#i want him to have a redemption arc

[simgerale]

CHAPTER NINETEEN ; 2/3

TRANSCRIPT:

magdalena: Ahem.

antoin: Empress Magdalena, this may be your castle, but you have crossed yet another line by barging in here—

m: He is awake.

a: ...How?

celeste: She is his, and he is hers. The Seam has spoken. Do discuss the politics after I have left.

[incoherent arguments fill the room]

m: In light of recent events, I am feeling rather forgiving and will overlook the fact that multiple Eden citizens have trespassed onto my land this morning.

[everyone goes silent]

m: Since the entire delegation seems to be here, I ask that Emperor Antoin and his people meet with my council and I in an hour.

a: I am afraid that circumstances do not permit—

m: Should I not be so forgiving? Perhaps you and your men would like to fulfill the punishment that the treaty permits, even in its last days?

sheridan: We will be there, your majesty.

m: Good. Our empires depend on it.

[dexish]

So like I just realized that Xie Lian is somewhat similar to Jun Wu and Mei Nianqing and both of them were his father figures and kinda raised him

Xie Lian: *pummels Qi Rong and stomps on him

Aggressively*

Xie Lian: A street child has more class than you fart ghost!

Jun Wu and Mei Nianqing: I’m so proud 🥲

[ruubesz-draws]

Later...

(Shimo is a prankster)

Ghidorah every time Godzilla gets a new enemy.

True frienemies right there!

I was going to make a Godzilla animatic of this exact scene but discarded the idea later (wasn't sure whether we were allowed to use the audio without getting a copyright strike idk)

I LOVE the Mickey Mouse Shorts lol

[erros429]

something that irks me so bad are those people who argue that the red dragon fight is when the REAL dungeon meshi starts. like all that character establishment and worldbuilding and relationship development from the first 11 episodes are all skippable, and the only important thing about them is that they litter a bit of context for the viewer. but once you get to episode 12 is when you REALLY need to lock in.

and i just. vehemently disagree with that sentiment so much. the death of filler has tragically ruined the way we engage with media. because why the FUCK would i care about the red dragon fight if i didn’t already love the characters and appreciate their motivation for the fight in the first place? like yea, laios wanting to save his sister and marcille wanting to save her best friend are fine motivations on paper, but i honestly wouldn’t give a shit about falin surviving if i did not watch those first 11 episodes of these characters’ painstaking determination to get her back.

the execution of it all was perfect because those expository episodes were also perfect. and we should not devalue them simply because the red dragon fight was the turning point/tone shift for the overall narrative.

[bonefall]

I personally like Thunder's prosthetic. Explained it to my friend (who does use a mobility device, a cane and wheelchair, and listens to me rant and infodump about BB) and they agreed, it's important to know that not every person needs what someone wants to give them. It's another example of "bad ableist person does a thing that hurts a disabled person because they are bad and ableist".

Clear Sky got Jagged Peak killed and would have killed Sunlit Frost! He would absolutely force his disabled son to be "normal" and present it like a privilege. "I wouldn't do this for anyone else, it's special, why don't you want to be helped?"

Thunder Storm should toss it in Clear Sky's face. (I would say toss it into the river but we do not pollute waterways in this house)

Thank you for telling me this, and tell your friend I'm thanking them too! If they have anything else to add please forward what they have to say

Since BB!DOTC tackles some of the heaviest topics in the entire series because its canon equivalent is so dark, I think very carefully about what I do here and how I show it. I take feedback on its sensitive aspects very seriously. If I'm understanding the criticism properly, it's that I should avoid stigmatizing prosthetics by making sure Thunder Storm's not the only one with it-- which he's not! And I'll add even more.

I don't want to avoid something only because it's uncomfortable if the topic is important, and my portrayal is respectful. Ableism IS uncomfortable! There are some situations where a prosthetic is not wanted! I think the rejection of this particular one is both a good opportunity to show a type of ableism and ALSO is very fitting for the characters.

In BB!Clear Sky's mind, the villain, he's fixing an old mistake. He can't admit that he got Jagged Peak killed or take REAL accountability for it (though he will, occasionally, apologize insincerely), but deep in his bones, he knows what he did was cruel. He'll never tell anyone this because he doesn't really cognate it himself, but Thunder Storm NEEDS to take his gift.

If Thunder doesn't take it, it blows a hole in his newest story. You see, throwing Jagged Peak out was All That Could Have Been Done back then. It was a Tragedy and he simply Made A Hard Choice. He regrets it very much, But You Have To Understand.

But now? Now? Well, behold. Look at what he's accomplished since the tragic death of his little brother. His cats are well-fed, cared for, and stable enough to make such incredible advancements. If only Jagged Peak had been able to hold on longer, if only he could be here now, I could fix him.

Just like I can (MAKE YOU JUST LIKE ME) fix you.

"Everything I've ever done is for Jagged Peak. For Fluttering Wing. For you." Thunder Sky is SPECIAL, but if he rejects any gift, tries to turn down the "privileges" offered to him, in an instant that becomes ungratefulness and arrogance. He both forces him to be special, and then leverages it against him if it's rejected. "Spoiled brat, doesn't appreciate what I've worked so hard to give him."

It all goes back to him and his own guilt. He can NEVER be wrong. He can't accept his family doesn't have to be "normal" or reflect his own ability. He won't see himself as a bully, let alone a murderer. It was never about his son's comfort or finding out what Thunder Storm wants or needs, it was about his own ego.

...All that said I'm still taking feedback if there's anything else I should keep in mind, or if anyone has a counter point, especially if you also have experience here.

(In the interest of having a link trail for posterity, here's the critique/call for feedback this is in response to)

[transingthoseformers]

Idea but when semi reformed!sg earthspark Optimus wants something he has a habit of sitting/standing semi close to someone and just looming instead of asking like a well adjusted adult.

"Optimus, is there something you want?"

"No"

"Are you sure?"

"..."

"Do you want a sip of my sweetened energon?"

"...yes."

[pinacoladamatata]

Man like. I really hope the theories about 'redeeming Solas' ending being to die/mirror his friend wisdom where he dies but will eventually get respawned as a 'new' him, aren't true. Because ngl that's. A very unappealing ending imo. Like that isn't worth the 10 year wait at all.

[jilted-love]

Yusuke/Hiei is the epitome of hero/villain enemies to lovers ship because Hiei did NOT have a redemption arc. He was just back as a reluctant ally making petty threats. Yusuke goes, "I trust you Hiei!" for no reason. Then the next thing you know Hiei saved Yusuke from explosion.

Idiot to idiot communication but it works!

[im-smart-i-swear]

fuck this shit, vld warrior cats au in 2024. this thing has LORE btw. if you even care

[cosmics-beings]

I wanted to make a post like this for a while, but since i was asked the question i can make it here!

i'm also speaking as an actual black person....so if you don't like these conversations where black people speak on black issues and how we feel, then just ignore this.

So in the past, yeah I agreed with this but my opinion has kinda changed with TF One.

However, I am still extremely uncomfortable seeing depictions of Black human formers Megatron because most of it, especially in ship art is extremely racist and relies on racist stereotypes of black men being abusive, violent, and problematic when his partners are drawn white or lightskinned (i see this all the time in megastar and megaop art. megatron is portrayed as the huge brutal black man and starscream/optimus are the small white twinks who are being beaten by him - it's gross and racist but for some reason it's common).

In general, I think it can be harmful to make a slave character, who inevtibly turns into a genocidal war lord and a generally awful person, a black person (even with his redemption arcs). it also racializes slavery, when we know that slavery doesn't have a race, and Megatron himself is a gladiator. Gladiators are slaves, and one of the most famous gladiators was from Thracia. This again is mostly a fan issue, because I at least have always seen Megatron coded as white in the comics and in the shows. In many depictions, he has a European accent, voiced by white European people (posh english lmao, or in ES Scottish).

That said, in TF One, I'm willing to let it slide. That's because Megatron isn't the only slave. Optimus, who is voiced by a white man, is also a slave, as is Elita, and Bumblebee. I think you know, not racializing slavery and having this notion that slave = black by default, is what makes it okay.

I still wouldn't feel super comfortable seeing Black megatron fanart because again, none of the depictions have been good in my opinion, as a Black person. And i mean none of them, and I do wonder where the thought in this fandom came from that making a person who canonically is violent and aggressive, was okay, just because he happened to be a slave. It is a far too common trope that I see in fanfic and fanfart, especially again...in a shipping sphere.

But I think TF One is able to balance it out, and since this is D-16, he is. a lot calmer, kinder, etc. I think things can get in muddy area when he eventually does turn into Megatron and he becomes the genocidal tyrant we all know and love....especially when you make the black one of the group the one who chooses violence whereas the white voices ones don't.

but who knows? My opinions are ever changing depending on how things are handled.

if you disagree with this, that's fine just do so respectfully and i mean at least be black

[thechildbesuffering]

au where lbd is not killed at the end of season 3, but instead stripped of her powers and effectively turned human. she'd get to see the world from a mortal's perspective and further understand mk and the others' notions regarding the world's imperfections. i also want her to work at pigsy's in place of mk when he's training or not present. and you can't tell me that she would find a favorite pass time after a while. she'll sound hypocritical insulting people's "sentimentality for mortal pleasures".

[haveyouthoughtaboutcomicstoday]

I don’t have time to write up something properly on this topic this week, but here’s an incoherent ramble.

It’s so important to me how it was as an end point for Guy’s new52 character to be him as a Blue Lantern. The blue ring is about healing and faith (in yourself, the people around you, in things bigger than you), and is rooted in belief that things can always get better. That Guy gets to spend his future going around healing people in a universe where he didn’t get the opportunity to pursue that as a career initially is so rewarding.

His role as community leader/teacher/public servant is so integral to how he was first introduced. And through the ups and downs of his story arc in the years following, his ability to forgive people for anything, even to offer that forgiveness first, is what makes him such a good person. We see this most often in his relationship with his family and with Hal, but it’s definitely not limited to them.

There’s also something about Guy opting away from any of the rings that give him strength to do violence in favour of one that is powerful in taking down enemies in other ways. He still carries them with him, and knows sometimes he might need to use them to save people, but thats not his first instinct anymore.

Social worker Guy, psychology student Guy, the version of Guy that is gentle and timid and doesn’t like violence at all (that we only ever saw as a joke in JLI) would all be so proud of him for getting here in the end.

[warlordfelwinter]

squares writers are absolutely fucking cracked when it comes to redemption arcs hello how did you make me kind of like bakool ja ja. understanding begets fellowship or whatever, i guess. damn

[tiredcowgirls]

Bi Han headcannons!

Growing up he was distant and rarely spoke but he was still very kind and gentle to his brothers. It wasn’t until after he started killing and his mothers death that any of the kindness in him died.

Although Kuai Liang and Tomas also grew up under their fathers strict training. Bi Han had it worse to the point of abuse. Letting his father die was easy for him and something his brothers would never understand.

Doesn’t care about his appearance or health as long as it doesn’t get in the way of training or fighting.

Eats very little. Just enough.

When they took Tomas in he was very young and obviously hurt he required a lot of attention which only made bi han resent him as he thought he had it easy compared to him having to almost die for someone to notice.

Black and white thinking. You’re either a weak nobody or someone strong worthy of his respect.

Doesn’t like music or alcohol or gambling. He thinks they are useless and just a distraction from his goals. He also considers people who consume said things to be stupid.

I think this kind of thinking is common with abuse victims when you have a more violent parent and a more passive one you look at the passive one as your savior or as the good one because technically they are not hurting you. Bi Han had this relationship with his mother.

[shannonsketches]

something something foils moving in opposite directions Goku's always happy to seek and fight stronger opponents because he spent most of his life being the strongest guy in the room and Vegeta wants to be the strongest/is always exhausted to find stronger opponents because he spent most of his life having to navigate his survival around the whims of the strongest guy in the universe room and so Goku has a foundation of safety and stability and so spends his time craving challenge and adventure and Vegeta has a foundation of challenge and adventure and spends his time craving safety and stability and the overlaid section of their venn diagram is that the only way they know how acquire and maintain those things is through battle

[m4ndysk4nkovich]

do you think we were supposed to take ian’s comment about hating debbie seriously? cause it just seemed like him being an annoying sibling but i’ve seen people scold him on twitter. I just think it’s weird that almost everyone else that szn was being aggressive or fighting with her but it’s ian that gets singled out and criticised again. I hate when people pit them against eo cause they are my favourites 🥲

no, i didn’t. and i’ve said this before. it wasn’t ian’s words THERE i took seriously, it was the intent john wells had, and the fact that it was a common pattern in s11 to have her be the punchline of every joke when before, it was nothing like that.