just happen, giving in to any request you gave no matter how dangerous it might be to any mortals or even reality itself. Fwenchie has always been known to be quite a people pleaser, but they put zero restraints on you and expect no restrictions whatsoever. Shrugging the concerns of their peers off by saying they'll be able to handle trouble if it gets out of hand. But the damage would be far beyond recognition before they do so.

The thing about Frenchie is that they're desperate to appear behaved. They've always valued blending in and their bond with Chikn and the others a lot... so why? Why is their interest and respect for the group faltering? Why do they not care as much about them or their safeties anymore? Fwench Fwy has never stood to violence, they've never believed that aggression and vengeance was the right solution. So why do these hostile thoughts and animalistic instincts kick in whenever they notice you speaking to one of their morals allies? Why did they gain this thirst for violence...? It's something they're desperate to ignore and not own up to.

Fwench Fwy is also quick to get defensive whenever their strangely possessive nature towards you is brought up. They'll mainly try to avoid the topic by manipulating the conversation. But when confronted anyway, they try and assure the things they've done by giving these half-assed explanations on how dragons are known to be protective and care deeply for their spawn and will do anything to keep them satisfied. Yet completely disregarding the fact that spoiling them rotten to a point their offspring may become demanding and sometimes even difficult to deal with. In Fwenchie's eyes, it's something too insignificant to bring up.

But somewhere deep inside, they know they're just as mentally ill and deranged as Iscream is, if not even more so. Because unlike Iscream, Fwench Fwy just manages to cover it up. They're not as direct with the way they feel and are quick to hide their severe emotions behind a once trusting smile. Their obsession is just not something they want to admit to their sweet child or anyone for that matter. All they would do would be to try to convince themselves otherwise, and all of it will be fine. And in a way... Fwenchie is also fixated on the idea of feeling possessive over you. Something the others have certainly questioned on more than one occasion.

Resulting in either giving advice on how to behave more appropriately or offering them somebody to talk to in the meantime. Offerings Fwenchie has always rejected... because despite knowing it's wrong and so, SO toxic. They do not want to recover from their unhealthy condition. Realistically speaking, they know damn well about their obsession with their child, but they want to keep the toxic mentality. And you know what they say, you cannot help somebody who doesn't want to be helped. Iscream and Fwench Fwy are both no better than the other claims to be and will not hesitate to cause destruction and even warp reality for the sake of their little angel's amusement.

They're both just creating a freakshow for you to enjoy and anybody else has to pay the price for it.

[saintsenara]

I am living for the rare pair asks and answers!!! Break it down for me (any or all, your choice)!: Viktor Krum and Ron, Snape and McGonagall, Trelawney and Umbridge!

thank you so much for the ask, @nanneramma - three absolutely top-tier choices here.

viktor krum/ron weasley

listen... unrequited kron is quite literally canon. ron wanted krum to sleep in his bed [come on, king, have some chill], kept a little model of him on his bedside table [and then snapped it when krum had the temerity to fancy someone else], and just generally had such little idea about what to do with his hitherto untapped bisexuality that his embarrassing behaviour made everyone within a ten-mile radius profoundly uncomfortable.

do i think krum would be into it...? yes.

as he says to harry at bill and fleur's wedding, one of the perks of being an international quidditch star is the opportunity to nail your fans. finding a fan who's as enthusiastic as ron would undoubtedly be about this scenario is like hitting the jackpot.

minerva mcgonagall/severus snape

a genuine obsession - sustained by every single fic @kellychambliss has ever written about the two.

firstly because i’m an equal-opportunity age-gap fan, and there is far too little older woman/younger man in the fandom, but also because i’m a huge fan of the fanon that snape and mcgonagall are friends prior to dumbledore’s death - i’m not sure it’s canonically plausible, but who gives a fuck - and i like the idea of that blossoming into something more, especially in fics where snape survives the second war. after all, he is a man who definitely needs to be treated quite strictly [and i don’t just mean in the staff room], there's a shared loneliness and grief to them both, they’re intellectual equals despite the age gap, and bickering about quidditch is absolutely fine as a method of foreplay.

plus, you can’t tell me dumbledore’s portrait doesn’t ship it.

sybill trelawney/dolores umbridge

well, they've obviously got the "enemies" part of "enemies-to-lovers" nailed [behave].

but, actually, i'm not sure i back it. the thing that's really interesting about trelawney is that she's clearly very aware that the face she presents to the world is a work of fiction - she knows, absolutely, that she's not really a good seer, that her colleagues think she's weird and off-putting, and so on - and i think that the insecurity she feels about this and the affect it must have on her relationships is a really fascinating thing to work through in both platonic and romantic ships which feature her.

umbridge, on other hand, also lives - essentially - in character at all times, but believes she's entirely right to do so. she's never letting go of her righteousness enough to give a crap about poor sybill, I fear.

[my fave trelawney rare pair? her with rita skeeter, who does have the 'being well aware you're a fraud' vibe. my fave with umbridge? her with prison.]

[that-ari-blogger]

We're Talking About Cacti (The Valley Of The Lost)

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power is a tragedy of inevitability and psychology. It’s a story about how cycles of the same behaviours can lead to ruts and create problems.

A key mechanic of the storytelling is how every character’s greatest strength is also their greatest weakness. It’s a story in which characters cause their own misfortune.

However, the series is also a story about breaking those cycles, about recovering from trauma and redeeming oneself. I say it’s a tragedy because it functions remarkably efficiently as one, but the term doesn’t really apply too well in practice. Most notably, the series has a happy ending. The cycle gets broken.

My coverage of the fourth season of this series is going to focus in on individual characters and discuss how their development as people interacts with the themes, and perhaps no side character relates to the themes as well as Perfuma.

Let me explain.

SPOILERS AHEAD (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, Percy Jackson)

When I wrote my post on No Princess Left Behind, I discussed almost every character within that episode. Almost.

I discussed how Bow’s top down, tactical approach prevents him from noticing the minutia and lets him get blindsided twice in the one mission, and I mentioned that Glimmer’s stubbornness causes the events of that episode, but also lets her be the first person to actually get the jump on Shadow Weaver. I also discussed Adora’s rapid internalisation and Mermista’s pragmatism.

But I left out Perfuma.

Mostly, this was because I wanted to dedicate an entire post to her, and here we are.

By the model established, Perfuma’s greatest strength and weakness is her unflinching moral framework, and I want to clarify that I don’t mean being a good person is worthy of scorn, I mean that Perfuma has one way of looking at and interacting with the world, and she is not very good at adapting.

This is a phenomenal way of getting across emotion. The objective is missing, and therefore so is everything else in this shot. The scale of the characters serves to show off the sheer scale of the empty space and to create that feeling of pointlessness.

This is a brilliant trait in the larger scale of the war with the horde, where, after the first season, she never backs down from a challenge if it’s the right thing to do. When threats are issued and everyone else is running low, Perfuma is the one person who never budges.

The flaw here is funky. Perfuma cannot improvise, she operates by a plan and prepared responses, so when people surprise her, what does she do?

Mermista’s emotional distance is part of the buddy cop dynamic she and Perfuma have, in which they are both convinced they are the straight man to the other’s antics, which is fun. But a lot of that dynamic is frustration. Perfuma is an extrovert, Mermista is not. Perfuma tries to be outgoing, and Mermista pushes back because it makes her uncomfortable.

It’s a dynamic that doesn’t go anywhere until Perfuma learns that people are complicated, much like plants.

You will notice that this flaw is not inherently moral, and here’s where that gets tricky. Because you are right, social awkwardness is not an ethical dilemma, but Perfuma doesn’t know that. Perfuma believes that not being able to find common ground with someone is a moral failing and, because she can’t achieve that with Mermista, she views herself as a failure.

The cycle is repeated with Huntara. Where Mermista was distant, is actively antagonistic, Huntara pushes back in a pricklier manner, and Perfuma doesn’t know what to do.

Even the shape language of these characters is different. Perfuma is all wavy lines, making her seem approachable and non-dangerous, while everything about Huntara is angular, even the spiky collar. The only exception is that tattoo on the side of her head, implying a softness that you have to go through the prickles to find.

Which brings me to the cactus.

I love the little joke about Bow assuming there’s a double meaning and Perfuma being straight to the point, and I think it works as a storytelling concept too. Because we're not talking about the problem, we're talking about Perfuma's approach to solving it.

I’ve always been a bit confused by Perfuma’s magic.

Magic is the bluntest form of plot device you can find; it always exacerbates the themes of the story. For example, the Percy Jackson series is about family and generational legacy, so the magic is handed down and unavoidable. Characters are saddled with magical abilities that sometimes work perfectly, but other times backfire, cause problems, or come with side effects that can’t be avoided. The characters have to actively deal with who their parents are at all times.

She-Ra features a personal magic system, where each character has individual abilities that mirror their personality or, in this case, their stories. Adora escapes trauma by putting on a brave face and being useful, so she has She-Ra, a mask she can wear that is useful enough to make her feel better.

Perfuma has plants, which don’t really match her vibe at all. Plants are varied and versatile, with all kinds of weird and wonderful variations that can survive almost anything. I live in Australia, where half the flora can only grow after being set on fire, and the other half has put the idea of “the best defence is a good offence” to its logical extreme. Perfuma, as I keep saying, is about as far from this as you can get. She is many things, but versatile is not one of them.

Yet.

“They're the one plant I can't control or keep alive, and everyone says they're so easy, but you still have to water them, and I always under-water then over-water and I…”

Cacti are living things, so they do need sustenance to survive, but they are also stupidly resilient. It takes great skill and effort to kill a cactus.

Let’s apply Perfuma’s approach to cactus growing to the rest of her life. Because while she isn’t directly talking about Huntara, she’s been approaching both the same way, and that’s what’s been causing the trouble.

Every plant needs water, but usually they need different amounts of it. There’s also the thing of soil acidity, but I’m not exactly expecting Perfuma to turn around and go “the PH of this desert is all wrong!”

Similarly, people have different levels of comfortability with situations and other people. You can overwater someone by being too overbearing, kind as you may be, some people want space.

Can we talk about how strong Adora is to pull Huntara around the corner like a ragdoll? Turns out there's some power to her normal form as well as her magical one.

The moral here is really simple, back off. Right?

Well, no. People and plants cannot survive on their own, without care. If you step away from someone and withhold aid, they are going to dry themselves out and get hurt. If you don’t water a plant, it will have no food and die.

The trick is finding a safe middle ground between the two extremes and understanding that not being able to follow your plan doesn’t mean you are a moral failure. It means engaging with someone on their own terms.

It’s notable that Perfuma spends most of the series surrounded by flowers, which are pretty, but brittle and high maintenance, and her kingdom is similarly the type of place that she can lead with a more hands on approach. But some people and plants need her to relax just a bit, and those are the ones that tend to be able to support her in turn.

But I mentioned the breaking of cycles, and that’s where we are now. If Perfuma continues on the path she is on, she will repeatedly be unable to connect with those in her life who she will need to rely on later on down the line, but she will also destroy her self-esteem because, as has been mentioned, she has tied her morality to her one-size-fits-all problem solving.

Perfuma was talking about the cactus, but she applies the lesson she learned about that to her interactions with Huntara and later on Mermista, so that when things go wrong, the two can lean on each other better than almost any other pair in the group.

Perfuma breaks the cycle of her own behaviour, and becomes the rock that everyone else can orient themselves around, along with maybe Bow.

I did want to mention one of Perfuma’s early lines and contrast it with the introduction of everyone’s favourite Enby, Double Trouble.

“I'm really trying to be zen about this, but if I'm being honest, and I always try to speak my truth, I just don't get cacti! They're just so rough and unfriendly!”

It's interesting that Perfuma used the phrase “my truth”, because it recontextualises her honesty as honesty of opinion, and I’m calling apple sauce.

Perfuma is always putting on a façade of overcompensating friendliness that she doesn’t ever break, at least not until this episode. I’m not saying she isn’t friendly; I’m saying she uses it to cover up her own emotions because she has a set response to any problem, and that doesn’t involve her being anything other than the happy-go-lucky.

Catra has pieced together that Double Trouble is a shapeshifter already by the time of this shot. She is scared when she sees herself. There are so many readings of this little action, from the idea that Catra is scared of herself, to scared of losing control, and a ton more.

That idea of masks and walls that people put up to defend themselves is a core theme of the series, and one that I am still trying to relate to my thesis, but it is called attention to directly by Double Trouble.

“Of course, we all wear costumes.”

PROTECT THEM AT ALL COSTS

Double Trouble is a character who weaponizes their empathy. I want to devote an entire post to them at some point, but for now, I will say this: Acting is about empathising, you become someone else by understanding them and their emotions. If this is a fake character you are making up, that’s all well and good, but if you want to impersonate someone, you need to learn how they think.

Double Trouble understands people better than those people understand themselves at times. I wonder if that will be important.

Final Thoughts

One thing that I feel the need to mention is the head cannon that Perfuma is trans. I fully ascribe to this, theory, despite the fact that it isn’t actually in the text of the series. I think it’s a really cool detail, but I am not trans myself, and so I cannot be considered the expert on this. Let me know what you think in the replies.

I also really like the animation of this episode. I don’t know if I would quite call it a step up from the show, there is one shot in particular that is jarringly janky, but I do find the expressiveness of the faces and the key frames rather visually pleasing.

Next week, I will be discussing Fluterina, and how Etheria itself functions as a setting. So, stick around if that interests you.

Previous - Next

[eegasleega-will-change-this-l8r]

Sooo I wasn't planning on doing this post just yet and I don't have a good digital drawing of her yet, but

Ana!!

So my take on her is very different from how I think most people imagine her, I wanted to go in a different direction that made her more than just the girl one/ninten's girlfriend/nicher Paula and she's become one of my favorite characters to play around with ^^

Design details and a giant wall of text detailing her character and story below :3

So like the entirety of my interpretation of Ana stems from one thing

That face

T_T

Very prominent eyebrows (Invasion From the Unknown actually mentions the same thing!!! the illustrations don't show it though and there's not really any other similarities between that version and mine), mouth usually spread in a frown, she's not a happy person Pink dress with a white collar and frill at the bottom, pink hat with a black band (or maybe cream with a red/pink band? i might play around with that idk), red shoes and white stockings She almost always wears her hat when she's out, having to leave it behind in Reindeer was very frustrating but she knew she'd get it back eventually at least (And yeah, she's fat. Her sprite doesn't look fat, I haven't seen other designs that make her fat, I didn't really take inspiration from her model because I hate it and it's not really fat either, I just wanted there to be a fat girl who's not, like, a mean-spirited joke, and since MOTHER's sprites are suuuper vague I decided to take advantage of it and design the characters however I wanted. thank god i'm on tumblr and not posting these to reddit or something, they'd crucify me)

Now her character!

Basically, Ana is grumpy and sour Constantly

You can contrast that with Ninten's 24/7 positivity

In general, I see the world of MOTHER 1 being very bleak and gloomy, with Ninten being the sole exception who helps bring light to the places and people whose souls are being crushed by the weight of everything Ana's sort of the final boss of repressed emotions and pessimism for Ninten to tackle (besides the actual final boss, who completely blows anyone else's emotional repression out of the water - I have a Giygas post in my drafts but I honestly have too much to say about him, I need to trim it down ><) It alllllll plays into the themes I wanna play with in my M1 interpretation :3

So Ana was a young girl living with her mother and father in Snowman's local chapel. Even before the Invasion she was pretty well-known for not being particularly upbeat. She was super reserved, pretty much never smiled, and preferred reading and praying to other people's company. She got some of it from her father, who was a priest and raised her to value proper behaviour and following God or whatever, but she's also just kinda like that. Her mother was much warmer, loving her daughter and never judging her for being less outgoing than the other kids, and Ana was always happiest curled up with her next to the fire, listening to a story.

Oh, and of course she's psychic, powerfully so. Bad news if you tick her off. Her family regards it as a miracle from God. She's a little clairvoyant, but not enough to know exactly what the future holds. Just short little confusing snippets and hints of what to do and expect.

One day, everything suddenly changed. The town was hit by an earthquake, everything was covered in darkness, the animals on the outskirts of town went berserk, and people went missing. The sounds and the shaking jolted Ana awake, and she ran down the hall hoping to be comforted by her mother. Opened the door, standing there with a candle, staring at the empty bed and a shattered window.

Ana buried her feelings and set out to try and find her mother (her father just stayed home and prayed, never leaving the chapel), but the monsters and creatures that had appeared were too strong for her alone, and she could only get as far as Reindeer before she had to turn back. But she heard a little voice in her head that told her to leave her hat behind, and she knew that whoever returned it to her would be the person she had to follow to rescue her mother. She waited impatiently back at her home, praying with her father, obsessively reading the news (similar disappearances all over the country, especially in Easter, interesting), and hoping that the hero, "Ninten," would show up soon.

Eventually, after FAR longer than she was happy with, he showed up and. Is this really the hero? This is just some bucktoothed kid and his geeky friend. She shoved down her frustrations along with everything else (at the very least she appreciated finally having her hat back) and told him that she needed to join him. He's happy to meet her of course because he's Ninten ("New friend!" "We are not friends.") And so the trio gets to set off on their journey!

In the completely wrong direction. Why are we stopping in Halloween.

For some reason, Ninten doesn't seem overly concerned about the fate of the world. He and his stupid friend just keep goofing off and hunting for these useless melodies. This isn't a scavenger hunt. The world is gonna be destroyed. She's furious, but she bottles it up. This is the person who's apparently fated to save Earth, so she has to stay with him, no matter how annoying he is or how much time he wastes.

So Ana spends the whole journey getting progressively more ticked off as they keep getting distracted by the hunt for the melodies. Ninten's shenanigans and his relentlessly positive attitude continue to get on her nerves, and she refuses to engage with them. This is a SERIOUS mission, and she's not gonna stoop to their foolish level, even if she has to stick with them.

So I'll be able to get more into the fight among the group when Teddy joins when I do his post, but short story is that Ana is against Lloyd staying. If they're actually gonna see this mission through to its end, someone strong like Teddy's gonna be far more useful, and they've wasted far too much time to let Lloyd slow them down. Her anger's really starting to boil over at this point. They've been together for ages, and they've barely gotten any closer to saving the world.

This all finally comes to a head on the Mountain (I love the Mountain, everything happens on the Mountain). Ninten's starting to lose his cool as the stress of their journey starts getting heavier and heavier, having to leave Lloyd was incredibly painful, and he's angry with her for not having their backs. She snaps that they aren't friends, they're just allies on the same mission, and they can't afford to waste time goofing off and making pals, and the fight gets more and more heated until everything Ana's been holding in finally bursts free.

She's terrified, and she's been terrified ever since her mother disappeared, and she doesn't know if they can really win or if she'll ever see her mother again, and having to just stay bottled up while they just wandered around seemingly not doing anything has been awful, and infuriating, and she can't stop herself from crying anymore.

Ninten quiets down and lets her have what she needs for a few minutes before he tries to comfort her. He didn't realize she was keeping all this inside, and he feels horrible that she was dealing with this the entire time. Once her tears die down, he rests his hand on her and assures her that they're gonna save her mother, and everyone else, too. He doesn't know how, and he's terrified sometimes too, but he also knows that for whatever reason, they need the melodies if they want to win. He apologizes for just ignoring all her feelings for the entire journey, and tells her that even though she's been so firm about not liking them, he doesn't want her to be alone. She can tell him anything, she doesn't need to keep everything to herself. That's what being friends is about, right?

So this is huge for both of them, and it's when Ana finally starts to warm up. She finally sees that it's good to be open and have friends, and that they'll be stronger for it if they're close. And, as they climb further up the Mountain and continue being friends, she starts to realize some muuuuch more uncomfortable feelings, too. Of course she pushes them down at first, but when they reach the cabin, they're alone together, and who knows if she'll have another chance to open up like this, she comes out and asks Ninten to dance.

I flip-flop a lot on whether Ninten actually feels mutually about her (you can choose yes or no when she asks if you like her back, I don't think Ninten's really ready to figure that stuff out for himself), but goddd I love this scene so much, for such a simple, clunky game, its tender moments hit so hard ;-;

So by the end of the story, Ana's reunited with her mother, she finally has friends that she loves and cares about, she's discovered new things about herself, and she's developed a new sense of hope and brightness for the future. A happy ending :)

So that's my version of Ana, I think she's very different from every other version I've seen of her so it's not like I'll ever see content for her that'll really speak to me unfortunately, but I love her and I love thinking about her dynamic with the other characters ^^

[lokisprettygirl]

Lose me to Love you (Loki x Female Reader) (AU) (18+)

Read Chapter 30 here / Series Masterlist

Chapter 31

Summary: Loki and you wants to leave the past behind and move forward but your shared past would never allow you to do that.

Trigger Warning: 18+, Mention of torture and psychological trauma, discussion of mental health, Smutty smut, degradation, unprotected sex, Description of rape and assault, panic attack, violence against women, Extreme dark themes, Sexual abuse, physical abuse, public sex, Rough violent sex, 18+, Steamy stuff, age difference ,Rough language, mention of suicide, talk of virginity and slut shaming, manipulative behaviour, mention of trauma, smut, toxic relationship between main characters. Dark themes, cult stuff

"Look to the right" you heard the photographer so you tilted your head to the right. Loki was watching your every little move and it made you feel so warm. And wet.

He smiled as your eyes met with him, he knew what he was doing, he knew how he affected you and he still couldn't stop giving you the bedroom eyes.

"Hiii" he heard a woman's voice next to him so he turned his head, she looked around his age and she was checking him out from top to bottom "Do you model?" She asked him so he looked at her curiously.

"If the pay is alright..yes"

"Cool..So you have your portfolio on you?"

"I have a few photos on my phone"

"Great, show me"

"Excuse me!! Who are you?" He raised his brow as he questioned.

"I'm Celia, I work for Suroze agency" She raised her hand forward so he grabbed it to give it a professional handshake. He passed her the phone and she was impressed by the pictures so she asked him for an official meeting and they agreed upon a date.

"Sooo you're her agent if I'm not wrong?" She asked him and he nodded.

"Do you have anything for her?" He asked her.

"Her??? Oh noo, she's not ummm the model type" his jaw clenched immediately as she answered him.

"She's fucking amazing"

"She's your Client ofcourse you're supposed to say it, I get it you know" she chuckled as she winked at him and it only made him angrier. He couldn't bear the smug look on her face. All these years he had tried so hard to never allow anyone to put you down in anyways, whether it was regarding your talent as an actor or your overall looks, you were beautiful but this industry was rottened and unfortunately once in a while he indeed bumped into such people.

"She's good, she knows what she's doing and she does it well"

"Blahhh I'd say she should stick to acting" she smiled at him and it only managed to infuriate him further.

You saw him having a conversation with an attractive modelesque looking blonde but you had no idea what they were talking about. He did seem a little upset though.

"Are you free after this?" She asked him so he snickered, when he moved to LA he was a bit taken by the ladies here, it's not that he didn't fuck people in New York but it didn't happen so quickly there. Some women here seemed too forward and he wasn't in the position to judge them but he was definitely judging this one, he was just pissed at the way she had tried to insult you slyly.

"No I'm going home with …her" he gestured towards you with the tilt of his head.

"Umm you guys?? Woww.. gotta say that's hella unprofessional" she looked at him with a disgusted look on her face.

"So is wanting to fuck the model you were just trying to book for your agency" that was enough to make her upset and she told him that she'd see him at the meeting before she left.

Once you both reached back home you noticed that he seemed a little upset and that was bothering you.

"Something wrong?" You asked him as you took your usual spot which was him on the couch and you on top of his lap. He shook his head at first but after much insistence he told you about the agency and the offer, he also told you the reason why he was in such a sullen mood.

It made you smile for some reason, just him being so upset that some random woman didn't think of you as model material and that it bothered him so much was endearing. If you didn't know him this well you'd grab his cheeks and give it a harsh squeeze.

"You know not everyone has to like me or the way I look right?" Your arms wrapped around his neck and his eyes met with yours.

"Why would anyone not like you?" He asked you and you felt a whirlpool of emotions running through you, he had no idea how sweet he was to you sometimes.

"You didn't like me like up until a few months ago" you chuckled so he cupped your cheeks. You were just joking but it went over his head.

"I have always liked you more than I ever wanted to like you darling" your eyes teared up as he said that so you kissed him softly.

"Was she flirting with you?"

"Maybe yes, maybe not" he smiled

"Well I'll just have to keep an eye on her at the shoot then" he chuckled as you said that.

"You want me to do this?"

"We do need the money daddy" you mumbled amidst the kisses so he hummed before he decided to unveil that he had a joint savings account on both of your names.

"I wasn't planning to tell you this anytime soon but i do have an emergency runaway fund saved for us, in case you ever wanted to just get the fuck out of this city and move to a village or something, far away from here, just me and you" you pulled away to look at him, the money wasn't just for that purpose, he wanted to leave you with something if he was to die for whatever reasons, death was the only thing that could have taken him away from you but he wasn't unprepared for that possibility.

"Maybe someday we can? We have time right?" You asked him so he tucked your hair strands behind the ears, making you relish in the touch then he kissed your forehead.

"We have all the time in the world sweetheart. I'll fulfill all your dreams i promise"

The next day you both met with Celia and she seemed infuriating but you both needed this job. You also met up with Jane and discussed how you both wanted this documentary to be made, you didn't want to put anything out there that you would regret later in life. You wanted to ask her about Thor but it felt weird, she didn't even know that he was Thor or that he suffered the same hell that you both did. She did seem upset though, you couldn't help but wonder if meeting him again resurfaced those old feelings she might have had for him or maybe she never moved on, it's not as if you knew her personally.

You wanted to go see Thor so Loki drove you there and you were met with his smug face but as soon as you mentioned Jane the smugness was gone in a flash.

"You loved her didn't you?" you asked him and he glared at you. Loki just sat down on the couch and watched the interaction occurring between you two, he didn't want to interfere in the matter.

"Love is bullshit"

"That's what Loki used to say too"

Thor looked at Loki as you said that.

"It is not… bullshit" Loki said to him, you could tell he was feeling awkward.

"Well what do you want me to do starling?" Thor crossed his arms as he questioned.

"Just talk to her, maybe she..ummm maybe she's the one for you"

"She doesn't even know who I am"

"That won't matter"

"It will, she'll try to use me for that docu- bullcrap like she's doing with you two" he huffed, he was getting more and more upset with every passing moment.

"You can't be certain of that Thor"

"I do .. I know her, she's all about films and money, how do you think she knew about you y/n? Who do you think told her about you? Ever thought of that?" He raised his voice so you took a step back and Loki immediately got up to grab your hand and pulled you closer to him.

"Lower your voice alright? She's just trying to help.. you told her about her didn't you?"

Loki asked him and your eyes teared up.

"That was…before we.. I can't undo it alright? But she jumped on the chance didn't she? That's what she'd do with me as well, i don't want to spend all my life in a fucking prison"

He turned around and stormed into one of the rooms to calm down. That day when you saw her looking so heartbroken you didn't think she'd ever use him like that if she knew his truth but then you couldn't have been sure.

Loki turned you towards him and cupped your cheeks to make you look at him, his thumbs grazed over your skin gently.

"You okay baby?" He asked you softly so you got on your tiptoes and wrapped your arms around his neck to hug him.

"He can't go on like this forever, he needs someone"

"I know, just give him time okay? I'll go talk to him" You nodded as he said that. He wrapped his arms around your waist and lifted you off the floor, it made you giggle in response, the sound warmed his heart. He couldn't even bear the sad look on your face any longer, not even for a second.

He did talk to Thor and was able to convince him to see Jane once and see what she wanted from him, he wanted his brother to take a leap of faith just like he did.

You both stayed there for the night, your body felt so tired from the day so it was easier to fall asleep, however his mind wasn't so kind to him tonight, there were a few things he didn't want to remember in life but once in a while all those memories came back to haunt him.

He was having a nightmare, it was about Jennifer, he was sixteen at the time and so was she, he was supposed to take her virginity before they would sacrifice her, he had no other choice but to do it.

It hurt a lot because she was so innocent, much like you, her mother brought her here, she didn't want to be a part of any of this but she had no choice either. After the sex Odin had asked him to take her to his room and keep her locked in there, they were supposed to sacrifice her the next day.

Loki couldn't have allowed that to happen, at least not on his watch, he heard her sobs all night long so right before the dawn he got her out of the binds and gave her a knife, he asked her to stab him in the back and he gave her the directions to find a way into the city through the woods but she was so young, he didn't even know if she made it out alive. The next day he was punished for being so weak that he couldn't even keep a girl under control, Clint, James and his other puppets looked for her in the woods and James told Odin that he had found her and killed her accidentally because she was struggling so much.

Later that night Loki tried to go find her body in the woods, he wanted to wallow and beg for forgiveness but he didn't find her. Maybe they buried her somewhere else, maybe an animal got to her but he had always blamed himself for allowing her to die.

When he woke up he was drenched in his own sweat, he turned to look at you and you were still asleep so he slowly got out of your embrace and made his way to the bathroom to take a shower, sleep was the last thing on his mind right now.

As he stood under the cold water he tried to calm himself down, just knowing that those monsters who ruined so many lives were still out there made him so angry, a part of him never wanted to face them again, he wanted to stay as far as possible, he wanted to take you somewhere safe but then he knew he'd be looking over his shoulders all his life, wondering when those people would turn up to ruin the life he wanted to build with his sweet girl.

As he came out, you were awake and had the lights turned on, you always awakened whenever you didn't feel him around you. His body was dripping wet and he had a towel wrapped around his waist.

"Why did you shower?"

"Was feeling hot" he answered as he pulled the briefs over his legs.

"Lower the temperature then" you told him and he hummed in response "Nightmare?" He looked at you as you questioned him. He ripped the towel off his waist and walked towards the bed where you were already sitting on the edge so he sat down next to you.

You placed a soft kiss on his shoulder blades before you climbed on top of him.

"I'm here" you whispered in his ears and his hold around your waist tightened. He felt vulnerable and weak, he abhorred feeling that way because it always made him feel unmanly.

You lowered him down on the bed slowly and you could tell he was a bit restricted but for some reason he still allowed you to do it. He didn't deny it or stopped you in any way.

"What are you doing?" He chuckled but his eyes were filled with tears.

"Nothing, I just want to love you"

"You're going to fuck me?" He questioned you immediately as you said that.

"Do you want me to?" You asked while you brought his right hand up and kissed each of the fingertips individually.

"Nooooo" his voice came out in a broken whisper so you looked at him.

"What do you want me to do?" As the tears escaped the corner of his eyes you wiped them away before they could hit the bedsheet underneath him.

"Kiss me" his voice was meek and it hurt you, it hurt to know that he felt so afraid asking for something so pure and innocuous. You leaned down and cupped his cheeks, you gave him a few chaste pecks before your lips planted firmly on his.

"I love youuuuuuu" you whispered against his mouth and it made him moan in response, he sounded so pretty and you wanted to tell him that but you didn't want to push him away, he was trying to allow you to be affectionate with him and you didn't want to do anything that would take it away from him.

"I don't want you to kiss anyone else ever again..I want this all to myself" he mumbled so you pulled away slightly.

"I wasn't going to do it anywayssss"

"You would if you have to..you know..for work" he argued

"I won't..I won't kiss anyone but you" his fingers tucked the strands of hair behind your ears that kept falling on his face.

"Yeahhh?"

"I promise"

"Now I feel like a jerk darling"

"You don't have to, I wouldn't want you to kiss anyone else either..it's so intimate and sacred. I wouldn't ever want to share you like that so I'm glad you feel the same way about me" he cupped your cheeks and pulled you closer to kiss you again. Your words made him feel better, just the thought of you being with someone like this made his heart ache, he wanted to be the only one to receive all this affection you had to offer.

You sat up taking him along with you, you held onto him as tightly as you could while you kissed every inch of his face then you moved onto his neck and then his shoulders, your fingers ran over the scars on his back in a gentle manner. Then you slowly laid him down again to worship every inch of him because if anyone deserved to feel that way then it was him. He couldn't help but hum everytime your lips touched a new surface on his skin.

He felt vulnerable and weak but he didn't hate feeling that way, not in that moment, he enjoyed it indeed.

He never thought he'd see a day where he'd have someone love him like this, accept him with all his evil and just be there for him. He never thought that someday he'd be willing to have a woman on top of him love him so tenderly and he definitely didn't think that he'd be so willing to spend a whole night like this without it ending into sex.

He didn't think he was capable of giving or receiving such pure love but yet here he was.

Next day on the way back he really just wanted to get back home with you, he really wanted to give you everything you'd ever need in life but he knew that his past and those evil people would always threaten the paradise he was trying to build with you, his fear solidified as his car broke down in the middle of nowhere, it shouldn't have, he knew it didn't happen naturally.

"Text Steve that we are in danger.. Thor as well" Your eyes teared up as he said that.

"Lokiii"

"Do it sweetheart.. please" he looked at you, pleading with his eyes so you immediately texted both of them. Once you were done he grabbed your phone and hid it under the seat of the car so at least Steve would be able to trace the location.

His fears weren't baseless because as soon as he stepped out he was shot by two men, you didn't even have the time to blink or process what had just happened.

All you remembered was seeing Odin's face before you blacked out.

🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃

@annoyingsweetsstranger @whylokiissocute @loki-s-wife @fraoid3 @siggytumbles @crzyplantladyvibes @stupidthoughtsinwriting @vickie5446 @wheredafandomat @mcufan72 @xxntiimulti @loz-3 @dishahaldar @mcdesij @scram1326 @elthreetimes @army24--7 @sinsandguilt @holotacopeely @blog-the-lilly @disneyismyworldforever @bunny24sstuff @kats72 @somewiseguy @asgardianprincess1050 @multifandom-world8 @loki-laufeyson-1054 @daddylokisqueen @lulubelle814 @huntress-artemiss @itsybitchylittlewitchy @rogerrhqpsody @praq123

[neverenoughmarauders]

Writing without compassion is writing flat characters

If there's one thing that can really grate me, it's fanfiction stories where Snape is just evil and James/Sirius are right in bullying him; stories where James is just an arsehole and a bully; and similar equivalents such as Ron being an absolute jealous git with no love for Harry etc.

It's evident that the author clearly dislikes the character they are writing, but for me it makes the story feel flat. Why did Lily and Snape stay friends for five years if Snape was pure evil? Why did Lily end up with James if he had no good sides to him or didn't grow up (though tbf these stories usually have Lily running back to Snape after James is killed - because that's not disturbing).

These characters, who have such depth in the original story becomes caricatures. The stories become shallow and the internal conflicts our characters might have been facing non-existent. Harry has no reason to miss Ron if he's constantly awful to him; Lily has no internal conflict letting go of a relationship with someone who represented the first introduction to magic to her and was loyal to her (and yes, that's possible while calling her a slur - Snape did eventually give his whole life to Lily's memory) if he has no good sides left in him; James does not have to examine himself and the dissonance between some of his behaviour and his core values if he's not going to change etc.

Personally, it makes me disinterested in the stories and I wished the author had fleshed them out, even if they wanted the story to ultimately have a different ending to that in the canon.

A slight self-plug here: I try to avoid this (though I can't possibly tell if I am successful) - and here's how

Severus, Peter and James aren't characters it comes easy for me to care about, yet they don't go about their fictional day thinking about how to be evil or a bully. Almost everyone thinks they do what they do for the best, or they try to make the best of difficult situations. Severus and Peter I disliked for the obvious reasons of Severus being into the dark arts, becoming a death eater etc; Peter for betraying his friends and becoming a death eater. James for the obvious reason that he's a privileged bullying git.

To make James work, who we also don't know that much about, I had to start by writing him from Sirius and Remus' points of view. This worked well in helping me with the canon interpretation as most of what we learn about James are from these two in any case. I also sought after models in my own life: I've used my childhood bullies as inspiration, I've taken inspiration from being raised by elderly indulgent parents (lucky me), and I've used my husband and his confident, but good nature to be inspiration for the upsides of privilege. This mix of people I love and dislike - people who have caused me joy and harm - allows me, I hope, to not only love James when I write him from Sirius or Remus' POV, but also to hate him when I think about what Severus is going through.

To make Severus work, I have a little bit more canon material, but not an awful lot. The way Sirius and James bullies him is often taken from real or tweaked memories from my own childhood (which mirrors what we see in SWM). Severus' reactions are often similar to my own. While writing from James' or Sirius' POV I can't necessarily portray Severus' pain and humiliation, but I know it's there and it does nevertheless (hopefully) flow through to the page in Severus' reaction if nothing else. Lily and Severus' friendship is also a mirror of a friend I lost over many years to outside influences, and the feeling of fighting hard to protect something that I probably should have let go earlier. I still have regrets here, and stepping back into my childhood shoes, I can hopefully translate some of that wanting the friendship to work, from Lily's POV.

To make Peter work, I've had far more freedom, as we know very little about him, but by now I had learned that the best thing to do, is to pour aspects of myself into the character. It makes it much harder to write him without compassion or not see him as a valued part of the story. So I make Peter lose his father, like me. Unlike me though, he also experiences emotional neglect from his mother, which is again, sadly based on stories I've observed. Witnessing what some of my friends suffered and I am now putting Peter through, makes me want to hug and love him. I also pour some of the sides I really don't like about myself into Peter. His Slytherin traits are sadly mostly based on me, rather than anyone else.

I have no idea if I succeed, but I know when I read a story and it's clear the author hated the person they wrote about, and it breaks my heart. Writing is such a great channel to learn compassion and understanding. I understand more (I hope, I am aware this is also interpretation) why James (and Sirius) are the bullies they are and why Severus and Peter make their choices (up to 1981, I honestly don't understand how Snape continues to bully or Peter continues to hang around wizarding families hoping to deliver Harry to Voldemort). Understanding does not mean endorsing - and it annoys me I have to caveat that.

[colorisbyshe]

It upsets me how asexuality became mainstream and accepted in a decade. I wish it didn't, but it does. Aces became a protected class in NY before trans people. In only a decade ace characters started popping on mainstream media. Asexuality became a topic of conversation in mainstream news and academia. It took centuries for LGBT people and we're still not seated at the table. Why? How did this happen? Is it bc the cissexist, heterosexist, ableist, white patriarchy isn't threatened by asexuality?

I don't know if I hate that it has become mainstream and accepted. I don't think that's the problem.

I think it is good for all types of experiences nad identities to be represented and I think it is good to push back romance and sex as the end all, be all of human experience and provide other perspectives. I think it's good to tighten up laws to avoid any prejudice, even if that prejudice isn't happening regularly. I think there are a lot of non-ace and non-aro peopel who ALSO benefit from a lot of these considerations--lots of romantic loveless, sexless people who are perpetually single or more interested in other things or whatever who also get rep.

This also does challenge the nuclear family construction. As more people forgo marriage or typical family units, showing more ways to live is ALWAYS good. Creating more legal considerations for say... people outside of romantic relationships who want to adopt or own property or rent or whaevr is great!

I just think the haste in which asexuality got acceptance (INCLUDING a lot of harmful elements of the ace community like the split attraction model and rhetoric that you can enjoy sex without attraction in a longterm relationship) just sort of highlights the point I have been making this entire time--asexuality is not discriminated against in any meaningful way.

And I think asexuality and aromanticism do tend to fit into the largely white, (culturally) christian societal norms.

We live in a society that shames sex, that wants sex to either sell shit (which isn't about the sexual object feeling atttraction, just having people being attracted to THEM) or for children (so, again, no sexual attraction required) or for outrage/shock (which... again no attraction needed). Throwing in sexless rep wasn't... a shift?

There are lots nad lots and LOTS of sexless characters in media and there always have been. We can now just slap a label on them and it counts as diverse rep. Which IS less threatening than having like... horny (or even textually sexless) gay rep. Or trans rep.

And legally... "protecting" ace people requires... almost zero shift in like... any behaviour. If there was no massive form of legal prejudice (and there asn't, there has been little to no documented LEGAL discrimination against asexuality), there's no... people to pushback against asexuals becoming a protected class.

Asexual representation--in media, in the law--is an easy slamdunk. Because... there is no powerful discriminatory class to say no.

And it's also because most discrimination people class as "aphobia" really has no basis in asexuality and is broader social concerns like... mostly misogyny. So, when you have these legal protects for the ace part, all the bad behaviour that aces are concerned about still gets to happen to everyone else and probably still quite a few aces.

No change is actually required.

[cptn-m]

One Piece chapter 1121 review

I think there can be no doubt about it – this is the climax of Egghead and the finale of volume 110. There may technically be one last chapter to go at the start of the next volume as Emet makes his final play and Vegapunk signs off, but there’s no mistaking that the moment Oda wanted to build to is this.

First thing of note here is the title. People have been saying this since the spoilers dropped, so you’re probably not hearing it from me first, but the chapter’s title references part of Roger’s quote from the start of chapter 100. “Inherited will. A man’s dream. The tides of the eras.” Both previous parts, at least in Japanese, have also been chapter titles and the titles of the volumes containing those chapters (chapter 145/volume 16 and chapter 224/volume 24). The English releases, unfortunately, have not maintained the same consistency of wording between the original quote and their chapter/volume titles. I really don’t want to become the kind of content creator you come to for a simple review and have to skim over him pitching his side projects, so I won’t go on too long, but catching these kinds of things is exactly why I wanted to start my One Piece Rewrite Project for so long. This is such a powerful set of series-long connections to draw and a shame for English readers not to have, but also not something you can blame the older translators for because it would take more than 20 years of foresight to know how important it was meant to be.

The colour spread has a very pleasant, summery vibe to it with some really strong colour work. It’s the coldest, wettest part of winter here, so I appreciate the reminder of warmer weather. Off-hand, the idea of a giant Nami and a lot of ice cream sounds like its reusing the concept from chapter 1011’s spread, but in practice the two look and feel different. But having seen the prototype with the crew building a model Merry, yeah, I wish we’d gotten that instead. It would have been a much better fit to celebrate the anniversary as well. Can only hope Oda decides to take another shot at the idea at some point.

Finally moving onto the chapter proper, the first thing that stands out is Luffy’s choice to elevate Bonney. He’s winding up his own attack when he notices her feelings, and, even without knowing the backstory himself, encourages her to participate in the final blow. This shows both an emotional perceptiveness and a willingness to share the spotlight that might scan as uncharacteristic of Luffy. But it feels like character growth to me. We saw this behaviour develop through his relationship with Momo, and it seems to have stuck. And boy does that final punch feel good. Bonney’s bit about her loneliness and the family she wanted to have is tragic and moving. Saturn well and truly earned that hit, even if he’s almost definitely not dead yet.

But I can’t help thinking this might have had more impact if this had been the first time Bonney achieved the Nika transformation. Let it be the giants and/or Strawhats who team up with Luffy to throw Mars away and save Bonney for the battle that’s personal to her. But whatever. Maybe the mood would have been wrong to achieve a Nika transformation if Saturn was already on deck. He’s not exactly a figure who inspires joy.

It might also have been cool to see Kuma contribute, but that tiny little smile he offers after it’s done speaks volumes. His survival, combined with Bonney’s little fantasy spot of living with him and Ginny, feels like death for Bonney’s odds of joining the crew. She’s got a home to return to that she’s been missing. Her happiest ending is getting it.

Vegapunk sneaks a few final revelations into his closing remarks. Connections are drawn between the Lunarians, Buccaneers and Three-eyes as races oppressed in relation to the Void Century. The first two we knew about, but as much sense as it makes, what with the ability to read Poneglyphs, the Three-eyes are not something I’d thought about tying into that thread. It’s reiterated, also, that the World Government might have usurped the top of the Red Line from the Lunarians. I wonder if the oni/ogres will eventually fall into this category as well?

And of course, we have the kick-off of the final scramble for the One Piece. Given what’s been said, it makes sense for the Marines to finally consider prioritising it to keep a pirate or Revolutionary from claiming the power the decide the fate of the world.

I’m going all in on the last spread being the key figures of this last war. Maybe Law and Kid could struggle back as wildcards, but I think Oda’s telling us they’ve lost their shot at being major contenders. Plus, we’ve got an existing wildcard in the totally unknown silhouetted figure down there. People are maybe jumping the gun being so quick to call him Shanks-y with so little info, but I am personally a believer in the evil twin theory. What’s sticking in my mind though, is how many of the faces shown are obstinately on the same side presently. Blackbead and Kuzan; Sabo and Dragon; and Sakazuki and Koby, who themselves are subordinate to Imu and Garling. I wonder if the suggestion is that each of these figures has some kind of their own agenda and could end up at odds with any of the others. For some, the divide is obvious. Kuzan’s true loyalties have been the subject of debate for years. SWORD making a splinter group of good Marines is on every final arc bingo card. But Sabo embracing his new solo identity as the Flame Emperor and creating friction with Dragon could be an interesting twist.

So that’s it. The world has caught up to where the readers are and the race for the prize has been officially declared. Things can only get really crazy from here. I’m tempted to use the break week to reread Egghead in full, but I’d rather save it for when the island is definitively done with, Emet and all, rather than have to adjust opinions over a last few chapters like when rereading Wano during the mid-epilogue break month.