#keep in mind when I say ‘logical’ I mean the only real ass responses canon ody would have mentally

[dismas-n-dismay]

And if I said Telemachus looking like Polites, glasses and all, with hints of Odysseus would kill Ody because all he’s be able to do is see his friend who died trying to do the right thing and offer kindness what would you do.

And if I said Ody’s only two logical reactions would be to distance himself inadvertently or become hyper protective of his son (even more so than he already is) what 👏would👏you👏do👏

[recurring-polynya]

Your thoughts and headcannons on Nemuri Hachigou because I don't think she gets talked about enough, when in reality she's pretty interesting, she's essentially, a blank slate, Mayuri's second chance that I don't think he feels like he deserves. She's Nemu but she isn't and I think people(especially Mayuri) forget that a lot, that's a fascinating position to be in.

Puttin’ this under a cut because I’m gonna say some unkind things about Mayuri and I do not want to cause any distress to the many lovely people on this website who delight in his horrible antics.

This is not so much a headcanon so much as a thing I came up with for fanfiction purposes, but it’s all I got.

Right. So, like I said, I despise Mayuri. I just hate him. I understand that he appeals to some people, but I strongly dislike the dude and go to exorbitant lengths to avoid him ever appearing in my fanfic.

Additionally, I do not vibe with Nemu 7. She registers as not-a-person for me, she’s basically an extension of Mayuri himself. Don’t get me wrong, I find Mayuri’s treatment of her to be vile and I wish someone would take her away from him, but she comes off as very robotic to me. She is conscious, but she is not an independent being, if that makes sense. She is not a real girl. It’s funny that Mayuri keeps talking about how advanced she is, because clearly he means only her cognitive and fighting abilities. In terms of recreating a person, she’s incredibly primitive compared to the other mod souls we see. Take Kon, for example, who has a fairly limited powerset, but is never presented as less of a soul than any of the other characters. An even more interesting example is Ururu and Jinta. Ururu is described as being older than Jinta, and she is clearly “less human” than him-- she has less affect, she shifts into a distinct “attack” mode, etc, which implies that Jinta represents advances in mod soul technology. It’s notable that Urahara and Tessai and even Renji, in the canon scene where he protects the Shouten kids, never treats them as anything less than people. The contrast with the way Mayuri treats Nemu is stark. He likes that her feelings and personality are limited, he sees this as a feature.

I was completely unmoved by the entire chapter where Nemu died. Her sacrifice did not come across to me as anything indicating growth or humanity-- in every battle she's ever been in, she nearly dies because Kurotsuchi tells her to. She simply prioritizes Mayuri over herself. She always has. It’s simply the logical extension of her programming. A lot of people say they would have preferred Nemu to live and Mayuri to die and for sure I would have *preferred* that, but I have never seen Nemu as enough of a character to be worth rooting for. Like, at least Uryuu would have gotten some satisfaction form killing his clown ass, and that might have convinced me for at least half a second that he actually was on the side of the Quincy.

Caveat: if some talented fanficcer wants to write a short novel on Nemu discovering her humanity etc etc, I’m all for it, I’m just saying that canon hasn’t given us anything to suggest she would do more than just shut down without Mayuri to tell her what to do.

Onto Nemuri 8. I can’t believe they let Mayuri have another one. It makes my blood boil. The dude is an on-screen abuser and Kubo had the gall to try to make me feel sorry feel him (I did not) and then gave him another one.

So, I took her away from him.

I mentioned earlier that I go to great lengths to keep Mayuri the hell out of my fanfic, and usually the way I do that is to have my characters go through Akon whenever they have to deal with Squad 12. I think I started doing this because Akon is sort of weirdly familiar with Renji and Rukia in the TYBW, but I have projected all over him and he’s mine now. The way I assume Squad 12 functions, based on my career in scientific programming, is that Mayuri is like a primary investigator-- he's the Big Ideas guy and he spends a lot of time doing wholly self-directed research. He’s the face of Squad 12, so he has to go talk to the Captain-Commander and beg for money and defend blowing things up, but when it comes to science stuff, he does what he wants. Nemu is the lieutenant, and I think she handles most of the usual lieutenanting-- paperwork, meetings, etc., but I think Mayuri takes up a lot of her time by using her as a personal lab assistant on his wacky projects. There's nothing wrong with this, but I think in a lot of squads, the lieutenant is responsible for the day-to-day running of the squad and spends a lot of time dealing with their subordinates and other lieutenants. Nemu, instead, focuses on her captain. Now, the rest of the Gotei counts on Squad 12 for a lot actually-- gigai, Hollow tracking, Dangai monitoring, etc. etc. From the point of view of most science people, this stuff is mundane-- it’s all application, not development, and all the difficulty is in the twitchy little details. It’s frustrating and it’s unrewarding and you never get credit for it, and it is vitally important. There is a certain kind of science professional that makes a career out of this. They usually have master's degrees instead of PhDs, and they are usually tragically underpaid and underappreciated for what they do. In the real world, without these people, you wouldn’t have mass vaccination sites or weather data on your phone or cute li’l robots landing on other planets. In Bleach, these are the people keeping soul reapers alive in the field. And in my mind, this is Akon’s department.

So here’s the headcanon:

After Nemu’s death, Mayuri has so much sad clown pain about it that he wants another robot child poste-haste, but can’t bring himself to do the actual work, so he shoves it off onto Akon, with a list of the design specs he wants. The last one was pretty good, Akon can handle a few minor upgrades, it doesn’t need his personal hand in it. Thinking about going through all that work again just pisses him off, honestly. What a waste!

And Akon's like, yeah, cool, fine. It was heavily implied that he did a lot of the work on Nemu 7, it's just a matter of digging out his old notes and cleaning out some vats.

Except that, right around the same time, Rukia and Renji decide to have a baby.

Babies are super rare in the Gotei, and it’s not like those stuffy nobles are gonna let Akon look at their precious offspring. But Rukia is a rank weirdo, and Akon is their pal, so she’s always like “I hear they have these things in the Living World where you can pee on a stick and tell if you’re pregnant, can you make me one?” and Akon’s brain goes, “Wow, what even is the first detectable sign of a newly formed soul, this is very interesting.” So, at the same time he’s trying to grow a new and improved Nemu, he’s got access to the developing fetus of two captain-class shinigami. So when he has to pick between eight good candidate embryos to move to the next vat, he picks… not the one with the strongest reiatsu signature, like they did last time, but the one whose reiatsu looks the most like a real baby.

Akon reminds me of a lot of programmers I know, so I always sort of headcanon him as particularly interested in whatever passes for programming in Squad 12, and I think he takes special interest in revamping Nemu’s artificial intelligence system, which is primarily based on taking in information about the world and building up a realistic personality based on people she observes. In particular, it gives extra weight to “people who resemble her”. Nemu 7 was raised by Squad 12, so she came up very Squad 12, just like Mayuri wanted. Unfortunately, toddler Hachigou Nemuri’s algorithm unexpectedly decides that she has much more in common with toddler Abarai Ichika than any of the adult soul reapers around her.

Nemuri 8 is a very successful sample in terms of power and intelligence but she’s also very boisterous, and the rest of Squad 12 is like “Akon do something” so Akon takes drastic measures: he asks Renji for parenting advice. Distressingly, Renji is full of useful ideas like “tire her out” and “only fight the important battles” and “we’re signed up for baby yoga, you wanna start comin’ to baby yoga? Your back is gonna thank you.”

Akon didn't mean to let them hang out so much, but Ichika is a very useful data point and also if he takes Nemuri over to the Abarai house, the girls will entertain themselves (i.e. chew on each other) long enough for him to have a beer with Renji and Rukia and honestly my man really needs that beer.

I don’t think Akon thinks of himself as Nemu’s dad past the first time when she calls him ‘Daddy’ and he corrects her (she only did it because that’s what Ichika calls Renji, very predictable quirk of her programming). She’s just a work project. She’s not even his project, she’s Mayuri’s project, he’s just handling the little details. Fathering just happens to be an adjacent field of study that he’s found to contain a number of very useful best practices.

I would prefer not to get into the detail of the physical abuse that Mayuri uses against Nemu 7, but I would like to think that Akon finds ways to protect Nemuri 8 from the same, or barring that, maybe this is what finally drives Akon to murder Kurotsuchi and become Squad 12 captain himself.

Other Nemuri Headcanons:

Her favorite book is Rejection of the Twin Fishes!, Captain Ukitake’s posthumously published children’s book.

She prefers to be called “Nemuri” over “Nemu.”

Nemuri’s second favorite person in Squad 12 after Akon is Rin, because he always has candy. Rin actually likes having someone to share his hobby with and helps her make a World of the Living Snack Bucket List. When other shinigami come in for gigai, Nemuri constantly tries to con them into bringing something back for her.

Rukia teaches her to cuss, but tells her never to do it around Akon. Nemuri never actually cusses around anyone, but really enjoys having Forbidden Knowledge.

Speaking of Forbidden, she is mildly obsessed with Urahara, even though she’s never met him. She’s constantly on the lookout for thumbprints of his work in modern Squad 12 technology.

The one thing she does have in common with Mayuri is an absolutely batshit personal aesthetic. She starts painting her face as a tween and is somewhat inconveniently both into piercings and inflatable outfits.

The true proof that she has surpassed her predecessor, at least in terms of humanity, is that she is able to learn the name of her zanpakutou.

Oh, if you want to read any of my fanfics with Nemuri, here's one where she and Ichika play football and here's one where she tries to con Byakuya into buying her shaved ice. I really like writing Nemuri hanging out with Byakuya because I think an adult man who navigates social settings via rigid system of etiquette and class hierarchy and a small child with a pile of Markov chains for a brain would be natural friends.

[sarahjtv]

BNHA Chapter 309 Spoiler Thoughts: Izuku and Inko Midoriya, and Some More Things Along The Way

The chapter leaks are here again!  Thanks to all the people on Twitter and here on Tumblr for providing us with scans and translations.  This chapter helps explain some things that a lot of us were wondering about.  Sadly, there’s still no Bakugo, or Shoto, or any other UA kids really; they’re only in flashbacks.  But, we do get to see what All Might and the Top 3 Heroes (Endeavor, Hawks, and Best Jeanist) are up to, so that’s something.  Anyway, remember to take what I say with a grain of salt until the official translations come out on Sunday:

The chapter starts a few minutes after Deku beat Muscular.  He’s flying through the air taking an unconscious Muscular tied up in his Black Whip.  The other Ketsubusu Academy students from the Lisence Exam see him too.  Thankfully the stubborn civilians from 2 chapters ago are willing to help Yo Shindo recover in exchange for not listening moving to the school shelters.  Also, Shindo’s barely conscious, but he does actually remember Deku.  He’s just not the same Deku as before.  Not much for me to say here except that I wonder if Shindo’s going to help spread the word about Deku’s actions.  Not just to his classmates, but I wonder if the words’ going to get out to the news and UA.  Actually, word might not even get that far since Shindo was only one of the few people in that exam that really even interacted with Deku...

Deku hands Muscular over to the police for them to take care off.  He also makes sure to cover himself up in Smokescreen to hide his identity.  So, Deku really is working in the shadows here.  It is best that the public doesn’t know what Deku is doing so that the LoV don’t track him down.  My man’s really going down the Batman route.  Oh, I also have to admire Deku’s smartphone here kept in this steel case.  I was going to say it’s a burner phone, but burner phones break easily for a reason and this one clearly doesn’t.  Maybe it’s a special one that can’t be tracked down.    

And we finally get to see All Might again!  He is actively working with Deku instead of just not knowing where his protege is.  He’s wearing casual clothes (jacket, jeans, sunglasses, the works) when he meets up with Deku in an alleyway.  I’m honestly glad that All Might is still supervising Deku.  I mean, Deku on his own would’ve been badass, but when you’re going up against people like AFO and Shigaraki, you’re going to need some help.  Especially when laying low.  Even with supervision, I still think Deku counts as a vigilante b/c I don’t think his license works if he’s not at UA.  I will believe this unless proven otherwise.  

It’s explained that the “wrapping” on Deku’s arms are actually gauntlets called “Mid-Gauntlets”, which are what are helping hold Deku’s arms together.  And they are VERY similar to the gauntlets that Melissa Shield from Two Heroes gave Deku.  Deku even says that All Might ordered them from the USA before travel restrictions were put in place.  I know that it’s only implied, but there’s no doubt in my mind that Deku’s new gauntlets were made by Melissa.  Even if you want to doubt it, at this point, Two Heroes (and by extension Heroes Rising and probably the upcoming 3rd movie, World Heroes Mission) are canon.  Honestly, I’m cool with it.  I liked Melissa and I’m glad her presence is still around (she was even in a Team-Up Mission chapter with Hatsume).  I do wonder if we’re ever going to see her in the main story.  It would be nice to see Melissa again.

The gauntlets are test samples and are used to enhance endurance.  All Might says that they can’t withstand 100% of OFA yet.  Which means that Deku actually beat Muscular with less than 100% unlike their first fight where Deku had to use over 100% just to knock him out.  So, does this mean that, say, Deku’s current 45% is stronger than his 100+% back in the Forest Camp?  Or maybe it was just the combo of moves and strategy rather then Deku just punching his way through things.

Small detail, but All Might’s phone goes off with that “I AM HERE” ringtone we heard before and Deku comments that this particular one is from All Might’s Silver Age TV Special!  It’s such a small thing, but I love that Deku still has that All Might fanboy in him despite everything 💚!  Somethings truly never change.

And back to the Top 3: Endeavor, Hawks, and Best Jeanist!  Endeavor and Best Jeanist are teaming up to kick a villain’s ass while Hawks is talking to All Might on the phone.  It looks like Hawks got a few costume changes particularly his visor/glasses which look more boxy than they did before if that makes sense.  Oh, and they’re also helping All Might work with Deku.  Makes sense since all three vowed to help take down Dabi earlier and Shigaraki and AFO definitely extend from that.

Deku’s Danger Sense is going off, so he’s probably going to check out any danger he can find in case it’s the LoV.  I do wonder if that harms Deku still.  It was said that it felt like a stabbing in his head and it must’ve been bad enough for the 4th OFA Holder to live in the forest away from society.  Man, I really hope our boy is ok (I know he’s not really, let me have this).

But yeah, Hawks (still wingless, but with a nice little undercut btw😳) explains that Deku's afraid of dragging other people in his battles like All Might.  Hawks also goes on to say that it’s best to take the initiative in taking down AFO and Shigaraki rather than waiting for them to appear all powered up.  He also wants All Might to keep supporting him despite the difficult position he’s in (remember that All Might’s technically Qurikless again and can’t really fight on his own).  It makes sense for them to go after the Villains again while they can.  If Deku fought Shigaraki while Shigaraki was at full strength, Deku would lose easily.  Even at 75%, Shigaraki was able to kill and injure A LOT of people, and Deku was lucky to even make it out there alive.  They need to find Shigaraki SOON!  

Flashback to Central Hospital before Deku jumped UA ship!  Recover Girl and Central Hospital’s high-tech were responsible for many of the patience recovering quickly and being discarged.  Deku was just there a little longer than the others.  So, we can assume that all our UA kids and some notable heroes made it out alive after being treated.  Still don’t know what happened to some people like Tamaki and Fat Gum tho 😭.  

All Might and Deku’s mom, Inko (thank god she’s ok), are by Deku’s bedside as his casts are taken off.  Deku’s doctor (who looks like Super Mario/Luigi; the whole Super Mario crew must run this damn place.  Where’s Bowser and Princess Peach) explains that despite his former warnings about his ligaments, Deku’s limbs are still functioning because he’s not the same as he was before.  So, before, Deku’s injuries were like his limbs were exploding from the inside, but this time those “explosions” were able to escape his body.  Also his Black Whip cast helped keep Deku’s arm in tact so that he wouldn’t pulverize himself.  His ligimates are still degrading too, so Deku still has to be careful.  I think he might have a few more small scars too, but that could just be shadows or muscle lining from Horikoshi’s pen-work.  

Ok, honestly, I’m not sure how this logically works...  I’m no medical professional, but I assume this means that Deku’s built his body up so much that it’s naturally able to withstand more damage than before and that’s why he’s more durable.  But, I don’t know how Deku was able to let the “explosions” escape this time.  I get the reverse; I get how he got injured before, but I don’t get this.  Was it the Black Whip brace he made for himself?  I honestly don’t really understand this.  Maybe the official translations will clear this up.  Or Horikoshi will in a Tweet or Volume Extra.

And Inko is finally informed of OFA thank the gods!  She was in the top of my list of “People who should really, really know OFA and what’s going on with Deku because I swear...”.  She’s clearly shaken up as anyone would be, but I’m glad she at least knows what’s going on with her son.  Yes, she’s still worried, but at least she can stop guessing why all this is happening.  

Deku announces the reason why he won’t go back to UA and it’s basically that Shigaraki can sense where Deku is and he doesn’t want to see anyone else close to him get hurt and/or die.  So, basically what I thought would be the reason.  Absolutely no surprise there.  But, going after Shigaraki and AFO first was originally Deku’s idea, so that’s something new.  Kid’s bold.

And this broke my heart 💔!  Inko insists that Deku stay with her to stay safe, but Deku knows what he has to do.  So, he thanks his mom, thanks her for making him happy, and tells her that he’ll be ok and that he’ll come back home with a somber smile on his face.  We see a flashback to Little Deku and Inko too when they were happier.  Bro, I don’t even know what to say.  I am in tears just writing this 😭  I’ll just post these two panels so y’all can cry with me.  I will never recover from this.  I’m fucking devastated.  You better come home, Deku: 

*sniffs* All Might remembers what he said to Inko.  He remembers how he said that he will protect Deku with his life.  All Might encourages Deku to go and he says that he’ll go with him with tears in his eyes.  He asks the Top 3 to help with this mission (finding Dabi) as their own mission coincides with Deku’s (finding Shigaraki and AFO).  I’m so glad all these adults are staying by Deku’s side throughout this.  It’s good to know that Deku still has support, though I wish it were from some of his friends too.  Maybe one day.

Deku goes to see Grand Torino in his hospital room to talk to him about OFA.  He mentions his friend and 7th Holder Nana Shimura.  Torino thinks he was responsible for killing Shigaraki (he really wasn’t let's be real).  He also tells Deku that Deku shouldn’t be so persistent in saving Shigaraki as killing can sometimes lead to salvation. Ok, few things:

1. I am surprised Grand Tarino is still alive.  I mean, we don’t know what happened to him after this talk, but at least he got to hear from Deku again.  It’s kind of nice to know that Tarino willingly passed down his cape to Deku too instead of Deku just taking it after his death.  Also, I’ve been watching some of Jujutsu Kaisen like everyone else has and this give me some Yuji & his grandfather vibes to it.  Knowing what happens there and that JJK’s magaka is good friends with Horikoshi, I have a sinking feeling I know what happened after this talk...

2. Deku looks so much older here.  Like, it’s not that cute, innocent baby face we knew at the beginning.  I don’t even know what it is exactly (maybe the eyes), but he just looks more mature here.  Also, his uniform some buttons down looks really good on him, I’m sorry but I need to mention that too 💚.

3. “Killing is a means towards salvation”.  Oh, boy...  I mean, I get it.  Some people just can’t be saved or captured in hopes of rehabilitation/redemption.  Sometimes killing people is necessary to save others.  But, Deku is not a killer.  He will try to save Shigaraki no matter what.  That was established again last chapter.   He tried to save Muscular for god’s sake.  But, I am curious if Gran Tarino’s words are going to hold any weight in the final fight. Like, will Deku have to kill Shigaraki?  What will that do to Deku as a person?  I’m really curious if Horikoshi is going to make Deku do this.

And finally, there’s a page showing off the Top 3, Deku, and All Might team up with the resolve to beat the LoV.  I am really interested to see where this goes.  Deku is working with the big Pro Heroes instead of his classmates/friends.  This hasn’t really happened before.  I also wonder if Shoto and Bakugo know what Deku’s doing then.  Because Shoto’s going to help Endeavor and his family find Dabi.  Endeavor’s activley helping Deku.  Also, Endeavor and Best Jeanist are both Bakugo’s mentors.  All Might too actually.  Look, maybe I’m making excuses to see my Origin Trio together again, but I do have to wonder if Shoto and Bakugo are involved somehow.

Welp, that’s it.  This chapter was a rollercoaster!  I was excited, I was confused, I was worried, I cried my eyes out at one point because THOSE TWO PANELS I CANNOT 💔😭!  I’m honestly just waiting for Horokishi to drop some major time-skip on us at some point.  I don’t want him to, but I won’t be entirely surprised if he does.  The end of this chapter is a good place to end if Horikoshi wants to segway into something else like, oh IDK, THE UA KIDS LET ME SEE THEM AGAIN HORIKOSHI PLS I’M BEGGING 💸  

Me @ Horikoshi almost every week:

[on-literal-mars]

The Narcissism of Wilbur Soot: Ghostburs real unfinished business.

Wilbur Soot effectively manipulated a bunch of children into fighting a war for him. This was the first ‘official’ arc of the Dream SMP and even though it’s been months and months since it happened, so many things still tie back to it. L’manberg: a country more power struggle than nation, Tommy’s discs and their importance, and Wilbur Soots selfishness. This post will be broken down into four parts for four symptoms of narcissistic personality disorder that fit Wilbur the best. There will also be a final section dedicated to Ghostbur and his unfinished business on the SMP.

Having an exaggerated sense of self importance:

Wilbur is a showman. He is useless unless he has an audience. It’s introduced from day one as he cultivates an army over the shared dream of freedom, again when he holds an election and reads out the results, and finally when he doesn’t blow up L’manberg until Phil comes. How many times does Wilbur go into the button room by himself? I think on stream maybe 3-4 times. That’s 3-4 times that he doesn’t do what he says he’s gonna do and it’s because someone like Wilbur needs an audience.

He can’t do anything by himself, he hates himself too much, the only time he achieves anything is when he manipulates others to get it done for him. Think about it. How many times has Wilbur sung out for his nation and called it “My L’manberg” like he built it himself? Like he actually fought in the battles instead of standing off to the side and urging his child army to ‘keep fighting’. He’s encredibly entitled. Which brings us to our next point:

Having a sense of entitlement:

Wilbur believes that everything is owed to him. Dream is a tyrant for telling him not to sell drugs on SMP land. People should be allowed to do what they want.

Wilbur should be allowed to do what he wants.

And he wraps this idea up with a bow and calls it ‘freedom’. He elects himself president without any hesitation and is surprised and insulted when Quakity runs against him. I’ve already touched on how he obsesses over L’manberg and destroying it. A narcissist looks at life with complete tunnel vision. The only thing they care about is what will benefit them and what will make them feel better. So the logic behind Wilbur wanting to destroy L’manberg was never ‘they took it from me, I want to destroy it so they can’t have it’(because even that requires some level of empathy) but more ‘It’s mine. If it isn’t mine, then it can’t be any bodies’.

it was always his L’manberg. His unfinished Symphony. It was his way of taking back control. Here’s one thing you have to know about Narcissists, they are rampant control freaks. And if they can’t control you or you are no longer benefiting them, they will destroy you.

Being preoccupied with fantasies about brilliance, beauty, or the perfect mate:

We’ve never seen Wilbur(Ghostbur is a different story) interact romantically but we have seen how he treats the ones he’s supposed to love. Fundy is a perfect example. I could go on and on about how Wilbur gave Tommy more attention because Tommy was always willing to stay under Wilbur while Fundy always tried to go against him but that’s a post we’ve all seen a hundred times(in all fairness, very good posts). I present you another outlook: Wilbur neglects Fundy because he sees too much of himself in him. Like, oh I don’t know, Fundys want for control and authority. He wants attention because he’s just as much of a showman as his dad.

And Wilbur can never share the stage. He is incapable of it, his thinking is too black and white. Regardless, his relationship with both Fundy and Tommy(towards the end) showcase how manipulative and abusive narcissists often are. Now notice how pretty Wilbur tries to make Pogtopia? I know towards the end he was fine to let all those buttons litter the place but think before that. You could argue that Wilbur worked so hard on it because he wanted a cosy place to stay for him and Tommy but it simply isn’t true.

We know this because when Technoblade tries to put railings around the stairs Wilbur breaks them down. He wasn’t intentionally being malicious, you’ve got to understand that narcissists just never think about anyone but themselves. He simply didn’t care if Tommy or Techno( or tubbo who eventually did)fell off the stairs and hurt themselves. It didn’t matter. The railing just didn’t go with his aesthetic. Wilbur made Pogtopia so nice so that he could feel in control.

He did it to convince himself that it was some nice vacation home instead of a stone prison being used as a fugitive hide out. He was absolutely delusional.

Inability to take responsibility:

Right away I bet you can see how this lines up with Ghostbur, huh? It ties back to black and white thinking, as well. His famous phrase ‘indepenance or death’, calling everyone in Manberg traitors because they hadn’t immediately dropped everything to join Pogtopia, and how he kept making destroying L’manberg the final option. He knew from the beginning that he was going to destroy it. The second he built the button room the countrys fate was sealed. Wilbur is never wrong.

He knows what’s best for his country. But here’s the thing: Wilbur has always done things indirectly or through someone else. He does this to avoid direct criticism. Criticism cripples narcissists, it is their worst fear. But blowing up L’manberg would leave no room for anything else. It would be Wilburs fault and no one else’s.

That’s why he has Phil kill him. It wasn’t out of regret or shame, it was one last act of selfishness. He left them with crater for a country and didn’t even say goodbye. And even in his final moments it was “they all want you to, look at them, they want me dead”. He was a coward and died like one. He died to try and escape criticism and responsibility. But death has a funny way of catching you off guard.

Some final symptoms of narcissistic personality disorder before we move into the Ghostbur section:

React with rage or contempt and try to belittle the other person to make themselves appear superior

Have difficulty regulating emotions and behavior

Experience major problems dealing with stress and adapting to change

Have secret feelings of insecurity, shame, vulnerability and humiliation

(This isn’t an official definition but Dr. Ramani Durvasula says that Narcissists are characterized by lack of empathy and deep insecurity. Keep that in mind.)

Ghostbur:

Ghostbur to me is very child like. Ghostbur pulls some pranks but is never intentionally malicious, just works his hardest to make everyone happy. He is innocent and playful and doesn’t like to talk about serious things. We could see him as Wilbur back when he was a little kid. Before the effects of abuse start to kick in. Everyone says that Phil is canonically neglectful, I’m not sure where this comes from but I believe it.

As childlike as he is, it isn’t like he’s the ghost version of kid Wilbur. Wilbur was an adult when he died. He’s so childlike because that’s what Wilbur was on the inside; a child who never matured properly. L’manchild takes a whole different meaning now lmao. Ghostbur is Wilbur without the walls he puts in place to protect himself. That’s why he’s cold all the time: he’s finally being exposed to all the things he tried to hide from.

Wilbur acts like a child throughout majority of his time on the SMP. He gets angry when he doesn’t get his way, expects everyone to kiss his ass and take care of him, and throws tantrums when all he should’ve done was compromise(the way people blame George or Quakity for Schlatt getting elected but Wilbur could’ve just taken down the American-ban). And doesn’t that sound just like the points I made earlier? Ghostbur isn’t the sad alter ego of Wilbur that some try to paint him out to be, he’s literally just Wilbur without the bullshit. He wasn’t the father of a nation he was an abused kid who never grew up. He ran from his problems to the very last second but now he doesn’t have a choice.

That is Ghostburs unfinished business. He must finally allow himself to be wrong. Only then will he be able to move on. And shit, with the way he keeps forgetting the bad stuff he’s done, perhaps he isn’t meant to. Perhaps this is supposed to be his hell and he’ll be trapped in constant pain for all of eternity. It would make sense wouldn’t it?

Death was like: hah, you want to act like you did nothing wrong? Fine, I’ll help you out.

That’s the problem with black and white thinking. Too much of anything will eventually become bad for you. Ghostbur is gonna realize that he can’t float around L’manberg for the rest of time and actually accept the fact that maybe everything is his fault. Atleast Wilbur actually got his wish, I suppose. Dead men can’t take responsibility. Dead men can only exist in hell forever or let go and move on.

[limerental]

geraskier fic recs

aka everything i remembered to bookmark on ao3 just vomited into a tumblr post because i want to yell about them (and there are more than this that I enjoyed dearly i am just very silly and forget to save them)

under a cut to spare your dashboard

b-sides and rarities by fathomfive, 6.4k

note: i am weak for pining, long meandering but inevitable feeling journeys toward one another, deeply felt landscape description and melancholy ballads and this fic is all of those

excerpt:

He plays a few idle notes, and then slides smoothly into a tune that’s at once familiar and new. It’s a walking song, a good steady-paced melody without flourishes. He plucks a note, holds it in his throat and hums, and sings. Morning came over the mountains, there I was, there we were.

Noon burned above the broken path, you left but I return.

A season’s span to where I find you, call and I return.

O the light fades in the valley, I’ll return, return.

here, where the world is quiet by @drawlight, 5.4k, explicit

note: the jaskier pov in this is very, very lovely and it was hard to pick an excerpt because all the prose is lovely and jaskier’s descriptions of geralt are particularly lovely

excerpt:

“But if you ever wanted,” Jaskier spreads his hands, his long fingers, spreading out the wrinkles of the bedsheets. The weight of Geralt next to him is constant. A promise. They constantly circle, dance to unsung songs. Geralt never dances, except here, around Jaskier. (You can run so far away, Witcher, but space is not that forgiving. There is so much nothingness, nothing to block, nothing to get in the way. On a good night, from a clear plain with little light pollution, one can see twenty-quadrillion miles into the sky. Jaskier thinks this number sounds absurd but he trusts the arithmancers and knows in his heart, in his blood, his bones that it is the truth. Jaskier knows there is nowhere to hide; he has tried.)

The Ballad of Pots and Pans by 6th_magnitude, 8.1k

note: this one’s got oblivious geralt realizing all of jaskier’s songs, even the less obvious ones, are actually about him and excellent banter and some poignant and painful bits about jaskier’s mortality and also just a bunch of really great ballads.

excerpt:

Jaskier startles, and looks at Geralt a little dazedly. “Nothing. It’s – oh, I just wanted to write something good and true to capture everything I feel in this moment, and I cannot for the life of me write it at all! What good is being a poet if you cannot translate the most important feelings of your life to pen and paper? What good is it if I cannot write you a song, so that one day you might remember this morning?”

“I’ll remember it,” Geralt replies quietly. “I don’t need a song to remember it.”

Jaskier smiles at him, his eyes shining a little with unshed tears of frustration. “Even so, I would like to memorialise this feeling, record every detail, so I might recall it later. The human memory is so fallible, you know. It’s why we make songs and stories – to remember feelings, even when facts have faded from all memory.”

“I’ll remember it,” Geralt says again, sleepily. “I’ll remember this feeling. No matter what.”

swallow my breath and take what is mine by @anacaoris, 6.5k, explicit

note: this has got jaskier giving all sorts of nice things to geralt that he doesn’t feel he deserves and misunderstandings and geralt not knowing how to use his words or brain cell and oh also there’s smut

excerpt: 

Fingers flex in his hair, running a shudder down his spine at the spark of it. Part of him wishes he knew better what to say, that this could be simpler. That he was born with the same poetry spilling from him enough to say all that he tucks in his lungs but he’s not, he’s better with action, better with showing just what he needs to mean so Geralt brings a hand up, curls it around Jaskier’s and keeps it in messy locks, still damp from the bath as he sinks to his knees.  “Sweet merciful blessings, I will, ah, I’ll take this as a ye-ehs.” 

Companionship by ArliaDevi, 4.1k

note: really fun take on their relationship in ciri pov and i love found family domesticity so much and geralt teaching ciri things and glimpses of tender moments

excerpt:

When Geralt gets back, covered in what Ciri is quite sure is intestines, they eat quietly in the corner of the inn. Jaskier plays his music, his hat out for coins. He sings well, Ciri has to admit, and there’s an entrancing quality about the way he performs, luring all eyes to him. Even Geralt’s eyes seem to wander back to Jaskier, lingering on him just long enough that Ciri manages to steal a few mouthfuls of ale.

‘Don’t think I didn’t notice that,’ Geralt mutters as Ciri slides the large stein back in place.

‘Girls in Cintra drink at ten,’ Ciri replies matter-of-factly.

‘No, they don’t.’ Geralt takes another mouthful of ale before sliding it towards Ciri. ‘Don’t let Jaskier see.’

‘Stealth training?’

Geralt rolls his eyes. ‘Sure.’

look what you made me do by @cicaklah, 6.5k, explicit

note: is just another in the “jaskier’s songs are all about geralt and geralt is a dumbass” genre and also there’s deeply immersive scenery details and also also there’s a truly filthy sequel that is not on this list only because i still have some level of shame but it’s here in spirit

excerpt(s):

They ride half a day, Geralt chatting to Roach about all the injustices in the world, most of which are food related, with Roach hrumphing every now and then in response. Around them the fallow fields are untouched, resembling plush, perfect eiderdowns, with gnarled trees like the posts of a fine bed, fit for a giant. The sky is clear after the storm, bluer than at the height of summer and vast, their clouds stolen for the ground.

and

Geralt understands how long sex can last, always feels sorry and guilty for the women he beds who don’t understand that stamina was one of the most successful mutations he gained. He hates how easy it is to push that little bit too far into pain unless he’s careful (and he’s always careful, he loves women, loves their pleasure, never lets himself get carried away) but now there’s a man behind him and he realises that he can take it, that they made him perfectly for this by accident, so he can take all that male stamina and strength into himself and enjoy it like a glutton, enjoy it in the way he only has been able to a handful of times in his life, match every stroke with his own power.

Dawn by Sylvalum, 3.5k

note: this one is a bit different to the others on this list but it’s got delightful yen & jaskier developing friendship and a touch o the ole melancholy that i so very much crave

excerpt:

Yennefer doesn’t say anything, so eventually Jasker turns back to the grave and lowers the body, then starts to shovel the earth back in, rich soil and sandy dirt and tufts of dead grass. He tries to cover the dead sorceress carefully, to send her off into the eternal night gently, but he fumbles too much and works too fast. Impatience and fear have burnt away his flesh so now there’s only nerve endings left to hide his ragged bones. It’s… it’s been a long day. He’s been digging for most of it.

Yennefer simply watches, standing behind Jaskier like a disapproving mother. Until suddenly she says in an oddly quiet voice,   “Her name was Sabrina.”

And Jaskier stills. Haltingly, Yennefer steps forward to stand and look at the grave for a moment.

And after that, she starts to help Jaskier dig the graves.

To Sleep Perchance To by sospes, 16.9k, canon-typical violence & gore

note: it isn’t a fic rec list by me unless it’s got angst on the list so warning for torture and unreliable reality and general gnarly descriptions of violence and psychological damage. this broke my heart a wee bit and it may just break yours.

excerpt:

In those quiet, maybe-false moments, Jaskier knows that if this goes on much longer, he’s going to lose his mind. It’s not a panicked thought, not a terrified thought, it’s a cool, calm, logical realisation that he doesn’t think he can get away from. He’s losing the ability to know what’s real and what isn’t. He’s spending every waking second in a nightmare of blood and betrayal. And there’s nothing he can do to escape.

Geralt comes and presses him up against the cold stone wall of the cold stone cell, pinning his wrists above his head with one impossibly strong hand. He kisses him, slow and languid, and then he sucks a bruise into the side of his neck, using too much teeth and too much tongue. “I’ve missed you,” he murmurs into Jaskier’s throat, and Jaskier takes the opportunity to knee him in the balls.

let us shake the abacus by @et-in-arkadia, 3k, explicit

note: this is simple, shameless smut and i am only allowing myself to slap it at the bottom of this list because i’m fond of the author’s work in general and also the dynamic, man, this dynamic is what it’s all about

Resigned to his poor decision-making for the evening, Geralt breaks away from where he's sucked a bruise into the soft skin of Jaskier's neck. Jaskier is moving against him like a ship on an unruly sea, increasingly impatient and unmoored.

"Tell me," Jaskier insists. He scratches lines down Geralt's back, then grabs Geralt's ass to haul him closer. "Geralt. Tell me."

This is also different: Jaskier likes to hear him talk, prefers to hear, above all else, Geralt's intent. Jaskier's need for words is limitless, unquenchable—Geralt has made him come all but untouched by whispering into Jaskier's ear the things that he'd do, given the time. It's really quite extraordinary. Which is perhaps why Geralt entertains the request, despite not being exactly given over to loquaciousness himself.

[khtrinityftw]

Part 9: Nomuraception

And the game where Master Xehanort's time-traveling, heart-splitting, series-retconning master plan was introduced in was Dream Drop Distance, which is hands down the worst game to ever bear the title of Kingdom Hearts....for now, anyway.

It's astounding how practically nothing about this game works. The premise is flawed from the ground up: Sora and Riku, despite being super powerful and having saved the universe already, are deemed not Keyblade Master material by Yen Sid because they haven't taken a stupid-ass Mark of Mastery Exam.  Yen Sid then shows that he has no idea how exams work by making their Mark of Mastery Exam involve falling asleep and traveling through "worlds in sleep" that are in a perpetual dreamlike state. And that concept alone is mind-numbingly stupid and nonsensical. How do worlds fall asleep? Why do they stay that way until a Keyblade wielder comes along and unlocks their keyholes? Does anything that happens in those worlds really happen since it's said to be like a dream?  I know this sounds weird in a series where anime-style JRPG characters fight alongside the likes of Mickey Mouse, but there is only so much disbelief that I can suspend, Nomura!

Then they go and it turns out that Sora is being lured into a trap by Xehanort and so only he is going through the sleeping worlds while Riku is inside Sora's dreams of the sleeping worlds...whut!?  

Oh, and there are these Pokemon-like creatures called Dream Eaters than can be either good or bad, and you use the good ones to help fight the bad ones. There are no Disney allies to fight alongside in this game, just Dream Eaters. Fighting alongside Disney allies was one of the series' core draws, and you're abandoning it here? 

Fighting Disney villains was also a core draw, but that doesn't happen very much either, which is especially egregious when there's a world based on The Hunchback of Notre Dame and you can't fight Frollo. Players wanted to kick Frollo's ass ever since the series began, and now that he's here you don't give them the chance? Are you that tone-deaf to what your audience would enjoy!?

You won’t see any Final Fantasy characters this time around either, but if you’re a fan of the cult game The World Ends With You then you’re in luck, because the entire main cast is literally transplanted straight from their game into this one for no good reason.

Meanwhile, back in the real world, there's a subplot starring the revived Axel, aka Lea, and I've already gone over why that didn't work.  What really bugs me is the question of why Kairi didn't get this subplot?  Why did she have to stay on Destiny Islands and only come in as the last shot of the secret ending video? Ventus got to attend Terra and Aqua's exam back in Birth by Sleep, so why can't Kairi attend Sora and Riku's? Actually, there's a lot more about Kairi that I'm gonna have to address....

But not before talking about Sora and Riku, just like how the series has clearly decided they as a duo take priority over Kairi with them as a trio. Back in the KH Trinity, Sora and Riku's dynamic was the typical close bro dynamic you usually see in shonen stuff. Sure, yaoi fangirls seized on their interactions as proof that they should be a romantic couple, but that wasn't ever the intent behind those interactions. Yes, not even the one where Sora cried over being reunited with Riku in KH2. They're best friends and Sora was increasingly led to believe that Riku was dead and that they'd never be able to reconcile, that's gonna lead to some repressed emotions pouring out when Riku turns up alive. Context is important, people.

However, this game continues what Coded started in very blatantly and deliberately pandering to the fangirls by making their interactions intentionally homo-erotic, even though there is no chance in Hades that they'll ever be a canonical romantic couple. There is no logical excuse for Sora doing things like glomping Riku and cheering over how he's safe even when that's something he already knew. This is what we call "queer-baiting", and both it and the elimination of Kairi as a major character in the series reflect an incredibly cynical marketing ploy to keep a hold of a vocal, money-giving constituent.

And in case this wasn't bad enough, Sora and Riku's characters are totally butchered here. Sora is suddenly a hyperactive, dumb, overly immature kid whose main value is stated to be making other people feel good rather than anything he can do himself, and Riku becomes a ridiculous case where he's still angsting over giving himself over to darkness in between doing over-the-top feats of heroism that clearly show how worthy of the light he is, and it's even said that he's the more responsible one between him and Sora despite all evidence to the contrary back in the KH Trinity. And in the end, Sora falling into Xehanort's trap leads to Yen Sid flunking him on the exam - even though Yen Sid was blindsided by that same trap - and Riku is named the official Keyblade Master.

One of the most powerful parts of the original Kingdom Hearts was how it subverted the usual Chosen One hero trope. Riku was the Chosen One, Riku was destined to be the hero. But he lost his innocence in his zeal to establish himself as an adult, while Sora found real maturity while keeping hold of his childlike innocence. Riku shunned listening to your heart and relying upon friends, while Sora embraced it. As a result, the Keyblade turned on Riku and chose Sora as its wielder instead. It was a triumphant moment, a moment that was underscored by Sora's declaration of "My friends are my power!"

Well, Sora says that same line again in this game, but now the context is almost a complete rewrite of all that I just said. Riku is the true Keyblade Master after all, and Sora is just some "dull, ordinary boy" who got his Keyblade by a fluke because he was connected to truly exceptional people. "I know the Keyblade didn't choose me, and I don't care." Sora says, "I'm proud to be a small part of something bigger - the people it did choose!"  But it DID, though! The Keyblade DID choose him! In fact, Sora is the ONLY one actually chosen by the Keyblade at this point because the series now says everyone else merely inherited their Keyblades from someone else! 

This is ridiculous! First BBS turns Sora into this overly important Messiah, and now 3D turns him into this insignificant goober whose accomplishments mean squat next to the real Chosen Ones? 

How is any of this inspiring? 

How is any of this relatable? 

How is any of this GOOD!?

Oh, and did I mention that this game was released for the 10th anniversary of the original game?  Worst anniversary gift EVER!

[machi-kun]

"Iron Man 1 gets quoted so much but are you really telling me that a self-proclaimed genius needed to be directly hurt by his weapons to know that innocent people were hurting over them too? There’s no way to make weapons and be good, there’s no way to make weapons like Jericho and believe that no innocents are being hurt by them. We constantly hear about how he stopped making weapons after Iron Man 1, but he didn’t. (1/6)

He just made weapons for different people. He made Insight for S.H.I.E.L.D., made Ultron for himself, and that’s not to mention the ridiculous amounts of weapons we’re shown in the tower scene in Homecoming, that if he made that weapon for S.H.I.E.L.D. he’s likely to have made others. Tony also pushes the Accords, which are in violation of several human rights, on the Avengers simply because someone walked up to him and said “my son is dead and I blame you”. (2/6)

Imagine having to be told to your face that an American died as a consequence of your ridiculous murder bot so that you care enough to do something about it. Because he knew people had died in Sokovia but did nothing about it until a photo was shoved in his face. There’s no excuse for Tony teaming up with Ross. A man who drove Bruce Banner to attempt suicide. There’s no excuse for Tony restricting Wanda to the compound and calling her “a weapon of mass destruction”. (3/6)

There’s no excuse for him shooting Sam in the chest after Rhodey falls. There’s no excuse for him bribing blackmailing and kidnapping Peter. There’s no excuse for the vicious way in which he attacks Bucky. He never apologizes for Ultron, he says “and then Ultron, my fault” in Civil War and then in Endgame he brings it up and claims he was right, even though Ultron was a disastrous occurrence. (4/6)

He blames Stee for breaking up the Avengers when Tony himself brought the Accords upon them and then pushed Steve away when he chose to help Bucky, Sam, Wanda, Clint, Scott instead of giving up the glory of being a hero. Tony probably only asked Steve to choose between the shield (being Cap) and Bucky (keeping his family, and I mean all of them not just Bucky, safe) because in Iron Man 3 he gets rid the Arc Reactor, symbolically giving up Iron Man for Pepper and then he doesn’t stick to it (5/6)

And he thought Steve would choose the same way. His monologue in the beginning of Endgame was pretty much just Hydra rhetoric, he says “what we needed was a suit of armour around the world whether it impacted your precious freedoms or not”. Our “precious freedoms” are a human right, Tony Stark has no claim to them. Not to mention that a suit of armour around the world would have done jack shit to stop Thanos or the snap.“ Machi, I do not know if I cry or laugh. (6/6)

OH MY GOD. OOOOH MY GOD. OOOOOOHHHH. MYYY. GODDDDDD.

I don’t… Honestly, thank you for sending me this in ask format because I don’t know what I would have done had I seen this on my dash out of nowhere. I honestly can’t imagine what my reaction would’ve been. I’VE REMOVED ANTIS SO EFFICIENTLY NOTHING BUT THE PUREST LOVE FOR TONY STARK CROSSES MY DASH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 

I tend not to interact with antis in any capacity because people who hate a character usually don’t hear to what other people have to say about that character, even if it’s in a calm, polite, and perfectly reasonable manner. My only interactions with antis have been on occasions where they come to me, not the other way around, and that’s why this kind of stuff doesn’t even bother me anymore.

Because I don’t get it. I truly, honestly don’t get their logic. I guess laughing is my pick, because I don’t waste no tears on something like this akdhkajshfkjashfh

Let’s go over this, shall we? For some lighthearted fun. 

The weapons manufacturer argument always sounded weird to me - it sounds like a very standard anti-military speech; Which I could get, if that criticism were ever extended to the other military characters, such as Rhodey, the entirety of SHIELD, and Steve himself. Because… you know… the soldier in super soldier is not just a cool nickname. Steve is also part of this war based system and people seem to be very forgetful of that fact. If you want to be angry about Tony enforcing war indirectly, don’t forget to spare some of that anger of yours for the other characters too! Make sure everyone gets their share! Oh, but Steve only wanted to protect the little guy, you say? Did you fall asleep when Tony says “I saw young Americans killed by the same weapons I build to protect them”? Is the use of the word Americans that bothers them? Enough to ignore everything else this sentence is composed of, including meaning? Also, personal morality aside - Tony is not, in any way, a war criminal or profiteer, as many antis like to put it. He is a legalized, certified weapons manufacturer, and all unlawful use of his weapons seen on screen is caused by Obadiah’s double-dealing. Ever since IM1.

And I can’t wrap my head around getting angry about a character that makes weapons in a universe where aliens are constantly knocking at your door asking if they can blow up your planet! What are you going to fight them with? Please, someone, give me an answer, because I can’t come up with any ideas.

Ultron. Aaaah, I love talking about that garbage of a movie. I also don’t understand why people pin Ultron on Tony as if Tony has intentionally made Ultron evil, when the thing inside the Mind Stone is what makes Ultron sentient, and when Tony builds Ultron with the help of Bruce with the intentions of, and I quote, “not letting the next alien get past the bouncer”. It’s the same speech, “weapons are bad! He made a weapon, so he is bad!”. But again, if weapons are not the things we’re gonna use against aliens, against Thanos, what will we use?! The Infinity Stones? Ultron was made of Infinity Stones! Where is the logic in that! I know, we’ll clock Thanos in the head with a frying pan, that’ll solve the problem akjdaslkfalskf No more weapons, everybody. We’ll just close the doors and windows and pretend we’re not home. Let’s get into a fistfight against Thanos, the huge ass purple alien, when that alien beat the shit out of the Hulk once with no problem! I’m sure that will work out just fine!

But by far, my favorite thing about antis arguments is the use of the Accords as a justification for demonizing Tony, when there is no evidence the Accords are a bad thing! No, for real! Not one! It’s all speculative! I’m sure a lot of people immediately draft comparisons between the Accords and SHRA, but the truth is, they couldn’t be more different! It’s not even that hard to realize this, so long as you’re paying attention to the canon cues. If the Accords where SHRA, Clint would’ve received a copy. So would have Scott, Hank Pym, every single enhanced person in the Agent of SHIELD series, every single superhuman. But they don’t! Only active-duty, currently present Avengers. So it’s not a register of every single individual, only of those who are currently working under Avenger’s jurisdiction. Second, it’s hysterical to me that someone would be angry that Tony is supposedly prioritizing American lives, but is okay with unauthorized American military intervention. Because that’s what the Avengers are! They are a government-endorsed and based paramilitary group, a special unit. It makes sense that they, a specialized team, are sent to deal with alien threats, because no country has a say in the legality of who gets to take the alien to court. So that’s not a problem. But when you go to a country to chase a specific person, a totally human person, without permission and you bring your special ops team with you, destroy some buildings, and then act like you didn’t do anything wrong - that is something people tend not to like, ya know. 

It gets to a point that the hate becomes a total lack of empathy. “It’s not fair that people are acting like Wanda is a threat. It was an accident!”. Had a person I love been in that building, would it matter to me if it was an accident or not? “Clint was fighting for his right to freedom, even if he didn’t read the Accords! He has the right to freedom!”. He sure does. How was his freedom endangered, exactly? By this document he never was prompted to sign? “The Accords are a violation of your right to freedom!”. Are they? Is a person forbidding you from entering their home if they fear you might destroy it, is that an infringement of your right to freedom? Do you have the freedom to go anywhere you please and do whatever you think it’s right, even if it destroys someone else’s property, or wound or kill someone, so long as you did what you had to do? “He has no right to lash out against the people who have murdered his parents or almost killed his best friend! They didn’t mean to!”. Oh, doesn’t he? Is he not allowed this distressed emotional response? Alright then. Where was that rage when Wanda, Toomes, and so many others blamed Tony for the weapons Obadiah sold without Tony’s consent?

I don’t have time for this double-standard. I’m gonna be here sipping on my loving Tony Stark juice and having fun with my complex and well-written faves, while antis marinate in their hate for 25 minutes on low heat. Wake me up when it’s time to kill Thanos with a wooden spoon or with a petition for him to leave. One of the two lksahfakshfskajfhkjsf

[superemeralds]

I never understood this about Shadow, why does he even work with GUN?

*rubs my gay little hands together*

Finally it’s time for my analysis of GUN, the current GUN commander, Shadow’s relationship with both of them and speculations on the future…………..

warning: it’s actually gonna get……….. really wild. This turned out to be mainly an analysis of the GUN commander because he is the main factor that influences shadows decision but im… hoooo boy.

TLDR;

The commander is a Robotnik and the character development he went through, paired with Shadows acceptance of his judgement + forgiveness of his actions, as well as their friendly bond by the end of the game, gave Shadow the feeling that it is a good idea to join forces with GUN to keep his promise to Maria in keeping the planet safe.

( +3k words; all referenced videos and audio files are transcribed for accessibility; sources/references at the bottom)

If you have any questions or comments feel free to shoot me an ask! If you have anything to add or critique (because I’m 49320% sure i forgot half of the things i wanted to address again), feel free to add to my post!

Okay so before we can make out why Shadow would join GUN, we should establish why people think he wouldn’t.

As you said, you can’t understand his decision (very understandably so), therefor let’s sum up why you feel like this, and then I’ll try to explain how all that can actually lead to him joining in the end.

We all know GUN is responsible for Maria’s death, so why would Shadow want to join them? It doesn’t make sense!

Well, you see, it doesn’t. Things don’t always make sense. Not on first sight anyways.

First thing we should note is that the current GUN commander (I’ll talk abt him a lot now) and his family were aboard the ARK during the time that Shadow was created. We don’t know why, as there are no hints towards his parents’ jobs. There are also little hints to GUN actually having employees up there.

It is confirmed that GUN was funding the ARK project and all scientists abroad, they probably had agents up there that would live among the scientists to make sure to report back to the base frequently and keep HQ up-to-date about new findings and development of the experiments.

If the future commander was aware of that, or his parents were part of GUN, is not clear.

Speculative it is to say that he probably saw the GUN soldiers in the big invasion that killed his family (his parents either were scientists that were exterminated so they wouldn’t talk, or they were GUN agents that chose to defend the scientists, or they were killed by the artificial chaos that went on a rampage*) as heroes, since he canonically blames Shadow for everything.

He did have a deep and strong fear of Shadow since the very beginning because he happened to see Gerald and Black doom in a room with Shadow together at one point in time and associated Shadow with the alien ever since. It’s possible he didn’t know about Maria being very close to him, or he tolerated it because it was her.

Actually. 

Actually hold your fucking horses everyone I’m onto something.

Okay so… You know how the commander is super inconsistent with the whole family and Maria dying deal right?

SHADOW: Damn it! What does it all mean? These memories… thedoctor’s actions and words… nothing makes sense! Wasit real?

* - The GUN Commander walks up to Shadow, and points a handgun athim.

GUN COMMANDER: It’s been a long time… Shadow.

SHADOW: Who are you?! And how do you know my name?

GUN COMMANDER: I know you… Shadow the Hedgehog. You killedeveryone I loved… myfamily… Maria. I’ve been waiting all my life for this day!

SHADOW: What?! Me… and Maria?

* - A younger GUN Commander and Maria are running in a hall on theARK. He hits his ass to taunt Maria, and she catches up to him.She holds him in place, but he starts running again.

GUN COMMANDER (voiceover): Maria was like a sister to me. She wasthe only family I knew! And because of you… she waskilled!

* - The younger GUN-C gets to the door to Geral’d lab, and looksin the glass. Inside, Gerald and Black Doom are talking nearShadow’s pod.

GUN COMMANDER (voiceover): Witnessing it all… the plan to createthat horrifying evil creature... that black creature, and that insane professor who unleashed it all!

* - As the pod starts to move, the young GUN-C starts screaming.The pod sits upright, and Shadow opens his eyes.

SHADOW: So… the professor created me… with Black Doom?

GUN COMMANDER: You don’t fool me! It’s not just about Maria.Thanks to you, everyone I knewand loved was killed when the ARK was destroyed. Worst of all, myfamily! Finally… justice is served!

I bolded everything that is important to my analysis,,,,

ANYWAYS AS I WAS SAYING.

The Commanders words about his family and Maria being killed are all jumbled. One moment Maria is the only family he had, the next everyone he knew and loved was killed. Among those people Maria and his family.

We have no canon confirmation as to who his family was and why they were killed on the ARK. (Read speculation above again if needed, marked with an *)So what if Maria was his family? What if he was a Robotnik himself?

Who says that he knew about Ivo’s parents?

He might be blood related, or adopted by Gerald.

How else would a kid end up on a Space Station that is primarily for scientific research? Maria and the future commander should logically be the only children up there, because Gerald brought them with him. 

The commander witnessed Shadow’s creation and knows that Gerald was involved in it. He felt a deep hatred for Shadow, aswell as Gerald, for what happened. He mainly blames Shadow for the incident on ARK, but he also holds resentment towards Gerald for having created Shadow in the first place. (”The insane professor that unleashed it all!”)

This would imply that the commander refuses to see Gerald as part of his family anymore after that had happened, which would figuratively make Gerald “dead to him.” Maria would be the only family he had left after that, and she was killed on the ARK.

He was not there when it happened, he was escorted by GUN back to earth while Maria tried to defend Shadow and help him escape. He never got told how she died, he just, presumably, saw her on the list of victims.

This event shaped the commander into wanting to become someone who can protect the innocent from harm and prevent needless death.

We see his compassion in other cutscenes!

* - The Presiden’t helicopter touches down on the landing pad andseveral GUN soldiers run over to it. Slightly later, the GUNCommander helps the President walk to the control room. The Presidentsits down in a chair.

GUN COMMANDER: Sir, are you all right?

PRESIDENT: Never mind me… What about the people of Central City?

GUN COMMANDER: No need to worry, sir. Orders were issuedyesterday, and  everyone hasbeen evacuated to the safe zone.

[…]

GUN COMMANDER: So he’s finally decided to show himself. Attentionall command units! Mobilizeall Mech battle sections! Prepare all weapons to strikeincoming vessels! Mobilize “Diablon”!

GUN SOLDIR: But sir! It’s not ready yet!

GUN COMMANDER: I don’t care!! We have NO other option!! We MUSTprotect the President, andthe Chaos Emeralds, at all costs.

* - In the White House, the President is looking at Westopolisfrom the balcony. The sky is dark red/orange. The GUNCommander and two other soldiers come in through the door.

GUN COMMANDER: Sir, your transport is ready. We must go now! Sir,please!

PRESIDENT: Once again… I have failed my duty to protect ournation.

GUN COMMANDER: Sir, it’s not over! We can continue to fight. Theblack aliens may haverendered us unable for now, but we will rally, sir. You  must keep yournation strong and together.

PRESIDENT: Yes, keep the nation united. No matter what happens,we’ll never surrender to these creatures.*looks at the picture of Sonic and Shadow* This much I learnedfrom them.

GUN COMMANDER: Sir, please hurry.

PRESIDENT: Okay.

* - The President and the two soldiers start to leave. The GUNCommander looks at the picture the President keeps on his desk before leavinghimself.

GUN COMMANDER: The black creatures will feel their own bloodyHell!

Again, bold lines are important!

The commander made sure to evacuate the entire population of a major city that is based off the Washington metropolitan area with a populus of over 6 Million people within just one single day.

For reference I researched how long it normally takes to evacuate big cities in real life.

“At around 10 am on August 28, Mayor Ray Nagin declared a mandatory evacuation of the city, after Hurricane Katrina was updated to a Category 5, the strongest possible hurricane. By the time the hurricane hit, at around 7 AM on August 29, later studies revealed that around 90% of the New Orleans population left. That’s around one million people within 21 hours.

Preparations for Hurricane Katrina - Wikipedia

This is important, as we can guestimate just how long an evacuation could take, if we assume that the cities can evacuate at a similar rate to New Orleans. Doing the math, this means that New York City takes around 8 days to clear out, and Tokyo needs around two weeks or so.

Thing is, however, evacuation procedures will likely suffer because these cities are much larger than New Orleans, so you might need to add a few days to them.

So, it’s more likely that NYC and Tokyo would need at least two weeks before the cities could be cleared.”

source

So he really did something really amazing.

He prioritizes to keep the President and the chaos emeralds safe above anything else and risks unleashing a new and unreliable weapon; and against what you might think- that he’s selfish/doesn’t care about the citizens- the reason he prioritizes the emeralds over people….. 1) They’ve already been evacuated.2) If Black Doom gets all of the Chaos Emeralds there won’t be an Earth anymore. No Humanity. He can think critically and in advance yall.

Also consider how he gives the President hope, not to give up. He’s confident in his abilities as commander, and his his soldiers, to do whatever they can to keep the people of their country, and the entire world, save. And he also emphasizes that the nation themselves should not loose hope, that the President should be a positive influence and stand up against the intruders (the aliens).

He also says he’ll return “their bloody hell” to the aliens, which 1) references his association of Shadow with those aliens and his firm belief that Shadow killed Maria (and by extend his (grand?)father Gerald ?).2) references the fact that the aliens have taken countless of soldiers lives already and that he wishes to return that favour to their kind.

The commander is generally a justice loving person who will do anything in his power to do the right thing. When it comes to Shadow, though, he seems to not have his personal grudge towards him under control and he gets a little extreme with his idea of justice.

GUN COMMANDER: Shadow? Deploy the troops, NOW! And if you findShadow with the black aliens…then kill them all.

GUN SOLDIER: But sir, isn’t Shadow on our side–

GUN COMMANDER: I gave you an order, soldier! He’s evil and he’sthe enemy!

//

GUN COMMANDER: Alert all field commanders in Sector B. I’mauthorizing full use of alltactical weapons. I want both black aliens and Shadow stopped andburied. Failure, is not an option.

//

GUN COMMANDER: Hm-hm… It’s over, Shadow. You’ll finally beexposed and eradicated forthe evil that you are.

//

GUN COMMANDER (radio): Come in, Eclipse Cannon! He must be stoppedat all costs! Take him out... that’s an order!

//

GUN COMMANDER: Shadow! Damn you! It’s been fifty years… justicewill finally be served.*cocks handgun*

This emotional side of him is a great flaw in a man of his position, but also a great strength.

As we know he confronted Shadow about his hatred and literally attempted to personally kill him.

* - He fires his gun, but Shadow’s now standing behind theCommander, faced away from him, with his eyes closed.

SHADOW: If what you say is true, then I will respectfully acceptmy fate.

GUN COMMANDER: You mean to tell me that, you really don’t remembera thing?

SHADOW: But I just need some time… to uncover the real truth.

* - As Shadow walks off, the Commander looks at his gun and fallsto his knees.

Shadow admits to not remembering any of what he is saying, but that he will take responsibility for those things if it’s true (WHILE NOT EVEN REMEMBERING ANY OF IT). This means that Shadow accepts the justice the commander wanted to serve. And also that he forgives him for being so bitter about it, for being so incredibly angry.

You might think it is because he knows what it’s like to hate someone for killing your loved one and then doing everything to avenge them but…. he doesn’t remember. He doesn’t remember SA2. All he knows is the empty feeling of rage and sorrow, that he can’t really put any context on. (He remembered that Maria died and that he wasn’t able to save her, but he never remembered how she died. This had to be told to him by someone else. Either it was directly shown to him by Black Doom when he uses chaos control to show Shadow the past, or by Doom’s Eye in a cutscene before a boss fight. (iirc anyways because I’ve gone through so much cutscene and script material now that I might mix some stuff up, please correct me if I’m wrong).

Once the commander learns that Shadow doesn’t remember anything and fucking accepts his plans to kill him, he is SHOCKED.

He looks at his gun, as if he’s realizing just what the fuck he was doing, threatening and literally trying to kill Shadow in an attempt to serve “justice”. He falls to his knees in shame for his misguided behaviour. He realized how foolish and childish is obsessive pursuit of Shadow was.

Later in The Last Way when Gerald tells the truth about Shadow and Black Dooms relation and Shadow saves the world….

* - All of the members are cheering and yelling.

GUN COMMANDER: *sigh*

* - The President pats the Commander’s back.

PRESIDENT: How ironic… After the way we all treated him, hesaved us all i the end. We were all wrong about the professor. Let us pay homageto Professor Gerald. Let’s work to ensure peace and prosperity for a brighter future! What do you say, Commander?

GUN COMMANDER: Excellent idea, Mister President.

They feel guilty for holding Shadow accountable for the destruction the aliens caused, aswell as for what happened to Gerald. They plan to reform the way they act in homage of Gerald Robotnik (and Shadow the hedgehog).

Now, it’s not confirmed when exactly in the timeline it is, but the commander does say this, but in Space Gadget (after completing the game I assume) during the training gameplay it is possible to get a random call from the commander which says:

“Shadow, do you read me? First… I want to apologize, for the other day. Actually, I just became a grandfather last week and I was thinking of maybe having you over. I know that training is tough, but try and do your best.”

(here’s the voice file in case you want to hear it)

This confirms that the commander is trying to build a friendly relationship with Shadow now and wants him to be part of his family (again. Since they are both Robotniks.). It could either be an invitation after Shadow already had joined GUN, or, and I think that’s more likely, he wants to discuss that matter when Shadow pays him a visit and they can talk about it in person.

Now Shadow does forgive the commander for his actions, and he accepts that what happened to Maria lies in the past and that it is not the fault of anyone else but the person that shot her, so he can’t be angry at the entire human race for it. He understands it now.

The commander makes a genuine effort to keep the country, and the planet, save; and GUN is an organization that focuses on keeping the world save. Shadow knows that it is impossible for one person alone to do it, so he likely sees this as a good option for help since he’s willing to cooperate with this commander. Due to his old age he would have to retire soon, though, so Shadow would also likely want to be inside that system to have influence on the new leaders in the future, so that GUN does not stray the wrong path again. (Be it shady experiments or useless killing.)

He likely agreed upon the request under the condition that OMEGA could join along with him, as well as the condition that he, OMEGA and Rouge are an inseparable Team that will work together from this day forth.

This is how I think it went.

Yes I got lazy towards the end because it’s super hot and I’m sweaty and my laptop is literally wet from my sweaty hands its disgusting akjsfhka

If you have any questions or comments feel free to shoot me an ask! If you have anything to add or critique (because I’m 49320% sure i forgot half of the things i wanted to address again), feel free to add to my post!

sources: (take the wiki ones with a grain of salt i only referred to the stuff that is absolute fact (sourced trivia, quotes and plot line); not personality descriptions or anything interpretative stuff since the wiki is also fan made and i disagree with some of that)

http://sonic.wikia.com/wiki/Shadow_the_Hedgehog_(game)

http://sonic.wikia.com/wiki/Commander

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/ps2/926671-shadow-the-hedgehog/faqs/39966

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mh7b_eml0EU (i used all 4 of those videos aswell as this one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBisWZ8eKV0

[knightofbalance-13]

https://rwdestuffs.tumblr.com/post/178357985392/done-dirty-the-white-fang

Too bad both are technically terrorists because both use fear to achieve their political goals and both ultimately are failures because both are just inferior versions of Ghira’s philosophy who, mind you, is the only ACTUAL civil rights leader the White Fang had.

Yeah, I maybe getting into my own political beliefs here but at least I can explain myself better.

Y’know, finding interesting ways to showcase the subject at hand is getting difficult…

How, you’ve just used common as fuck memes. These aren’t even your ideas, they’re the ideas of others you’re using.

You want to know something?- I’d say that the humans were pretty damn fortunate that all the faunus wanted was equality. They could have easily had enslaved their would-be-racist asses after they had won that war (actually, this sounds like a kickass ‘what-if’ story, if someone wants to make that, send a link my way please).

1. That is racist Dudeblade. Ruby, Yang, Jaune, Nora, Ren, Pyrrha, Coco, Yatashuri, Neptune, Ozpin, Oobleck, Glynda, Port and so many more have not display racism at all. Hell, most of these have actually displayed the EXACT OPPOSITE by just treating as normal people. Anything else would be racist.

For fuck’s sake, weve seen four racist characters in RWBY. One of which is reformed, one of which is a jackass bully, one of which was an attempted TERRORIST and the last is Snowy Satan.

2. Dudeblade, mind explaining to me how the people of Remnant today are responsible for the actions of PEOPLE THEY’VE NEVER MET? Especially since, by your logic, every single Fanaus is responsible for the actions of the WF. Meaning they have more blood on their hands due to the Fall Of Beacon than humanity as a whole.

And 3. Goes to show your mindset for this doesn’t it? Goes to show you have a political bias to make things look bad.

But really, the narrative seems to be really split on how we’re supposed to treat the WF. If we’re supposed to sympathize with them, then making them a terrorist group that Blake has to reform makes that hard. If we’re supposed to hate them, then making it so that they were retaliating against oppression and racists was a poor choice.

Yeah-

You know you can sympathize with people while also condemning their actions right? I mean, that is literally the only thing that stops me from feeling completely detached from you people. After everything you’ve done with LESS justification, I can still see you all have your issues.

Or can you only see the world in monochrome?

To clarify before I go any further: I side with the White Fang. Not with Adam. The WF is a civil rights group made to ensure the equality of Faunus (And is for some reason the only civil rights group to do so), and defend them. Adam, on the other hand, is a white kid who kills people in schools because he got rejected by a girl he liked (arguably the most accurate thing about the racism plot). This is the main point of the image used.

Too bad Dudeblade, that’s not how that works.

When you side with one side, you side with everyone in control of that side. That includes Adam. And thing is: you just displayed the exact same thought process as Adam with your opening paragraph.

That’s like if a Nazi said “Oh, I just side with the idea of rebuilding Germany. I don’t with the Furher.” The people charge DEFINE the meaning of the group. And the last two were terrorists.

Also, as BLM shows, you can’t get equality through fear. You just devolve yourself to your enemies’ point.

On it’s own, the idea of Faunus isn’t necessarily a bad one. Taking inspiration from racism in America isn’t a stupid choice. But they didn’t take inspiration from racism in America, they based it on the struggle of African Americans in the US. And when you just copy/paste that onto your fantasy minorities that are supposed to be a stand-in for all racial minorities, it creates a problem.

A. The Fanaus were never enslaved. That alone disproves the ‘copy paste’ bullshit.

And B. You’re using American sensibilities to argue about the Fanaus so by your own logic, your arguments don’t work.

See, there are reasons as to why people would be afraid of faunus outside of them looking different. They hold inherent advantages like superior hearing, and night vision.

An easy fix for this would be to make it so that different faunus types are treated differently.

Dudeblade-

Name me one advantage an African man has over a Caucasian man.

The moment you make this about genetics, the moment the racists have a point.

Racism is petty, nonsensical, destructive and superficial. Your way would just justify that.

For example: Velvet. She’s got bunny ears. That means that she’s one of the “non-feared (Read: ‘good’)” faunus because all her trait does is give her better hearing. She’s ‘cool’ because she poses very little threat. Blake could also be in this category because she also only gets better hearing, but she might be trusted a little bit less because she gets better night vision thanks to her feline heritage. She is also ‘cool’ because she poses very little threat.

Except ALL fanaus have those traits. So there’s no difference.

Also people are racist against Asian people despite being genetically shorter than Cauasians. How are you gonna justify that? Easy answer: there is no justification. You just don’t understand racism.

Now we go to the other side of the spectrum and go to Tyrian. He would be one of the “Feared” faunus. Scorpions on their own already freak me out, so making one human-sized and still letting him keep his venom is terrifying to me. Tyrian is ‘uncool’ because he poses a very clear and dangerous threat.

Again, no one cares about ‘safety’ or whatever. Doing that would JUSTIFY the racism as natural paranoia. It’s the same reason why the X-Men don’t work as racism standins-because the bias against the mutants is JUSTIFIED since mutants have abilities that grant them a distinct advantage over normal people AND they can kill so many people so easily.

Faunus could have been used to showcase multiple forms of fear. In fact, these natural weapons and abilities would be an easy reason to justify humans hating them (again: Jealousy is right there). 

THAT. IS NOT. THE POINT.

How do you NOT understand that doesn’t work because it sends the message of ‘racism is okay so long as the race is a threat to you!’ God, are you TRYING to make RT look racist? Or are you THAT blind?

See, if it were jealousy that fueled the hatred, then a lot of things would make sense. Humans are mad that they can’t have the advantages that faunus have, so they attack and belittle them. Not only would this make sense, but it would be a far better idea than what’s going on right now (though, to be fair, it’s not that hard to be better than the canon story for faunus discrimination).

And yet somehow, you made a plotline where Jacques Schnee’s abuse of the Fanaus and Cardin’s racism would be JUSTIFIED and make THEM the good guys. 

People in the real world do not fear races because of genetics. That implies an idea like racism could exist in an intelligent world. People are racist because they were either taught that and never taught that was bad, they have a fear of what is different (an irrational holdover from our primitive days) or they had a bad experience and irrationally connect that to all people of that race. Racism is NOT justified. It is completely and utterly IRRATIONAL.

And this would miss the entire point of the WF plotline and just make Remnant so far removed from our world that no one could relate or care about the characters. You bitch about the fucking plotline and yet make the WORST POSSIBLE VERSION of it.

But it’s not just the Fang as a whole that’s been done dirty, there are also several members that have been dirtied too. Like Sienna Khan.

Oh goody, we can watch Dudeblade fail to understand individual character purposes as well as entire fictional race purposes.

The woman is a skilled fighter, has an interesting motivation, and managed to take over the White Fang.

And then she goes down like a bitch.

The writers tried to fix this by showing her off in the trailer, but that makes the situation far far worse.

- Sienna fights like that, and she gets defeated so easily?

Speaking of the trailer, it shows exactly WHY Sienna went down so easily.

Namely, Sienna TRUSTED Adam. Adam was her golden hero, her shinning example, her prepared successor/second in command in waiting. Adam was suppose to be the pinnacle of what Sienna’s ideals were. So even when he was within killing range, she never thought Adam would harm her.

Same thing with Batman and Miranda Tate in The Dark Knight Rises. Batman never considered the idea that Miranda was a threat to him because he trusted her.

Look, it’s possible to have a character show off how badass they are  even if they’re already dead. Take a look at Episode of Bardok from Dragonball. We, as the audience, know that Bardok is going to die, but seeing Freeza using his deadly technique after Bardok gives it his all in one final attack against the tyrant is one hell of a way to go out.

But Sienna just gets stabbed after less than five minutes of screentime.

A. That’s Bardock, Father Of Goku you idiot. Episode of Bardock is the one with time travel and him becoming the Super Saiyan that Freeza’s family feared.

And B. So are we gonna just ignore how Freeza negated that attack by simply POWERING UP an attack of his own, in his first form no less, thus suffering from the same issues that you bitch about here?

For a show that got known for it’s fight scenes, it really lacked in the fighting to justify why Adam managed to beat her.

And to preemptively shut down any argument that “Sienna didn’t have her aura up,” I have to ask you why you wouldn’t have your own guard up if the people around you were pointing their weapons at you, and had very clearly betrayed you.

Because Adam was still a trusted lieutenant in her eyes as well as the reason why Sienna was able to become High Leader in the first place.

Do yourself a favor and never play a Danganronpa game. You wouldn’t make it past the first trial.

Sienna not having her aura up seems a lot more stupid now, doesn’t it?

Maybe if I smoked a bunch of weed, drank a bunch of beer and smashed each bottle against my forehead.

Adam is also a character that was ruined. Not because he’s a terrorist, mind you (see comment about him being rejected above), but because they decided to make him a bitter ex.

A. So was Sienna. She literally said she wanted respect through fear, which is the same as being feared.

And B. He was always gonna be an abusive lover. The evidence was always there. The disconnect between what Blake described and Adam’s actions, her irrational fear of Adam, the worry and fear she has of people becoming like Adam. Not the show’s fault you reject reality.

Adam being a mentor figure and only a mentor figure should be enough to justify his relationship with Blake. There’s more relationships out there other than romantic and friendships. There’s student-teacher relationships, familial relationships, co-worker relationships, etc. 

Except it always had romantic undertones and it makes the pain of Blake leaving even more poignant-

Oh wait, you don’t understand writing. What was I thinking?

Adam being Blake’s mentor that fell from grace is really the only relationship we need for those two. It establishes a real fear, and it doesn’t add……… the problematic complications of an 18-year-old dating a 13-year-old.

Adam is a mass murdering, genocidal, racial supremist douchebag.

Adding Edhepophila isn’t even worth discussing.

Not only could this be a means of mirroring the relationship that Jaune had with his dead prop Pyrrha dead prop, but it would serve as a really cool moment of Blake surpassing her teacher when she inevitably defeats him. While I will acknowledge the fact that standing up to an abuser takes a lot of courage, it also takes courage to stand up to a mentor that you looked up to and admired- and finally tell them off or defeat them. That abuse story could have gone to Weiss, and her standing up to her abusive father- which she did. That was an awesome moment for Weiss.

A. That’s sexist dudeblade. You never call Jaune a prop to Ruby.

B. But it DOES seal the idea of fear and Adam’s sheer madness and evil. Just because a character wasn’t what you thought doesn’t make them bad.

But I guess Blake dodging into Adam’s sword and Adam somehow forgetting about Blake’s semblance was a higher priority. As was a priority for the writers to make sure that Adam goes down like a bitch. 

You know, kind of like how Yang forgot ‘Gee, swords are kind of a bad thing for me?’

Not like Adam and Yang have direct paralells to each oth-

Oh wait, they do.

... Don’t you look stupid?

I’d like to reiterate that as a surface-level idea, faunus racism isn’t a bad one.

Well your version is.

I’m sure that when we were younger, we all slapped animal parts onto a human, called it a new race, then called it a day. But it’s the poor implementation that makes it hard to sympathize with either side. 

Despite the fact that you don’t argue against the Fanaus side AT ALL and in fact side with them (well, superficially since you side with the terrorist group that uses them as a shield.)

Yeah I call bullshit.

Apparently, when fighting against the grimm, you can only resort to violence. And the grimm are a force with no mercy.

But when fighting against inequality, you can’t use violence at all. Because the racists will obviously learn the error of their way if they see their targets sitting around a campfire singing Kumbaya.

Dudeblade-

The Grimm DO NOT have the intelligence for discussion. They have animalistic intelligence AT BEST. You cannot reason with a wild animal, you can only run. But even worse, the Grimm DON’T WANT to stop. They WANT to kill. They WANT to destroy. You cannot reason with something that not only cannot understand you but doesn’t want to stop.

Let me give you an example of this. In Persona 3-5 games, there is an entity called the Reaper. Under certain circumstances, the Reaper will seek out and attempt to fight you. In Persona 5, you can actually communicate with the Reaper. You can ask it for an item, or for money or even to join you. But no matter what you try, it will always say this:

This is the Grimm.

You are trying to compare the complexities of racism in individuals to this, a creature with no desires other than your demise.

That is how stupid you look.

Also: I don’t wanna here this shit from a guy who, in this same post, tried to portray racism as something that could be rational.

And the fact that there are no humans pushing for equality is also a historical mistake. For a bunch of writers who basically copy/pasted the struggle of minorities in America onto their animal people, they seemed to have missed the part where even people in the majority were on the side of the minorities.

Proof?

Because no shit no human would join the White Fang, they’d probably just kill him. They’re racists.

As for actual equality: Ozpin, Ironwood and Leo all accept Fanaus without question, even former White Fang members. That is a push for equality.

Sympathy is a great start, but that has yet to go anywhere.

Aside from Vale letting fanaus own stores and not showing an ounce of racism aside from one asshole who could be from mistral for all we know and a convicted criminal?

There was no mention of any humans at the protests siding with the Faunus, there were no mentions of humans boycotting restaurants alongside them- It’s just the faunus struggle. 

Maybe that’s because the only protest we’ve ever seen was interrupted by the White Fang, meaning that if humans DID try to protest they’d actually be at MORE risk than anyone else because they run the risk of being murdered by the White Fang AND human racists unlike the Fanaus. Kind of like you usually don’t see BLM members who are white.

And it would be great if the writers would think this through a lot more than they have

A. Excet you know, anytime they do you just ignore it so why even bother,

And B. *throws him a shovel* the guy you want to talk to is over there, six feet under. You had your chance, you never said it. Now you get to pay for it.

Because all a lot of us want, is some freaking nuance for the racism arc.

Except you know:

Not only have most of the people who bitch about it shown they don't want nuance, they want their side to be seen as absolute good and everyone else as absolute evil.

Not only have you suggested a version that would make the racists JUSTIFIED in their actions, thus making the fanaus the bad guys here. 

But there is nuance. You just ignore it.

I would say that I want you assholes to acknowledge your bullshit but-

Yeah we all know how you’d react...

[shootfortherightreasons]

;; I’ve been meaning to make a post for my headcanons on the result of the brain damage done to Carl when he lost his eye, so here we go.

Please be aware this post is massively gigantic by my standards. :’)

What is this about?:

This post has been a long time coming, so you’ve probably seen some instances of me making use of what’s going to be in this post in my threads already. I knew what I wanted to do, though this is the first time I’m making a full post of the collective damage done when he was shot.

Much of this is based on Carl’s mannerisms and speech that we see in the show, in which we see a very different Carl than before he lost his eye. It’s not just his self esteem, but his personality and behavior, actions, etc. Because Carl is recovering in the second half of S6, we don’t really get to see the extent of the changes, but they’re especially noticeable in S7 (and note, I’m not really going to include much consideration for S8 regarding any of this because S8 was all around a massive clusterfuck of bullshit with Carl’s characterization that completely erased anything he did in S7. If it overlaps with S7 and doesn’t just erase any previous logic from Carl’s character, it will be mixed in with my canon).

Please note I am not going to use every single solitary instance and example of the behaviors and affects listed here. I’ll have some that I explain in detail and bulk, but I’m not going to list every single thing Carl does in S7/8 that seems to have been a result of his injury.

How are you determining this?:

When Carl was shot, that bullet caused bone fragments (confirmed by Greg Nicotero) and could have had bullet fragments. Since we don’t know how far those fragments traveled, that leaves me to decide based on what I’ve seen during Carl’s screentime. I’m not a medical expert by any means, which means this is all based off any research I’ve done on the subject, but based on his behaviors, particularly in S7, I’m assuming there was at least minor damage done to the frontal lobe.

One thing that’s important to consider is that it is, from my understanding, extremely rare for a person to not suffer traumatic brain injury after a wound like this and not causing severe personality changes due to the injury. I see a lot of people question Carl’s decisions and personality in general, but it seems to happen a lot in S7 - particularly with his attack on the Sanctuary. Why didn’t he kill Negan? Why didn’t he kill Negan in 7x04 if he was going to go on a suicide mission and try to do it later anyway? Why did he go on the mission to Oceanside if he believes in peace and good people?

Note that you’ll see a lot of these damages intertwine with each other. They will pop up in sections not specifically for them.

What damage was done to his personality/behaviors?:

Known problems that Carl displays:

Memory (mostly headcanon based)

This was left out of the TV series, but I’m retaining a touch of it for my muse. For a short time (this would be, verse wise, during S6 before the Saviors take over) Carl will have to wait on regaining memories of things that happened years ago. On top of that, he’ll also have trouble memorizing things for a while. Though his memory will eventually be cured with time and some help from the people around him, it’s going to be an issue he’s always concerned about later (even if it doesn’t occur, he’ll be worried it’s happening when it isn’t). Sometimes, he’ll forget new names or forget explanations, etc of things he just heard, say, a day ago.

Social/Social cues

Though he and Enid had habits of not agreeing prior to the injury, once he had it, the two of them notably started arguing, and more often (and this literally starts the first episode we see him again post injury). There was also more tension between Carl and Rick because of Rick’s choices with the Saviors, such as Carl simply telling Rick, “see you in a few days” when he and Aaron go on a run to gather supplies for the Saviors. Normally one would expect anyone could die going out there. Most people have more verbal and emotional preparation when someone goes on a run. Carl doesn’t think far ahead here - he’s just thinking of his aggravation of why Rick is going out there. He’s thinking in the moment.

This also ties into thought process/thinking, but Carl is kind of slow (verbally and sometimes by physical reaction) after he gets his injury. His reaction timing is sometimes slower (likely due to blank thought process) and his decisions are done off pure impulse (another bullet point) sometimes. Carl immediately states to Enid in 7x05 when she’s jumping the wall that he won’t save her anymore. It’s an impulse response with no thought behind it, much like how he dealt with Rick in that same episode. Another instance with Enid is when he could have just explained to her why he wasn’t killing Deanna in her reanimated form. She ends up just arguing with him and he gets aggravated in return.

Damn, Enid has problems with this boy after the injury! Let’s not forget Carl giving zero consideration to Enid’s life when he says she should come with him to the Sanctuary. It’s not that he’s intending to be rude or thoughtless toward her life, but his reaction to her not wanting him to go was that they just therefore both go, but he to begin with was not planning on coming back. He expected to die there. Inviting her to go with him is basically inviting her to go die there too.

Mostly headcanon based because it never really happened in the show, but Carl may sometimes miss jokes or lighthearted comments.

Thought process/thinking + Plan formulating

This ties into impulsion as well. Carl acts before he thinks sometimes, or sometimes he won’t fully formulate a plan before taking action with the plan. The problem is, when he does take action, it seems done to him. He thinks, at the time, that the plan is fully formulated. He believes he’s gone through all possibilities, means and results. Headcanon related, sometimes he also forgets some of the things he planned out due to memory problems.

An example of Carl failing to fully formulate a plan and believing it was finished is when he’s telling Enid about his plan to kill Negan. While the plan was essentially a suicide mission with no plans to get out of there alive, he told Enid he watched Glenn and Abraham die because it would mean he would have no choice but to kill Negan (when the opportunity arose). As far as he was concerned, that was the deal sealer. He was going to kill Negan. There was no consideration of hesitation or how he would initiate the attack. The latter is shown in 7x07 when he gets seen in the truck and winds up shooting someone else first (which means he can’t keep hiding), failing to act on what he set out to do, and instead shooting someone else who was coming at him which led him to being thrown to the ground and completely failing what he set out to do (when all he really had to do there was shoot Negan or at least attempt to the second he realized someone was moving toward him).

Another example that stood out to me strongly was in 6x16, where Carl’s response to Sasha’s question is “yeah. We end it.” Considering how fast Carl decided on that response, there was no real planning behind it. His first reaction to that question was that they end the situation and wipe out the group blocking their path, with zero consideration for what may happen if they did/attempted to, or how that group may retaliate and overpower them. In this case he had Rick to change his mind, but it’s very apparent he had no thought of doing it the way Rick proposed until Rick suggested it.

There are also times he may decide to do things or go along with things that seem to contradict things he would otherwise do. An example of this would be 7x15 - Carl going to Oceanside when the plan was to basically invade another settlement to essentially steal all their guns or have the people fight with them. If they didn’t choose to fight, they would lose all their guns. No matter what, their lives are at risk in the end. Typically, this would be something Carl would question Rick on, similar to how he questioned Rick about his lack of trust with Gabriel, and later seen when he’s pissed off about Rick’s reaction to seeing Siddiq. If something doesn’t feel right to Carl, he’ll question it. Sometimes this doesn’t seem to happen, which I believe is a result of his lack of thought post injury. It doesn't mean it always happens, but it can (ex. he reacted pretty normally to how one would expect with Rick and Siddiq).

Basically, some things Carl ends up doing may seem hypocritical to his usual beliefs. Even if he understood they “had” to do it to survive, he would not do that without question and comment, nor would he condone attacking a settlement that has done them no wrong. Carl is shown through the entire series to prefer helping people who need it, and if those people wanted nothing to do with their war, Carl would not condone forcing them into their war or doing anything that endangers them (and taking their guns absolutely endangers them both with walkers or any other humans). The whole situation was a show of force and making others bend to their will.

Impulse

Carl has been shown to be very intelligent and has previously lacked negative impulse. His only main impulse shown to be a recurring matter on the show was his rushing to help someone screaming for help. However, he has social and action impulse post 6x09. As mentioned, he is shown to have social impulse with Rick and Enid. He has fast responses when he’s emotional with lack of thought behind what he’s saying. In 6x16, Carl tells Rick “they can do anything” and that “he’ll never let anyone die like Denise again”. It’s an impulsive, emotional statement with lack of common knowledge and thought behind it. They’ve been followed/surrounded/cornered just in that same day. There’s a massive group right on their asses. Rick’s behavior also probably influences this issue in Carl, of course, worsening his impulsive verbal reactions. Rick started getting cocky and believing they could do anything and take whatever they wanted in the world. In 6x16, that’s shown to be an issue Carl is starting to display, except worse: there’s no thought behind it at all. He just says it because he’s feeling it at that moment

Next, he has action impulse. Instances of this are in:

7x07 when he doesn’t kill Negan, but instead a Savior coming at him as previously mentioned. He shoots immediately because someone is coming at him. Negan, however, was not, and rather than impulsively shooting, he may have realized he did not at all think his plan through (making this an instance of impulse + plan formulating). He didn't consider he might get seen in that truck and have to shoot early. He didn’t consider that when faced with the situation, he wouldn’t be able to do it when his life was potentially in danger. He didn’t consider how surrounded he would be and that anyone could come at him or shoot him right there. Carl thought of how he would do it, but not the what ifs that surrounded the situation. When he was finally faced with that situation, I’m sure there were a plethora of reasons Carl stopped because of.

7x16 when he fires the first shots that start a massive battle with everyone on his side already held at gunpoint. We know - it turned out well for our survivors. Could it have backfired? Absolutely. It almost did. Also, though he did likely think it through somewhat because he did have time to do so (as in, he had time to think “I could just shoot this guy behind me while he’s distracted”) and he took advantage of an opportunity presented from Sasha becoming a walker, which is in itself an intelligent reactive and quick thinking response, Carl is the first person to start the war and the first person to get captured. Obviously we don’t see a lot that battle, but whatever he did, it didn’t work out very well. He wasn’t staying in a group, first of all - he was only with Scott from what we were shown, and Scott for whatever reason ran off, leaving Carl by himself, who does not have full vision range by any means. Staying in a group may have prevented that - let’s not forget Aaron, Eric and Francine weren’t at all far away from him when he first started shooting. It doesn’t seem he made the effort to stick close to a group. Starting the war was a brave thing to do and was absolutely done intelligently, but a social cue may have been a good way to prepare at least someone - say, Scott, who was right beside him - that he was about to shoot. The Saviors and Scavengers weren’t exactly blowing heads off for people looking around and moving their heads. One eye movement to Scott and back to his gun for example could have helped. Scott could have indicated to the next person, etc. I’m not saying it’s the only means of planning or attempting communication, but what I’m saying is he made no effort to do so. It was a smart move that he made to take advantage of the situation, but again, it was not fully thought through (and it caused a lot of chaos and confusion on both ends). He was definitely focused on Negan initially, so any thought he gave wasn’t that much. The moral of this massive paragraph? MASSIVE IMPULSE. Yes, I’m telling you Carl started all out war based on extreme impulse. Literally.

Flat emotion

Was Chandler falling short in line delivery sometimes? Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe it was intentional. Something I note is that it’s good to base flat emotion in Carl’s tone off of other big cues that were results of brain trauma. Even when angry, sometimes Carl’s voice falls a little short. Chandler has admitted to sometimes being lazy and tired due to schooling on top of acting, but luckily and thankfully for him, he’s also dealing with a character who very likely has issues with his emotional responses anyway. Carl is not shown with extreme anger or grief in S7. He cries for Glenn, sure. He gets aggravated with people and argues, sure. Think about 4x09. Think about the level of his emotional responses in that episode, both crying and yelling (and for reference, think about his thought process/planning in that episode and how well he got himself out of jams while alone).

Overall, Carl lacks a lot of strong emotion and it shows. He’s quieter and has a more bland tone (which isn’t always Chandler’s acting, because Carl’s voice was static like this throughout most of the season and S8). Things that bother him don’t always sound like they’re bothering him. Example, if someone were to hurt his feelings, it might be hard to even recognize. At best, his voice will likely lower in offense, but the emotion may have already been so flat that it’s hard to pick up on.

Headaches (headcanon only)

Also in line with his drinking habits in S9, Carl sometimes gets splitting headaches that he has to rest through or take medication for. Not regarding the substance abuse, this will still be an issue he has before that (just worsened when he’s drinking in S9). This may be used as a reason why he doesn’t fully go through with something in threads (such as needing to shoot someone or get away from something/someone quickly). His response time may be delayed due to severe headaches.

Mood/Personality/Behaviors

Carl is pretty rarely ever smiling or happy after his injury. He has self esteem issues and massive mood drops than shown in earlier seasons. More often than not, he’s pretty upset or aggravated. It’s practically his default mood. Granted, the situations surrounding him in S7-8 aren’t ideal, but he’s not the happiest person in the group by any means in S6, either. Yeah, he smiled a couple times. It’s not impossible for him to be happy or content. It’s just more rare.

Not only does he not talk as much as he used to, but he doesn’t really mingle with people like he used to either. He’s alone or away from people more often. He makes poor decisions without consulting other people about his intentions, or honestly, even his thoughts about a situation. This isn’t something he’d always done: for example, when he had his own thoughts about finding Sophia in S2, he told Shane those thoughts. He wanted his thoughts heard and he wanted to be considered in what Shane ultimately decided the group should do. Carl used to want his thoughts heard and considered (and there was a lot of this in S4). In S6-8 Carl does a lot of things on his own. He makes plans on his own.

Ironically, Carl becomes more observant after his injury. He looks around a lot more and more intently at people sometimes. He also stares a lot, which is not something he used to do. Sometimes this could be blank - he may just be looking around with nothing particular in mind. Jokes aside that he basically burns holes into people’s heads from his death glares, he does actually stare a lot in S7.

Despite his flat emotion and usual anger, Carl actually displays fear much more often after his injury. Perhaps it’s because it’s become instinctual after that injury and because of it, but Carl visibly displays fear or apprehension much more often in later seasons (which hasn’t really been an issue for him since S1-2). Watch 6x16, 7x07, 7x08, 7x16, and 8x08 over again and get back to me. :)

Substance abuse (headcanon only, S9)

Though Carl never previously drank alcohol, he was often exposed to it growing up when the apocalypse started. Such examples are at the CDC with all the adults drinking and some literally getting drunk (and Daryl the next day dealing with Jenner’s explanations with “I’m gonna get shitfaced drunk again” - an immediate example of getting drunk to deal with severe issues and easy to impression with a younger person), Hershel went to deal with his shock by going to a bar to drink (thus, also dealing with his issues this way), and Abraham drinking on the road after they moved on after Tyreese died (and I might be wrong but I’m pretty sure Carl sat there watching him at one point when they were all sitting down).

According to what I’ve researched for the sake of this topic, alcohol use gets worse around two to five years post injury. For timeline’s sake, let’s say it’s instead a few months that Carl has before the Saviors become a problem for them (because to be perfectly honest, I really don’t think Carl could have recovered to the point he was at in S7 in the amount of time the actual timeline was). Let’s assume because fuck canon that the war is a little longer. So with the first S9 timeskip, also counting the 35 day period between 9x01 and 9x02, average that to about two years since the injury. Shortly after the 35 day period Carl loses Rick. That’s when his drinking starts. Honestly, this was all part of my muse’s canon long before I began my research for this, so the two years fits in and though it is the minimal range given, that’s only when it begins for Carl. Carl struggles with drinking for another two years (so that’s now four years into the injury, which is still within 2-5). That’s when his drinking is at its worst, and though the habit continues on at a much less severe level later on, into the present time returning for S9 (as of 9x06), Carl retains his habit of drinking when problems come up or he’s dealing with heavy grief or stress.

Also worth noting is that alcohol will be stronger after a brain injury. His drinking can be bad (again, predetermined in my muse’s S9 verse) in those two years. Add onto that the brain injury, and if the effect is stronger than the fact that his habits are already dangerous (not necessarily life threatening because I have it headcanoned to my muse that while living with Daryl, Daryl has helped him try to regulate the problem and keep it from getting to that severity), as well as that alcohol can worsen depressed/low moods (again, worse with brain injury) Carl is basically A Fucking Mess for two years. I think that’s kind of putting it lightly.

Ultimately

Because this pertains to canon events for my muse, I can’t say Carl was left at Alexandria for the whole war, as my muse takes part in the war in S8. However, this will also give room for anything in this list to happen during the war prior to him returning to Alexandria (before 8x06, as him finding Siddiq and being there during Alexandria’s bombing is still in place. I’ve extended the war’s timeline for my muse to fit things in for writing). I will say though that it is possible in canon that Carl was left in Alexandria and didn’t join the war because of his impairments. Would you want your son going out into a war like that with half his vision???

Also, let’s not forget Carl more or less effectively got captured by the same group three times in a single season (effectively 6x16, 7x07 and 7x16). That wasn’t an issue at all before.

To sum this shit up, more minor issues (not day to day) involve memory and headaches. Major issues (day to day, meaning these are constant issues he can’t really fix save for the last one) involve social, thoughts/planning, impulse, emotion (often flat/lacking), mood/personality/behaviors and substance abuse (again, S9 specific, but when it happened, it was bad).

A lot of these issues are things that heavily frustrate Carl. He’s rarely aware of an issue when it’s happening or why it’s happening, but things will often not go his way or work out for him and that gets to him. There are times he can’t understand why a plan didn’t work out, or he has no idea why he’s arguing with someone. He can’t always figure out what is wrong with him or why something isn’t going right. Basically, I hope your muses are patient with him because patience is a big thing he’ll be needing!

I’m pretty sure I forgot things and I’m pretty sure sooner or later I’ll come back to this post to add stuff, but there you go. More hours of my life given to Carl.

[purrincess-chat]

You're absolutely right lol why is it that the main female is always expected to grow and take responsibility for her emotions, even when she’s not at all in the wrong but when the guy is acting up it's cuz of his "man pain" and any bad behavior isn’t his fault and he’s immediately emphasized with. Because, oh, all of his wrong doings are the reflection of the world’s, not him. This “girls are flawed for having emotions and boys are not” trope is annoying and not at all a good message for girls

So, I’ve put off commenting on all of this for a few days because I wanted to see what other things came out of it and take time to stew over my opinions and give Thomas a chance to potentially explain himself further. Gonna include a bulk of this under the cut because I don’t know how long it will be. It’s just gonna be a mixture of me rambling about my thoughts and being a little salty. Not too much I don’t think, I dunno we’ll see when we get there. (spoiler I get kind of salty… and by kind of I mean a lot)

For anyone who doesn’t know what this refers to, a few days ago someone asked Thomas on Twitter what he considered to be Adrien and Marinette’s biggest flaws to which he replied that Marinette has “poor control of her emotions” and that “Adrien is perfect. But his flaw comes from the fact he’s not accustomed to the “ outside” world. His innocence makes him vulnerable. To sum it up: he’ s not flawed. The world is.”

This did not sit very well with fans who are already not too pleased with Thomas and his treatment of certain characters, for good reason. It does come off as misogynistic, and even if he is just trolling and not being serious, why does he want to troll in such a way that he comes off as misogynistic when he’s supposed to be writing a cartoon that empowers girls? Salt under the cut: (seriously, the Dead Sea ain’t got nothing on this salt)

For me, this didn’t surprise me too much because Thomas has always spouted shit and come off as extremely rude and belittling to fans even if they aren’t doing anything wrong or being aggressive, i.e. this fan who just asked him for his opinions, not even asking for spoilers, and who genuinely wanted to chat with him about his show. I could write novels about how un-progressive this show is and all of the unconscious misogyny that’s in it, which Thomas will deny wholeheartedly, and actually did in this same thread. I don’t know whether or not he genuinely doesn’t realize that his episodes are riddled with internalized misogyny or if he just doesn’t care? Because many times throughout both s1 and s2, male characters acting problematically have been glazed over, and not just in Adrien’s case, whereas females, typically Marinette, get a much harsher treatment when shown in similar circumstances. Females (Marinette) are often made out to apologize for other characters wrongs and their actions are blown way out of proportion when they do even the tiniest thing wrong.

Take Glaciator, for example: Ladybug tells Chat straight up that she probably won’t make it because she already has other plans. Chat still gets his hopes up and believes she will come which that in and of itself isn’t necessarily wrong, but when she doesn’t show up, which he knew she might and was even reminded by Plagg that she didn’t say yes, gets angry and throws a temper tantrum at her for not showing up when she told him from the beginning that she probably wouldn’t. And then SHE has to apologize to him sincerely and practically plead with him for forgiveness and in turn all she gets is a *shrug* Sorry. Maybe next time. What is the message you are hoping to convey with this, Thomas? “Women should be more decisive when giving men answers?” We aren’t fucking psychics. She didn’t know how her evening was going to play out and if she’d have time to show up. “She didn’t say no.” Yeah, but not saying no isn’t automatically a yes. That’s how most men get convicted of rape. Didn’t say no =/= yes. “I really wanted you to show up and when you didn’t that hurt my man feelings because you didn’t say no, so I got my little hopes up.” Cry me a river. Really couldn’t care less. Like real talk, if a man ever pulled that shit on me I’d block his ass to hell. If I explicitly state that I probably won’t make it, and then some asshole gets upset when I definitely do not just because I didn’t say no? Bitch, bye??? You are not entitled to my time, and if that’s the attitude you’re going to have then you are not worth my time. But ohhh Chat is such a sad, pouty cinnamon roll whose daddy doesn’t love him enough to eat dinner with him, boo-hoo.

Not to mention at the end when Ladybug tells him they can’t be together for very legit reasons like, um, the safety of everyone they care about, Adrien is just like *sigh* I’ll just keep hoping. Like bitch she rejected you. Move on. That exact mindset of “if I keep trying maybe she’ll eventually love me back” is exactly why women feel unsafe to walk the streets at night because men feel like if they keep pestering women that eventually they’ll see the error of their ways. Which just no. That’s obsessive as fuck and men often get really violent with women when they eventually don’t like them back. (not saying that Adrien would, he’d probably just throw another hissy fit and take off his ring) But this show is aimed at children, and that’s not a good message to teach boys who are not Adrien and won’t necessarily react the way Adrien did. If a girl rejects you, move the fuck on. She doesn’t owe you shit just because you like her, and your continued advances will likely only make her uncomfortable and less inclined to like you back. Reminds me of a post I’ve seen where someone’s teenage nephew talks about how a girl rejected him, and when the aunt asks him what he’s gonna do he says “keep trying” and she’s like bitch, no. Leave her alone, and it blows his fucking mind. Men are constantly reinforced on this “keep trying until she says yes” mindset, and it’s honestly why violence against women is so prevalent. Because manbabies never get told that women don’t owe them affection or sex or whatever the fuck they want. And you know when a good time to teach them how to respect a woman’s boundaries is? When they’re children.

“But I was talking about Adrien, not Chat Noir.” Yes. Thomas actually legit separates the two in this instance. I’m not making it up. Mr. Ship Wars are stupid because Adrien and Chat are the same person has separated the two as not the same person. It doesn’t matter if they’re “treated differently”. Chat’s flaws are Adrien’s flaws and vice versa. They’re both petty and jealous. (And, no, Adrien defense squad, I don’t hate him as a character or even think he’s a bad person. Recognizing character flaws isn’t the same as hating. Unclench) 

This isn’t a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde situation where the two halves function separately and have no recollection afterward. Taking off the mask doesn’t suddenly make all of those flaws disappear. It also doesn’t make sense based on his earlier reasoning that “Adrien doesn’t know how the world works” does that mean Chat fucking does? Shouldn’t Chat be excused from his wrongdoings by that logic because he also doesn’t know how the world works and is just as naive as Adrien? You can’t say one identity is perfect while the other is flawed. People don’t work that way. Characterization doesn’t work that way. A character is still inherently the same character regardless of whether or not they’re secretly a superhero. Superman is still Superman regardless of whether or not he’s got his fucking glasses on. Hell, a whole plot point in Antibug was that Marinette is a hero with or without her mask. Don’t pull this bullshit, Thomas. It’s not believable, and you haven’t supported it in canon. In fact, you’ve unsupported it in canon.

“Ladybug and Chat Noir are supposed to represent yin/yang.” Okay, yes, that’s a motif we’ve picked up on like since episode 1. Cool, but still doesn’t make up for shitty characterization. “I have a personal theory” okay, cool motive, but still shittily executed. Your personality doesn’t magically fucking change just because you’re in a new situation. Who you are as a person is constant. Your reaction might change as a result of the circumstances you find yourself in, but who you are does not just change because you put on a mask. Someone who knows fuck all about the world doesn’t suddenly learn how to function just because he gets superpowers. “People are constantly fluctuating” please, do the world a favor, and take a class in personality. That’s not even an insult. Like there are literally classes out there that teach about how personality works. I’ve taken them, so I know they exist. 

I’ve also mentioned before that I’m not a fan of Thomas’s whole “puzzle-piece” plot line because it doesn’t fucking make sense. Like I could be okay with it, if it made sense, but it doesn’t fucking make sense. It’s like he dumped 6 puzzles together and told the audience “here, figure it out” and like that’s exhausting. If I wanted to build a puzzle, I’d go build one (assuming my cat doesn’t absolutely destroy it). And if I as an adult have problems keeping up with your plot and character development (which is only present if you squint) what makes you think a child can keep up with it? My niece who just turned 9 calls your shit out for not adding up. Don’t say kids don’t notice or care. Cause if you give them good media to consume, they notice when something is bad. Seek to raise kid’s standards of what a good show looks like. Don’t use them as a crutch to be lazy. 

“Plot driven kids shows don’t do well.” Um, bitch wanna give some examples? Cause I can give some examples of many beloved childhood shows of mine that have a cohesive plot. ATLA, for example. Everyone fucking loves it. MLP is another one I enjoy which does still have “lesson of the day” set-up but at least those lessons come into play later?? Like I think it was s4 or s5 where they all got some friendship object that ended up being a key later in the finale. So all of those episodes then had a purpose outside of the token friendship lesson of the day. Didn’t particularly matter what order you saw those episodes in for the most part, but you could see a progression of the characters and plot the whole time. You knew things were important to the overall plot of the season, and the development of those characters actually sticks around for more than just that episode. Kids can handle shit. Look at the latest Incredibles movie. I never once had trouble keeping up as a kid when watching plot driven shows. Not once. Saying it’s a kids show is a cop out. It’s an excuse, and a bad one at that. And that’s not even to say that the other things I listed are perfect either. They have their problems, but they dull in comparison.

Thomas also tried to boast some shit about how they show guys and girls being akumatized and emotional equally, and I’m like we’re not talking about background people, Tommy. We’re talking about your leads and how unbalanced they are and how you hold one to a higher condemnation than the other. Because one has daddy issues and conveniently happens to coincidentally be a boy. But he gets a free pass because he’s sheltered. Yes, and who made him so sheltered, Tommy? Who made that executive decision? Who decided to give him all of these excuses for his behavior? Who in turn decided to make everything the girl does her fault even if she’s right? Who also calls himself “Hawkmoth,” (and has always used the nickname Hawkdaddy) a villain established to be a neglectful, emotionally abusive, and controlling father bent on something that isn’t entirely clear and willing to allow his son to be in danger multiple times to achieve that something, meanwhile two teenage girls are the worst things you could think of because they’re bratty and they lie, and anyone who sympathizes with them are just fooled by their good looks? Cool. #female empowerment, am I right? 

Honestly, I could dissect every single thing Thomas said throughout this discourse but truthfully it’s tiring, annoying, and frankly he contradicts himself way too much I could just write a book if I actually cared enough about him. At this point things that he says doesn’t really surprise me anymore because I’ve just accepted that he’s got loads of internalized misogyny, borderline narcissism, and just overall isn’t worth anyone’s time. Bitching at him is never going to change his mind because he doesn’t believe he’s done anything wrong. It’s why I say that Adrien is his self-insert OC. He’s a perfect little golden boy who never does anything wrong, and if he does, it’s the world’s fault, not his. Sounds a lot like how Thomas approaches anyone who tells him what they understood from his writing because it’s fucking there whether he realizes it or not. 

(Tl;dr I guess) My advice to anyone who read this far is this: Ignore the fuck out of Thomas because he’s always gonna be a piece of shit who doesn’t care if you think he’s a piece of shit and actually seems to enjoy people thinking he’s a piece of shit. Lower your expectations for the writing of this show tremendously, basically only subscribe to it for cute interactions every once in a while, and you’ll enjoy it. If you are here for detailed plot or good character development, might I suggest rewatching ATLA? Basically, expect nothing from this show, and you’ll never be disappointed. It’s what I’ve started doing because this ^^^^ is what happens when you pick it apart. And there’s a lot that I left out for time’s sake and because I don’t want to look at this man’s Twitter anymore. I have a migraine.  

[in-the-words-of-camp-campbell]

But- where is Camp Campbell?! California or New York?! The one in California feels like the real one, I can't say much for the NY one cause we don't know the activities! Then who's David Campbell?! I'm starting to lean towards NY now cause of the sleepy hollow thing. I'm so confused.

Welp, I’m not sure why I’m being asked this but,I’m confused myself but, I have some theories [NOTE:  I might have put a little too much thought into this, today I had a LOTTTT of time on my hands.  Even did some crazy research for this, watched some eps again.  I LEGIT HAVE NOTHING TO DO TODAY OTHERWISE, THIS RESPONSE WOULDN’T HAVE MUCH TO IT] In order to make these theories work we must forget some logic for a second and expand our imaginations.  [Like this loser, a.k.a mod did.] Or not, all up to you:

David Campbell: 

We all know how awful Cameron Campbell is: From using Space Kid as a shield

Doing anything for a buck (even if it involves the fate of the camp and campers)

He almost murdered a camper to protect his ass:

HECK!  Even using David to cover things up for him, and David’s been loyal

My thoughts on this are:

He is secretly betraying David.  Or at a point he did.  He might have put his own information and maybe some of David’s description wise or maybe David’s address, only changed his first name to David.  So he would be safe and David would be going to jail if David were to somehow run into the Feds.  Making it look like they had the wrong person all along.  OR this could have been done BEFORE the feds figured out what Cameron looked like and evidence that Cameron is indeed the man they’re looking for.  Then ‘David Campbell’ is now nothing more than an imaginary person.

Or if we’re going with the so-called “real and logical”  *mutters* totally boring and fake…. *end muttering*   Just a guy, I have no clue who he is.  That happens to live in New York!  David Campbell if you see this, I’m sorry for saying where you live state wise.  You randomly popped up on google when I was searching for Camp Campbell with that wide open.  :P

Now, the second question:The Truth a.k.a Where is Camp Campbell REALLY Located?!

1:  Why it might be in New York:

As stated before:  The Camp Campbell located in New York is located on Sleepy Hollow Lake.Sleepy HollowSleepy Peak.

David.  Freaking.  Campbell.From NEW YORK!Look at first theory at top for my logic on that, cause I won’t explain again!  [and maybe David could be from NY too?  D:]

The platypus isn’t native to California.  They’re not even native to North America.  However, some people have claimed to see some in the northeast.  They are most likely people’s pets that got loose or were let it free.  He could have got some eggs imported into the US since he mentioned at the end of season 2 episode 5 that they’re going to incubate platypus eggs.  It is illegal to own a platypus as a pet in the U.S. 

This is stereotyping but, from some lists Ive seen that have ‘most popular sleepaway camps’ [note: I could be wrong since I’m basing it a lot of INTERNET findings but on what’s most common. A lot of these lists could very well be bias]  a lot of popular sleep away camps that are deep in the woods that have the traditional summer camp experience:  Nature hikes, surrvival skills, campfires, just strictly natureish or all that along the lines of that.  Are located in Northern states.  Northeast in particular.  [most of them are located in New Hampshire but, most of the other camps from NY seem to pop up second or thrid on a lot of these lists, when you weed out the specialty camps.]

Yes, Camp Campbell might be very diverse now but, not only is it implied from Season 1, Episode 1:  Escape from Camp Campbell that it wasn’t the same years back. As Cameron said:“Kids, I’m going be blunt and honest with you.  When I opened Camp Campbell all those years ago, I had one goal, and one goal only. To create the most popular and successful summer camp in the world!  But times have changed.   Things like the internet, video games, and the Affordable Care Act are ruining this great country of ours- and the children of today aren’t interested in a traditional summer camp.  But America isn’t a traditional country!  So why settle for anything less!”It implies that he changed it to adapt. [and get more money of course].  There is also proof of it being a ‘traditional summer camp’ in the flashback in Season 2 Episode 5: Jasper Dies At the end, when David was telling his story on how he fell in love with Camp Campbell.

I’m from New York State [this one is looking too deeply into this] but Max said in the first episode that the bus comes in from ‘The city.’ to pick up campers.  Sure it can mean ANY city but, it’s not specified which city.  In New York, or most places in New York state.  If people say ‘the city’ not saying any name, just ‘the city’ they mean New York City.  [especially if they’re not in the city]

I’ve seen some head canons floating around lately [from a lot of people] about a few of the characters living in New York [not just the city] and claiming to have seen moments that in the show that back this up. [don’t ask me about it for, I never really looked to see where everyone is from. But, totally open to all these ideas.]  The most common characters mentioned are:1. Max.  [I’ve also read quite a few fanfictions that focus on Max outside of camp and even some AUs and a common thing that pops up is he lives somewhere in New York.  Some say city, some say some places a little farther up ]2. Preston being from New York City.3. Gwen might have lived in NYC at some point but, this was foiled for most when Season 2 Episode 8: Gwen Gets A Job, came along.4.  Neil [no specific area this one seems to be fairly new and popped up after Parent’s Day came out]5.  Harrison is from somewhere in New York State as well.To be honest, the only character that makes sense to me right now being from New York is Preston.Sure, we all know that’s fanon.  and it’s only five of the characters.  Plus, at summer camp people come from all over the place, not just the state the camp is in. [People have been saying David might be from Canada.  Which, is a pretty good head canon]  But seeing this ‘trend’ pop up, it might lead to something.

2.  Why it might be in California:

When you look at the lists of great sleep away camps, [once again, weed out all the specialty camps] there are quite a few in California. [More are still in NY and other places in the Northeast though] 

I’ve been looking up history for that camp.  It may have been around since 1884, BUT it had quite a few owners and went through MANY different name changes.  Cameron might have bought it at a point to see if he could make a quick buck out of it then obviously, named it after himself.

And I agree with you anon.  The one in California is pretty close to Camp Campbell in the series, since it seems to offer almost everything.  Even WEDDINGS!  And camps for all ages.  Seems like the ultimate camp to me!  And we know squat about the one in New York.

Nikki and Neil are two of the main characters:-Nikki signed up for Adventure Camp-Neil signed up for Science CampAccording to most of the reviews [real ones, not the joke ones on google] and some videos the camp itself put up; Adventure Camp and Science Camp are two of the most popular camps they offer.

A review of a kid that signed up for science camp said they did archery there.  Camp Campbell in the series overlaps on activities.  You sign up for one, you end up doing them all.

And last but not least,My third and final theory…Cameron own/ed more than one camp.  BOTH CAMPS ARE CAMP CAMPBELL!

Why?  Let’s look at the evidence that my mind might have seen too much:

1. Cameron’s rich.  How the heck did he get rich?  It’s obviously not from Camp Campbell alone [or the one the campers are in]  or even being a con artist. 

ONE of his camps might be doing better than the other one.  Due to how popular it was, he was somehow able to get more people willing to work there and with more people, it’s easier to keep it clean and prevent it from falling apart.

He saves money by not bothering to repair the other camp that’s falling apart, which somehow happens to be the first camp he opened  [though to get money out of it, he added on different camps to be on point with the other one]

2.  He’s gone most of the time:

trying to hide from the feds

While on the run, he might be visiting his other summer camp.  But, he visits it, just as much as he visits the other camp.  Very rare.

He stopped caring about the other camp that was becoming less popular

3.  This one does tie into the reason he’s rich.  He was losing money, and by how cheap he is, felt it was expensive to keep both camps and wanted to avoid some rules and regulations.  Someone offered him a lot of money for one of them so, he took it.  But, that camp decided to keep the name.

And that, is my theory.  It’s long, put too much thought into it but… Here you go!   : )

–

Edited:  I made a mistake on where Roosterteeth is located, I got a bit confused,

[linkspooky]

Tsukiyama and Furuta: Two Moons Heading Towards an Eclipse

If you flip this number down it’s.... absolutely nothing. If you flip and reverse it, ie what would happen if you were to place it in a mirror than you get a backwards nineteen. If you just flip it it looks sort of like a 16 in the wrong order. If you take the numbers as individual, an upside down six can be the lovers in reverse while an upside down 1 could represent Hide as he was just mentioned in the last chapter. They could also not even be numbers but representative of a moth’s wings instead. They could also be moths wings as depicted at the beginning of the chapter. 

They could also just be a pun on the word orgasm [x] with japanese numbers. My point is things can have many possible interpretations so try not to refute the assertions I make in this post with ‘that’s a nineteen’ or ‘that’s representative of the sun’.  Anyway, continuing forward read under the cut for the explanation and yes I actually do get to Tsukiyama. 

Generally if you want to put a tarot number in this manga in reverse it’s been upside down. Not reversed and then mirrored, that’s not really anything to do with tarot that’s just... da vinci mirror code. 

The sun in reverse sort of relates to this situation: 

The Sun reversed indicates that finding the positive aspects to a particular situation may prove to be difficult. The clouds may be blocking out the warmth, and preventing you from feeling as though everything is on track. You may have experienced setbacks that have damaged your enthusiasm and optimism and have perhaps led you to question whether you can really achieve what you have set out to achieve.

However I find it too positive, and as usual I sure do love being negative about things. It doesn’t make sense to me, the sun being in reverse would indicate that the moon arc is ending, but having sex doesn’t really resolve any of Kaneki or Touka’s issues. Sex isn’t really a net positive or a net negative, it’s just neutral. 

Nonetheless, the Sun is never a negative card, so this is only temporary. The obstacles you see can be easily removed if you put your mind to it. It may just take a little more effort than usual.

Having sex, or advancing their relationship might solve their relationship arc, but it’s tangential to their individual character arcs. The sun is too much of a net positive here for me to see it as appropriate. For imagery reasons, Kaneki crying and then sitting in Touka’s lap could be a connection to the naked baby on the sun that is in itself a symbol of rebirth.

The child playing joyfully in the foreground represents the happiness of our inner spirit when we are in tune with our truest Self. He is naked, having nothing to hide  

 Kaneki isn’t really experiencing a happiness of his inner spirit though, considering he started crying in the middle of sex and could not explain why. This isn’t to say that Kaneki felt worse after having sex with Touka of course, but that the act of having sex with Touka doesn’t really have much to do with finding commune in his inner spirit. He literally, couldn’t explain why he was crying. The line “Why, indeed?” is a parallel to when he could not explain why he was crying to Touka.

There’s also the fact that they’re having this sex in the darkness, with black borders around the panels and constant cut to black. I hope this makes a good case for why I think the sun isn’t exactly the perfect fit for this scene. The sun in reverse doesn’t indicate darkness, or the moon, it’s still the sun just in reverse. That leaves two more possible tarot interpretations, the lovers and the tower both in reverse.

The lovers reversed indicates that you are avoiding responsibility for the consequences of your own actions. You have made a rushed decision based purely on your desire for instant gratification and now you are trying to lay the blame on others or on fate. 

The lovers can also indicate inner conflicts being at war with external forces. It suggests disharmony and difficulty in being able to balance your own inner union. The lovers reversed may also reflect that feelings within a relationship are not mutual. One person in the partnership might have stronger feelings than the other, and may be more emotionally involved. 

This is closer, Touka and Kaneki are basically ignoring the whole outside world to have sex right now. The timing is pretty spectacular considering they’re both on the run from the law, and they’re not really Bonnie and Clyde. There’s also allies they have to meet up with, and the Oggai are a real pressing threat for every ghoul that the two of them claim to be fighting for. 

A real and pressing danger which outsiders like Takizawa seem to acknowledge but neither Touka nor Kaneki really do. Which is in line with both of their characters as they’ve always fought for personal relationships rather than the big picture affecting all ghouls. The problem with taking a siesta to boink therefore being that Touka and Kaneki’s lives no longer belong solely to themselves. They themselves have made the choice to accept the responsibilty of this revolution, and it’s not something that only Kaneki wants, but also something that Touka wants to fight for.

Ayato makes the point that they’ve all chosen to make everyone rely on them, so to go back now and act on personal feelings like their life solely belongs to them at this point is betraying that choice. In Ayato’s words it makes them half assed, because it means they care less about their committment than they presented themselves as having done so. 

Which is part of why Kaneki’s flaws seem so much more stagnant in Tokyo Ghoul Re: than original Tokyo Ghoul. Tokyo Ghoul was Kaneki’s story through and through, it was the tragedy of how he failed to change in time to survive in the ghoul world. Re: is the story of a king, a king’s story is not as personal by its nature because it has ramifications that affect the entire world. 

Therefore yes, Kaneki and Touka’s decision to have sex is an ignoring of consequences just for the simple logical reason of rendering themselves vulnerable right now while they’re being sniffed out by the oggai, if both of them were to die then the revolution would be snuffed out before it could ever truly have begun. It’s also okay to judge them for this because Touka and Kaneki both want to be important figures in this fight. It’s different than two people just trying to have sex on their own time. 

Inner feelings being at war with the outside world... that’s obviously the moon arc so no need to dwell on that. The final part is interesting though, it indicates that one may not love another as much as the other. Now to get this out of the way, of course I think their affections are mutual to an extent. You have to be blind to not acknowledge that Touken is canon by this point. 

In this case though, I actually think Kaneki’s feelings might be stronger than Touka. At least when you look at the way that Kaneki uses people he is close to.

You look like you’re about to die. Between the two of us, the only one who thinks it was okay for you to just up and leave.... was you. 

Touka says it outright, she would be willing to have sex with him to prevent him from wanting to go off and die. Kaneki says it indirectly a few chapters earlier. 

Kaneki wants somebody to attach himself to, and Touka wants to be that person of attachment. It’s a reaction in opposite directions to the same basic problem, they’re both afraid of people leaving them. In a way it’s an unequal love because Touka can never value Kaneki the way Kaneki wants to use her, as a reason to live, as a symbol for all the good things that make life worth living. 

There are criticisms of Touka’s character that she bases herself entirely around Kaneki’s actions and what will make Kaneki stay around, or what is good for Kaneki’s well being but tha’ts not entirely true. A more nuanced view is that Touka since losing everybody at the Anteiku Raid, has shifted her priorities to try to ensure that her loved ones stay near her. Kaneki is just the crux of this issue, the symbol of all the important loved ones who left her, he himself inserted himself into that position by making that promise.

“Don’t leave me alone.”

That being said, defining yourself entirely by the relationships you have in your life and trying to keep them around is in and of itself a flaw. That is unless you think Touka has some secret agenda she has been running entirely offscreen when it comes to managing Re:, but even in that case we haven’t been presented any of that onscreen so until it gets focused on in the narrative it might as well not exist. 

So we have two characters with flaws that render their love unequal, Touka wants to be a point of attachment and Kaneki wants someone to attach himself too. Just because the way in which they are codependent weirdly complements one another however =/= a healthy relationship. However since we are in the arc of people finding refuge in one another and using that as an excuse to hide from the truth, it’s understandable why the characters would make this mistake. Touken is a bit of a sad and tragic relationship, it’s always been. At it’s core it’s a struggle of people from two different worlds trying desperately to connect. 

The snake in the fruit-laden tree behind the woman suggests the story of Adam and Eve, the fall of humanity from grace, and the temptations of the world.

The couple in the garden also have strong connections to the story of genesis. Something Touka and Kaneki parallel heavily right now. Think of it, Re: and Anteiku before it was a place where both of them were sheltered and allowed to be mostly innocent to the world. To them it was like a paradise. Both times it was completely destroyed and they were ejected from it however. When Adam and Eve lose their innocence they look at each other naked for the first time and begin to make love. 

The story of Adam and Eve is much like one of Touka and Kaneki, a fall from innocence but at the same time they gain knowledge of right and wrong and self actualization. At some point theoretically the idea is that Touka and Kaneki will decide for themselves what they view as right and wrong, rather than following simply what Yoshimura or Arima told them, or endlessly substituting new parental figures to guide them. 

Another clear parallel is that Kaneki and Touka are placing themselves as male and female figureheads of a new revolution. Ignoring the pregnancy thing, if Kaneki and Touka were to succeed in their revolution they would be the figurative parents of an entirely new world, one where their descendants both humans and ghouls would be able to coexist. 

Touka is pictured with the apple several times, but different from Eto and Furuta who are both tempters offering the apples to others, it is Touka who bites in making her the eve in this situation. The manga has already given us a good summary of Eve’s actions, and her reason for biting into that apple.

Sound like Touka and Kaneki at all? Surely she did that because she wanted to love a man, yet you say she wanted to be loved. It’s a good summary of their relationship and the tragedy of Touka’s own self conflicting selflessness. 

Which is finally where I can start talking about what I think the most accurate tarot number to be read from that imprint in the bedsheets is, the 16 in reverse or the Tower. At first these situations seem only superficially connected to the tower arc, but allow me to make my case on how all the dangling plot threads from the tower are finally going to come to roost this next arc. 

First off, the meaning of the tower in reverse compliments the moon arc well:

Upright, the Tower indicates a time of great turmoil and destruction, which will eventually bring with it change and regeneration.

 Reversed, however, the Tower card indicates that you are simply delaying the necessary ‘destruction’. You need to go through this difficult time in order to learn an important lesson. Do not resist it. Even though it is shocking and hard to deal with, it is a very important part of your life journey.

Similarly, the Tower reversed suggests that, while you consciously want change and transformation, you seem to be afraid of these two things. You may feel that change and transformation may bring with it destruction and pain, and thus you are resisting this.

Characters consciously wanting to change but being unable to do so is basically the theme of the past ten chapters. 

Every character has had their moment to show how they haven’t changed at the core despite everything they have gone through, because to them change is too painful a thing to face head on, and now we are finally getting to the lowest point of that with Kaneki and Touka. That’s not to say sex is a bad thing, but it is very primal in a jungian sense. There’s almost no better metaphor for characters acting on their most basic desires, no wonder both Jung and Freud lenses are so sex obsesed. 

In seeking comfort in each other, both of them prioritizing their fear of loss over their duties and the change they want to make to themselves and the outside world Kaneki and Touka both stagnate the necessary change they need to go through. The tower is a scary card yes, but it’s also an optimistic one. People have a tendency to dwell on the loss, but after loss comes rebirth. That’s the entire point of Kaneki’s supposed goal of breaking the egg and transforming the world, but he himself shies away from it. 

Just like in the lover’s card, it’s also specifically a man and woman who are falling. Quite morbidly you could say this is the result of their sudden spiritual awakening, the two of them are thrown off the tower together and lose control upsetting all our old notions about the relations between subconscious and self consciousness. 

If it’s truly invoking the tower here, then this connects back to an old scene in :RE. That time when Kanae and Tsukiyama were experiencing their own version of the Tower as they attempted to find enlightenment of themselves in the clumsiest and most disastrous way physically possible. 

1) The building that the final Tuskiyama Raid took place in was called the Lunar Eclipse

(Imperial scans translated it weird, it’s supposed to be Luna Eclipse). 

2) It’s the first place where Furuta showed his true nature as a moon character

Furuta as a character is one who exists to bring about an eclipse and invoke the moon card. At the moment he stands as the biggest obstacle in the background to the characters own enlightenment while at the same time encouraging them to indulge in their own shadows. He’s also been physically invoked with the moon before. 

3) It set up the major incidents of trauma that are driving key character’s right now, namely Urie’s loss of Shirazu, Haise’s leaving of the Q’s, and Ui’s loss of Hairu. 

Furuta calling back to Hairu’s loss is a deliberate callback to that time, and I believe he’ll repeat this temptation again and again for the point I am about to make later. Let’s continue with listing these parallels though. 

4) It’s the last time Tsukiyama had an arc in regards to his family, and Karren’s final words to Tsukiyama are the same kind of emotional openness that Touka and Kaneki are experiencing now. 

The same way that Touka and Kaneki are now falling off the tower, Kanae and Tsukiyama were in their own arc. However they are not given the same resolution that Kaneki and Touka were, mainly because of one active interfering participant.

Which is ironically enough, Kaneki himself is the direct reason why Kanae died before either of them could get proper closure or growth to finish off the great conflict between the two of them. Kaneki made a deliberate choice to sacrifice Kanae at Tsukiyama’s expense, one that he has yet to face any consequences for in the narrative. 

Clearly there are a lot of loose ends both emotionally and plot and character wise from the tower arc, and this arc is the continuation of them. Which is why from this point forward this post will be dedicated to where I think Tsukiyama’s arc will lead him next and why it is going to be an important continuation of his character arc which has been left in suspension since the raid arc. 

As to the image above, Tsukiyama just deciding to forgive Kaneki before he even apologizes is obviously not the proper way to resolve a conflict. If anything it avoids conflict so Tsukyiama can pretend everything is as it always was. This is what he thought he wanted after all, a false return to those days when he was a member of Kaneki’s kru.

In a way it’s what he always wanted, but Tsukiyama is not satisfied from what we see in the omake. We already know he dislikes being treated as a wallet, to the point where he gets jealous over somebody who Kaneki basically treats like a servant.

Chie has a point though, the way that Tsukiyama views relationships si that he can simply just be important without putting any of the actual work in. It worked with Chie because Chie doesn’t really care, she has a fondness for Tsukiyama yes but she’s not driven by closeness or loneliness the same way Kaneki is. Kaneki is difficult as a person to navigate, but Tsukiyama then doesn’t really see him as a person to begin with which is a major reason that stops them from getting close. 

It’s from the start of their relationship, Tsukiyama refers to Kaneki as his gourmet food which belongs only to him. Chie acknowledges that part of Tsukiyama doesn’t really feel that way but there is a distinct difference between Tsukiyama’s conscious and subconscious minds. 

In other words he’s an excellent example of a moon character. He has, all of the symptoms of the moon that others characters are exhibiting in this arc. His main method of satiating himself is obsession and pursuit of aesthetic reasons to live when in reality he’s quite emotiionally distant and lonely. Most of his actions are in trying to satiate those actions by, in a nihilistic way, moving from obsession to obsession. Chie even comments on this.

Which is what makes his connection to the only other moon character, Furuta, even stronger.

Furuta even drops him by name, which is a pretty major signal that the two of them are going to have a connection at some point. After all our first introduction to Furuta is when Tsukiyama brought Kaneki to the gourmet club. 

The way they present themselves is even similiar. Early Shuu Tsukiyama is close to a clown in motivation, where he only seems to care about living life for the pursuit of aesthetic desire rather than forming substantive relationships. We later learn that’s not the case but it’s also Shuu himself who has to learn this lesson. Also talk about unsubtle, there’s a moon directly drawn on his face. 

While Furuta/Souta are introduced similiarly, most of the details of their character deliberately contrast each other to set up a foil. 

Furuta is actually quite good and intelligent at shutting down his emotions and only ever wearing masks, and Shuu is the opposite, he thinks eh’s only reacting to the aesthetics and passion for food but actually he ahs real emotional issues that are super uncontrolled and also transparent.

They both quite clearly deviate from the actual clown mentality in different directions. Shuu’s “I care about the aesthetics” is a lie he’s convinced himself of because he can’t process his own emotions. 

Furuta’s clownish nature is a kind of repression and a really bleak coping mechanism for being born into a tragic life. They’re both at removing themselves from their emotions, but Shuu genuinely believes it and Furuta knows it’s a sham. 

These two are both moon characters, they experience emotions they athey don’t understand but just assume they are about aesthetics and comedy because that’s the only framework they can deal with their actual emotions. Tsukiyama even pretends his attachments to people are purely aesthetic when they are so obviously not. 

There’s also situation parallels, they were both born to families that have a great deal of influence over the ghoul world. The Tsukiyama’s however primarily use their influence to give other ghoul’s a place in society, while the Washuu stomp out ghouls from society. Tsukiyama himself is an unwitting heir like Matsuri who cares more about personal freedom than his responsibility, while Furuta is closer to Karren a cousin who is instead treated like a servant to the family and loses their sense of personhood because of it. 

Even their birthday poems are total and complete opposites. Shuu’s is one of calm reassurance that life is going to work out okay, while Furuta’s is telling you to laugh because the world is awful and then you die. 

Then the question is, if Shuu is a character heavily associated with the moon why has he done absolutely nothing this arc of note so far? My answer is that Ishida likes to play with his cards close to his chest, but there are a couple of hints as to what might happen next.

I think it’s important that Shuu was the one to interrupt the initial Touken talk, and also he does so with news o the real world, that thing that Kaneki and Touka oh so conveniently avoid a lot.

This was also shown a few chapters ago, a clear and obvious “Behlit” and in the same chapter a deal with the devil happens. 

If you take this entire brewing arc as a parallel to Berserk, a certain scenario can be mapped out. In Berserk Bejlits are stone fetishes of unknwon supernatural origin said to govern the fate of humanity. They are primarily used for summoning the angels of the God Hand, at which point the owners are granted a wish in exchange for a sacrificed. 

The most major activation of a Behlit we see in Berserk, is one where Griffith chooses to sacrifice his comrades in order to pursue his goal of being king. The strongest parallel we have right now is that in Berserk the main characters Guts and Casca, finally connected and had sex right before the Eclipse happened. 

This is just going to be summarizing Berserk for a second so let me just, Kaneki and Guts have several parallels that can be drawn between each other. In particular Guts tastes happiness for the first time in the band of the hawk and then leaves it because he is unsure of himself. This is a repeating thing with Guts several times, he’s unable to grasp happiness because he’s generally lived a miserable life up until this point and is afraid of losing him.

Gut’s abandonment of the hawks sends Griffith into a downward spiral which culminated in him becoming an emaciated husk of his former self (Tsukiyama) and having his tongue cut off (Kanae). What drives Griffith over the absolute edge though is overhearing Casca and Guts make plans to leave Griffith eventually and start a family of their own. Hearing Casca and Guts act of their own free will especially when Griffith is so close to losing everything impacts him greatly because he viewed them as objects that belonged to him, so them leaving is the final nail in the coffin of his own downfall. Griffith attempts suicide. 

When they rush to find him though, they encounter the eclipse. Which is when the godhand descend and slaughter the band of the hawk. I don’t think an exact parallel of this is going to happen in TG of course, but there are parallels that can be drawn between the main character.

Tsukiyama in the past has seen both Kaneki and Touka as objects of interest, and any emotional attachment to them has always been framed in this lens. Rather than a love triangle, their decision to confide in each other to that extent could be what pushes Tsukiyama to the edge. Especially when he wants to be close to Kaneki and seen as more than a wallet. A solar eclipse is also what is happening metaphorically in the manga, when the moon blocks out the sun and the characters lose all of their insight causing their shadows to grow even deeper. 

Griffith of course is a character who is willing to stand atop a pile of corpses and climb their in order to become king. The same blind and destructive ambition is reflected in Furuta as he climbs to the head of the Washuu family and declares himself Washuu king, building his pathway there on the bodies of dead ghouls and humans alike. 

In this case Griffith the betrayer can be represented in two persons, Tsukiyama for his complex emotional relationship that exists on the outside of Touka and Kaneki’s own relationship, and then Furuta who propels forward with blind ambition. Tsukiyama is also defined by his selfishness in his own relationships as Touka points out. 

(Just leave the other aspects of Griffith’s character aside for now). 

Therefore if Tsukiyama and Furuta were to ever come together, a disaster and a betrayal quite like the eclipse is likely to happen. We know three things about Tsukiyama’s character arc going forward, one that his character arc should have him letting go of the idea of Kaneki he clings so tightly onto.

In his great moment of character development he even rejects Kaneki and fights against him. If Shuu is ever able to move forward he first must let go of this idea of Kaneki in his head. 

Second he has yet to properly mourn Kanae. Part of the reason why is because after they died, he was immediately told that Kaneki did so for his sake which must have complicated his feelings on the matter. Repressed feelings are never a true way of dealing with them though, so Kaneki’s direct hand in Kanae’s death is something that should boil to the surface sooner or later. Especially considering the unacknowledged hypocrisy that Kaneki is a once Dove who slaughtered ghouls en masse now claiming to fight for them. 

This could also tie into Furuta’s way of tempting Tsukyiama away from Kaneki. If he still has Hairu’s body, then it’s likely he could still have Kanae’s as well. Kanae’s even already had Noro’s kagune inserted into them. Furuta could offer Kanae’s revival as a way of bringing Tsukiyama over to his side, especially if the alternative is working with somebody who doesn’t regret much less care about killing Kanae.

Third and most important is that Tsukiyama is basically Kaneki’s second in command at this point. If there was anybody who could bring a devastating fissure to the group spiderweb of delicate bonds which holds Goat together at this point it is him. He acts as defacto leader when Kaneki is gone, is in control of gathering assets for them, and even knows the codes. 

There is no better point of infiltration than Tsukiyama, and also considering that Tsukiyama saved both Naki and MIza’s life, and has a close relationship with Hinami he might even be able to take a few key members with him. Hinami I think is most important because like any youth she needs some form of rebellion against Kaneki, because watching her repress all of her emotions for Kaneki’s sake is just getting painful at this point.

Notice how, quite predictably her and Akira’s supposed reunion had no emotional growth for Hinami or acknowledging of Hinami’s feelings and centered entirely around Akira. It’s almost like Hinami’s too selfless for her own good or something. Her time in Aogiri, her decision to join them was pretty critical for her move to grow up and towards her own independence but now she’s back to attaching herself to Kaneki again. 

There you have it, my long and far fetched guess of how Tsukiyama will factor into the moon arc and also the big explosion that might finally get these characters motivated. 

[ciircumserpent]

(( I actually have a question I've been thinking about for a while if you're up for it, and that question is : How the actual fuck does Liquid Snake think genetics works? Do you think the whole 'I got all the recessive genes' thing is BS for the sake of having more reasons to hate David, or do you think he honestly believes he's at a genetic disadvantage somehow? This shit keeps me awake at night.))

mgs clarification questions.

i will never understand the attention that this particular point gets because it’s been so... beaten into the ground by the fandom. yes, liquid snake doesn’t know how genetics work, that’s a thing that happened. it just also happens to majorly push the plot, so it looks glaringly stupid if you realize that he’s wrong.

but, like, that’s the thing. the majority of people aren’t going to. i know i’ve seen so many comments like, ‘anybody with an eighth grade understanding of genetics will know he’s wrong!’ so how many people is that, really? how many people first playing the game when it came out knew that recessive genes didn’t mean weaker genes? what about kids playing it today? after all, if you ask the average middle or high schooler what the difference between recessive and dominant genes are, their answer is probably going to be that dominant genes override recessive genes -- that dominant genes are stronger. never mind that genetics is so much more complicated than that; that is a basic understanding of how two categories of genes function. recessive genes get written over by dominant genes and are never expressed ever. they might say something about blond hair and blue eyes ( both of which liquid have, by the by ), and how they’re signs of ‘weak’ genes that didn’t get swamped by ‘stronger’ genes. 

yes liquid is a grown ass man, but he ran away at the age of twelve, and even if he came back to britain to be in the sas, he’s not a geneticist. when, in learning how to pilot planes, was somebody going to give him a crash course on the finer points of genetic science? if some coworker of yours was like, ‘i guess i’m just bad at this because i have only recessive genes’, you’d probably have one of two responses: firstly, if you don’t know what he’s talking about, you’d blink and look away; secondly, if you do, then what the hell are you going to say? uh, okay? are you going to confront liquid snake about his poor understanding of reproduction? so he can start telling you about human cloning that isn’t really cloning? i mean imagine how fast you’d back out of that conversation if you even started it. you’d get past ‘that’s not how genes work’ into straight sci-fi territory and you’d be convinced that this guy was crazy.

in canon, we have a few possible explanations for this ( excluding kojima being the misinformed one because he’s already stated that it’s liquid who’s wrong and whether or not he’s covering his own ass we have to take it at face value because we will never know ):

1) liquid heard someone talking about genes when he was like... ten or eleven, made the natural assumption that ‘recessive’ means ‘weak’, and just rolled with it from there, never correcting his information.

2) the above happened, it was corrected, but liquid was already so obsessed with the concept by this point and had fueled his hatred for snake and big boss to such a degree that he just didn’t care enough to change his point of view. one way or another, someone chose snake to be ‘better’ than him. recessive v. dominant is just a way of expressing that.

3) liquid just knows that snake is supposed to be the ‘better’ twin, either because someone told him or because he knows that david is chilling in america while he’s running wild around africa and the middle east without an adult in sight to take care of him. he also knows that, as a clone, his genes are flawed. there is something wrong with him; you can go with the dolly the sheep telomere theory ( a bit dated but still viable especially given the time these games were written ), you can believe fully in the patriot ‘failsafe’ that caused their rapid aging. something is causing his body to age more rapidly than a normal person’s. by mgs1, people who know snake are commenting that he aged poorly, and he’s only thirty-three, meaning that he has nine years to live. by that logic, liquid is in the same boat. he is already feeling his advanced aging, at least to a degree. with a minimal understanding of genetics, he expresses this as having ‘flawed, recessive genes’, emphasis on the genetic material taken from big boss being poor in quality rather than them being recessive.

4) we go all the way back to his original dialogue and try to fit it into retconned canon, which leads us to the conclusion that venom snake didn’t know shit about genetics -- which, with all his brain issues going on, is fair. this falls through in that venom was a medic, but between his conditioning and the fact that medic does not automatically equate to geneticist, it’s plausible. ‘he always told me i was inferior.’ i don’t know how this would translate to venom knowing about david to compare the two, or whether the real big boss actually met liquid or not at some point in the 90s. either or neither is fine. combine with any of the above explanations, but put venom / big boss as the source.

but you really could chalk it up to bad writing, since the entire premise of mgs1 is that they literally took prominent ‘soldier genes’ from big boss -- traits that just made him a better candidate to be a superb soldier -- and transplanted them onto teenagers and adults to enhance their abilities, which is so much more bullshit than a manchild with an inferiority complex not knowing that recessive =/= weak and dominant =/= strong. if they hadn’t backed out on liquid and had the team itself call him out for his stupidity, we might have just had to accept that in the world of metal gear solid, genes actually worked like that. but no, they made liquid look like a fool, but never... raised any issue... with the entire genome soldier plot. somehow big boss’s genes are killing them? i’d say that’s probably from trying to experiment with ‘grafting in genes’ on a cellular level than from anything being wrong with the genes themselves. straight up... how did that... work... and i’m not a geneticist either so i literally don’t know but why does everyone harp on poor liquid who never did get that standard eighth grade science education instead of the fact that the government meshed big boss’s soldier abilities into preexisting u.s. soldiers... also this never... comes up again... even kojima knew it was stupid as hell.

OTHER THAN THAT it’s up to any given liquid writer to decide what the truth is but if you try to take metal gear seriously as an anti-war war story you are missing the half that is sci-fi anime bullshit and also essential. metal gear’s apparent gritty realism has always been balanced with garbage and it’s made harder by the fact that some of kojima’s political points are so spot-on that you forget that this is also a series with active telepaths where the characters know on and off that they’re in a video game.

[marvelandponder]

More Than Half the World Away

Let’s start with another question: How aware was Luna when she was Nightmare Moon? Because there’s two theories.

Both are based on whether or not Nightmare Moon originated from Luna herself.

In the beginning, a number of fans originally assumed it was all Luna, all the time (same Luna time, same Luna channel)! It seemed like a logical conclusion. Nightmare Moon is just a representation of Luna’s depression, loneliness, pride, and jealousy because those were the things responsible for both the her downfall.

The IDW comics, on the other hand, had a different interpretation.

Nightmare Moon as a whole was still meant to represent all those things, but the “Nightmare Forces” instead became a separate entity entirely that Luna gradually let take over her mind.

So, either it was all her fault and she was all there, or she gave into something darker and, it seems, might’ve been a little less so.

Although, even if the latter is the case, we know for a fact that she had some semblance of memory. She wasn’t just straight up possessed and/or unconscious; even as Nightmare Moon, Luna missed her sister, meaning Nightmare Moon had Luna’s memories, emotions, and doubts, along with the jealousy and pride that drove her to villainy.

The first thing Luna says after Nightmare Moon was defeated all the way back in season 1 was:

“I’m so sorry! I missed you so much, big sister.”

So, since we know for a fact that Luna was still there to some degree, that bring us back to the real question!

If Luna was in exile for one thousand years, how did the isolation not drive her insane? Or at the very least leave some brutal mental scars?

The specifics may differ when we’re talking about our favourite magical talking horses, but you’ve probably heard about how extreme isolation can have a huge impact on people, even for relatively short periods of time. Solitary confinement has been known to make people’s minds slip after two months, with auditory and visual hallucinations along with paranoia, obsessions, and delusions to boot. Isolation and sensory deprivation experiments are even worse, leaving participants hallucinating and emotionally distressed after two days.

So, that brings us to the crux of the issue. One thousand years with potentially nothing but you and the dark voices in your head. Even for an immortal character in a kid-friendly universe, that’s a long, long time. How did she get through it?

And if not those thousand years, what about the stress of reintegrating into a society 1000 years ahead of the one you left behind? Even if she’s now found her place in this time period, how hard was it for her to adjust?

Let’s see how Mental Illness Horse managed.

B-Canon or Bust

So, if we’re dividing this up into what it was like for her on the moon and what it was like for her to have to come back, we’ll start with the easy one. If you’ve read the comics (and consider them canon), you actually already have an answer as to how Luna/Nightmare Moon could’ve maintained her sanity all that time.

According to the Nightmare Rarity arc and the Nightmare Moon issue of Fiendship is Magic, Nightmare Moon had little moon creatures to keep her company (and they’re called the “Nyx”... ‘the writers can’t read fanfiction’ my ass).

And aside from them, by the end of the Fiendship is Magic comic, we see that Nightmare Moon gained the ability to create nightmares for the ponies of Equestria. She wasn’t able to torture Celestia anymore, but the ending seems to imply she still very much had access to the rest of the population’s dreamscapes.

So, I mean, she wasn’t having a jolly little romp with some adorable moon friends (but seriously, MoonStuck still holds up so if you haven’t read it I advise you change that), but, hey, social interaction is magic!

Because any kind of social interaction, even if it’s in the form of tormenting others, is still better than pure solitary confinement.

So, that’s how she she didn’t go insane, per se, but I still have to wonder what kinds of psychological stress this put Luna under.

But, thankfully, I don’t have to wonder all that much, thanks to Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep?

The Tantabus was a creature Luna created to torture herself every night. Taking her Fiendship issue into account, it’s actually a fitting punishment (too harsh on herself still, but very fitting).

If she spent those thousand years tormenting the ponies of Equestria at random, in a way it’s logical for the punishment she came up with to involve a constant onslaught of nightmares.

Especially knowing Luna. From the way we’ve seen her carefully look after them on a personal basis in their dreams and valued the opinion of the common ponies, we know Luna places a lot of importance on her subjects well-being on a micro level.

Personalizing her nightmares to her own worst memories and fears is fitting of the crime, in a pony like Luna’s mind. If all of them suffered their worst fears and insecurities, she should have to, too. Again and again. Forever.

And to her, I think it’s essentially an eye for an eye. Not just a reminder to never become Nightmare Moon again, but a punishment fit to the crime.

I know because the Tantabus is only held at bay when Luna starts to forgive herself based on what her subjects and friends think of her now. With their help, she can carry the guilt with her, but at a more manageable size.

That guilt seems to be be something she only experienced in hindsight, though. Nightmare Moon herself was definitely never wracked with guilt over what she was doing, so the troubling implication is there were parts of Luna, like her morality, that were lost. If parts of her psyche could be overwhelmed or otherwise hidden, my question then becomes, how did Luna stay Luna?

Back Home

This is mostly based on a small detail that probably means nothing that I still love pointing out.

Okay, so, we know that the entirety of Luna Eclipsed has to do with Luna readjusting to society and society readjusting to Luna after her stint as the sky rock dictator.

The culture shock is a wonderfully in depth thing for a kids show to address, and it’s a fun episode to boot.

What got me on the rewatch, though, was a moment that deals with a part of that the rest of the episode doesn’t: the fact that Luna left ponies behind.

It comes when Twilight first approaches Luna in her Starswirl the Bearded costume, and the scene goes a little something like this:

Twilight: “Princess Luna? Hi, my name is---” Luna: “Starswirl the Bearded. Commendable costume. Thou even got the bells right.” Twilight: “Thank you! Finally! Somepony who gets my costume!”

And that’s when we hold on Luna making this face:

I’m willing to admit I could be reading into things, but it honestly seems to me Luna’s having a moment where she remembers he’s not around anymore.

The fact that ponies could ever not instantly recognize a pony like Starswirl would be baffling in his time, when he was alive and, well, a very important wizard. The comics may have retconned this in Legends of Magic (Still unclear if Celestia was lying about that or what), but in the Reflections arc, Starswirl was still around after Luna was sent to the moon, which sadly means she probably didn’t get to say goodbye when he went missing.

This is such a small moment, but it’s a reminder of what she lost, and that’s a consequence we don’t see her deal with a lot because she felt so isolated and alone from most other ponies when she was young---but it is a consequence.

Even if the show’s canon hasn’t confirmed that she was friends with a ton of other ponies at the time, there were ponies who missed her, and who she missed in turn. And she can never really get that time and those relationships back.

Although, in a way, I think that’s why the parts of Luna’s mind that were hers survived. She missed her big sister.

She just had a good reason to return that kept her going.

This post has a companion! 

Part 1: Nightmare Moon and Part 2: The Royal Family

Here’s a link to all the MLP editorials I’ve done, and just for kicks, have the latest three:

Supporting Cast, Legends of Magic #1,and S7E1andE2 Review

Year of the Pony

Header Image Wouldn’t be Possible Without...

Moon and Earth by Sigmavirus1 Celestia and Luna by JordiLa-Forge

If you’re ever in need of some gorgeous vector art, looks like you’re covered with these two! Browse through their galleries, show them some love!

My Body Feels Young/ But My Mind is Very Old

[breezytealy]

Do you have a headcanon for the Super Seven ages in your comics? You're an amazing artist. Love your arts.

Hey nonnie! Oh my gosh thank you for the compliments I’m glad you’re enjoying them ^^Super7/nextGen headcanon was like the BestWorst question you could ask because I have a timeline and notes hahaHAHAHAHAHAaaaaa. Here, have 3,800 words, most is under the cut. Everything I draw/write is in this “Super7″ AU :) (I wish I could write well ;A;)

–

The Earth still isn’t officially part of the federation of planets under the Galactic King’s control. They’ve had a few public alien contacts (that some are convinced are still hoaxes, Buu is just a weird-ass looking guy maybe) but no official Galactic welcome and the Z-team are selfishly keen to leave it that way to prevent what would amount to exposure. The kids would like to balance real jobs and training too thank you very much, they have enough pressure on their shoulders without the entire planet looking to them.

But come 796 it’s all getting a little dicey; there’s civil unrest at the Galactic level with the King under threat and the powers wanting to steal the throne taking a more expansionist approach, fighting amongst themselves in the the power vacuum left by Frieza. This is all putting the Earth in danger as an untapped resource full of biodiversity. The Gods go quiet, leaving it up to the Earthlings to sort themselves out, they see the problem with intervening to save just one planet. The “Super7” take on the challenge to defend alone (the older gen have their own loose team too but are taking a back seat on purpose). As skirmishes had been becoming more frequent and difficult over the years and they start to see the patterns in who’s arriving, Pan and Bra get brought in a little earlier than planned (17 and 16 respectively rather than 18) to prepare for what might end up as a battle for survival. This all coincides with someone after Bulma’s tech (the blue #15 electrofluid used in the time machine she’d recently repurposed as a general high-yield fuel) that they suspect may be an off-worlder, and someone asking extremely pointed questions of acquaintances that makes the group think their relatively anonymous existence as fighters may be coming to an abrupt end at the worst possible time.  

–

In 796 their ages are roughly: Bra 16, Pan 17, Uub 22, Marron 25, Goten 29, Trunks 30, Mai ~30/31(+).

I’ve put a crap tonne of character outlines/headcanons under the cut explaining where this all comes from, but to summarise at 796 -

- Trunks is at CC as vice president to his mother’s president/COO and his grandfather is still CEO. He is looked at as team leader too- Mai is also at CC, although moonlights making ki-based weaponry and defences without the CC logo so she can participate in battle- Goten runs a dessert café in Satan City (food and hospitality! it’s a bit random but makes sense I promise) and uses Nyoibo - both G and T keep up fusion training so Gotenks is around a lot.- Uub is full time Papayaman, taking the traditional superhero role and sense of purpose that brings, he take over from Great Saiyaman and takes credit for saving the world as Mr Satan’s protege- Marron’s way of helping is to uncover corruption as a journalist to stop the incidents Uub deals with happening in the first place, and she’s frantically working to find out who’s trying to uncover their identities- Pan is a little of a crimefighter, though keeps the extent of her abilities on the down-low, a more normal face to Papayaman’s superhero and keeps up the Satan brand, whilst she pushed against it for a while she’s settled into it.- Bra is an social media darling, and is becoming the face of CC to the youth market in particular. She’s extremely calculated in this and does not give any hint at any point she can punch you to the moon. Both her and Pan have just started to learn the fusion dance from Trunks and Goten.

General character outlines and other h/cs under the cut because it’s longgg - 

I’ve shoved a ten hour time difference between West and Satan city (it’s probably closer to 12 but ten gives more overlap in daylight) which is really fun to think about!

Due to Shenanigans in Super, God ki gets banned under pain of erasure by Beerus. Realistically this means they can only use it for universal level threats when Beerus okays it. Only Goku and Vegeta have the ability and they aren’t allowed train with it either. Whis tells the others that hybrids can’t use the technique anyway so not to bother. They suspect it’s a lie as the potential of hybrids is higher so it’s a way to prevent them from overpowering Beerus in the future, but they daren’t risk trying the ritual.

Because there’s seven in the main group they each hide a Dragonball for security, making what they hope is the start of a tradition. Four others in the group know where it’s held, no one knows all seven locations. The idea being - the balls aren’t in the same place to be stolen, they can find them without the dragon radar with two/three of the group left, and they’re nearby so the group will know if anyone’s searching for them. Further any mind-reading techniques would need at least two sets of memories to find them all (Trunks’ idea, he’s extremely careful).

Actually having the power to revert disaster but not use it (saving the wishes for the big events) weighs heavy though so they’re more domestic in helping out in Act of God events like earthquakes than their parents were. Uub takes the lead in these sorties as Papayaman as he’s the traditional hero. Gohan will sometimes tag along as Great Saiyaman, and Goten also has a GS uniform and can pass as GS, though he absolutely hates it. For everyone else (and a pining Goten) Bulma and Mai design pure black “camo” gear, impossible to get a fix on body shape and untraceable on radar, which frees them to use the full extent of their powers should they need to. Their traditional gis/armours are usually underneath, and they’ll revert to them when they need the freedom of movement in a real fight :’).  

Goten’s attitude is like his dad’s - very zen and open, although he’s massively empathetic and knows how to behave himself. He’s responsible in a fiercely protective way. He’s easy-going to the point people think he’s not smart as he won’t question ideas, but that’s because he’s able to quickly follow people’s logic and doesn’t need to question suggestions, he just gets people. He won’t do something if he can’t see the sense in it though and will dig his heels to the point even Trunks can’t change his mind. He loves people, and his openness and “big-picture” mindset mean relationships are all a big blur to him. He sees his close friendships just as deeply as any romantic relationship would be. He’s always on hookup apps to meet interesting people, but he’d just as happily “hook-up” ::cough:: as going out for dinner. Fun is fun is fun to him :). Goten loved the idea of swords but really struggled focussing his ki to an edge. Goku fetches Nyoibo for him instead, which he finds far easier and he gets proficient in staff forms, using Nyoibo’s extension abilities in battle. Like the real monkey king, Goten shrinks Nyoibo down and keeps it in his ear so he has it ready to go at all times. To everyone else though it looks like an industrial piercing and Chichi flipped out when she first saw it “first the hair, now piercings???”. (and I freaking forgot to add it in when colouring that strip, I kicked myself when I saw it missing!!!)

Goten goes to college, more on his Mum’s insistence that he get furtherly educated with that prize money they put aside for him to use than anything else. Trunks took a gap year so they could “coincidentally” room together too (taking a CC internship in his gap year where he learnt to be Responsible) so he feels pressure to go. Goten picks most of the same courses as Trunks so they can use Gotenks to study quicker freeing up their time, but he does feel a little directionless and languishes. But then, but THEN! As they have to look after themselves (“NO we’ll be INDEPENDENT SAIYANS TYVM”) he gets sick of not having sweet treats (canon his fave food is pocky and strawberry daifuku) so he spends time learning to make pastries/sweet treats/baking to get his fix. Obviously the recipes aren’t great to his amazing smell/taste (that he inherited from his Dad) so he improves them. After seeing how people match wines with savoury dishes he starts flying to remote places to buy rare coffee/teas to test with his recipes. All the while Trunks is just watching like “you’re absolutely mad”, but he keeps it up and starts pairing things and testing them out on friends. He even gets good enough to make flavour profiles for people based on their likes/dislikes to pick /exactly/ the right flavourings, he’s a savant.

People are so pleased and excited it warms his heart that he can make people so directly happy, and making things with his hands feels so natural and grounded. Eventually Trunks just pulls him aside and says “I still think you’re insane but you should do this". So Goten works up a business plan for a desserts cafe in his final year - without getting Trunks’ help - and pitches it to his parents. Chichi’s obviously a little “this is left field”, expecting him to go with the flow as usual and end up at CC, but they agree seeing how excited he is, the last part of the prize money/education pot gets put towards a run-down place in Satan City after graduation instead of a masters degree. There’s not enough money to buy /and/ do up the place, but Mr Satan agrees to put up the rest of the money as long as Goten helps cater (bodyguard at and babysit Buu at in truth) events, so it’s not a handout. At first he hates the idea of more help but reluctantly agrees when Gohan chides him. He calls it Paozu Place, (PP vs CC) and when he starts making a profit (which happens towards the end of the first year as Goten flies around himself to get products saving money, plus the flavour-profile gimmick gets him an early cult following) he sends a portion of the money back home. Chichi is so proud :’) PP and Goten’s flat above is their base in Satan City.

Trunks - is also responsible but like a Prince (“stick to the plan guys”, weight of the world etc), he meticulously plans sorties to the point Goten will actively ruin things if he thinks Trunks is over-thinking things. Public think he’s hot and suave and he has a fanbase but it’s because he freezes in front of the press and, with his severe facial structure, his deer-in-headlights look gets interpreted as “handsome brooding”. In truth he’s a giant, easily flustered dork, happier when in control and enjoys things being “just so”. All throughout college he wore a beanie hat to hide his hair and therefore his identity, but people quickly learnt to look for the kid wearing the wooly hat in summer, nothing saves him from recognition poor guy. Although, due to Trunks’ extremely guarded nature and contrasted with Goten’s social charisma, people quickly bored of him and focussed on “his friend”, which Trunks prefers. He’s not shy per-se, but is used to over-thinking everyone’s intentions and prefers to people-watch. Unlike Goten he has a serious romantic streak, (the one thing his sizeable fanbase /have/ got right) but sucks at expressing it, attaching like a limpet to close friends. He also has a dark sense of humour and is really inventive for stupid shit but he’s usually biting it back. When he’s comfortable a different side comes out and when in free flow puns are quick and his banter is razor sharp. The only time he’s ever actually “cool” or “smooth” is when he’s relaxed and trying not to be, which gets ruined when people point it out - “WOW that pose is so cool” “wait what :|?” “aaaand ya ruined it”.

Combine that in Gotenks you’ve got a guy who’s fiercely loyal with a plan to save everyone, leading from the front, but also has a sick sense of humour with no inhibition to reign it in. “Gotenks no - GOTENKS YES” kinda deal. He’s a massive flirt because he knows it’s inappropriate (also best wingman, texting people on the boys’ behalf) and King prank. He’s more focussed than when he was a kid but the dumbass techniques remain, mostly to embarrass Trunks. They communicate through journals as memories can be a little fuzzy, it all started with a little piece of paper Gotenks carries in the fight against Buu :’)

Gotenks has his own complicated angst regarding Personhood and being a fusion. The Worst Thing you can do is call him “Trunks'n'Goten” or use “they” pronouns. The guys (obvs) understand and respect what autonomy he has, even fusing so he gets some downtime so it’s not all fight-train-fight for him. At first they kept him back, but he was so desperately lonely during the college years, hating living vicariously through Trunks and Goten’s memories, that they let him start talking to Mai, Uub and Marron on texts. When that seemed to go okay they let him hang out with them every now and again. T/G/GT only let Pan and Bra in on Gotenks’ partial social life when they ask to learn fusion without any prompting, (not wanting to influence what is a huge change in life circumstance) and Gotenks is massively excited he gets to properly meet and teach his two favourite people he’d been fussing over from a distance.

Marron is not a fighter (ack sorry Swol!Marron I love you) though is trained in ki use as a form of self defense (of course!) and particularly practises flying; she was adamant to keep up with Goten and Trunks when trailing them on adventures. Good thing too as she was the sneaky little shit eavesdropping on everyone, puzzling out every mystery so the boys didn’t have to. She considers herself the common sense of the outfit, to the point she’ll reach for the alcohol when the Saiyans are being particularly off the wall (“oh my god you’re all so ridiculous and unrelatable let me get drunk and tell you more”). Despite not fighting she does want to help people just like her chief of police dad, eventually settling on investigative journalism as way to help. Her over-ambitious final-year college project led her to make enemies in a mob boss which ended up in kidnapping. She used the time to wrangle more info out of them before being “rescued” by an extremely disgruntled, recently debuted Papayaman (“well they can’t find out that /I/ have superpowers”) that led to the mob leaders’ eventual arrests, and it got her her first job. She keeps an eye out for anyone researching how deep the connections between everyone in the group go and subtly tries to scupper it, so far successfully. In the rare serious fights she work on recon and civ defence with Mai, or if she’s present as a reporter actively supports the “oh it’s totally Mr Satan’s protégée saving us” narrative.

Mai is a complicated one and I could really get into the neurodevelopment of her. Whilst some things remain as-is (skill sets like engineering and weaponry that she uses, some habits and vocabulary) her regrowth means her ability to understand her adult memories isn’t there, they slowly cloud and fall away, becoming this fussy mess of facts-of-things-that-happened rather than a complicated nuance of emotion they would be if she’d aged normally. She dreams less and less of being an adult. She’s also at the mercy of hormones and brain structure at that age, still making the same mistakes she made the first time around. As a result she’s a little maturer than you’d expect for someone her age but not massively, and gets along with Trunks, Goten and Marron fine. She works on a number of ki-based techs like integrating ki-sense onto glass for an improved ki-scouter that can cope with the numbers the gang pump out (yay for logarithms) and display the complicated flow of individual ki signatures through different colours. With enough ki behind them the shield from her barrier seeds can protect cities for a few huge hits, and she can pick off lackeys with the ki gun she developed. None of these have the CC logo however as CC “doesn’t develop weapons.”

RE: shipping - When she’s a teen she rebuffs a clingy Trunks at every turn, (poor dude) hoping to stay just friends. He’s lovely but he’s just a kid! Kiddo can’t understand why she’s being so cold though, surely they’d be great together, they were in the future! Before he goes to college she eventually tells him the truth but of course, Trunks insists he doesn’t care if she’s “old”, she’s not anymore, not really, and besides he’s the real problem. But he’s only nineteen, and she knows that’s not as mature as it feels. She has just enough wherewithal to say no, and whilst he mopes for a little they reframe their friendship around this new information. Of course, they eventually crack when he starts working full time at CC when he’s 24, they have a massive heart-to-heart about her experiences with memory and his own through fusion (because think about how ef’d up that is), they give it a tentative go, and Goten and Gotenks weep with joy they don’t have to put up with his pining anymore. Truten was a Thing at college but didn’t stick, although they are so freaking close you’d probably think they were still in a relationship of sorts anyway.

Uub is great! He is 100% the traditional hero type, taking his training so seriously when he joins the crew it winds up Trunks and Goten enough they pick up the slack again. It takes him a few years to catch up with Pan but soon becomes the complete tank for battles. He looks up to Trunks and Goten and even tried to learn weapons to be part of the cool gang but it just wasn’t his style in the end. He does his training mostly at home, though gets dragged around to Mount Paozu by Goku (Goku-totally-ITs-back-home-you-can’t-convince-me-otherwise) and Satan City, eventually working as Papayaman full-time as “Hercule’s student” to take over from Gohan’s Great Saiyaman. He supports his village, going back home as much as possible to see his little siblings, and his family is mega proud if fussing over his safety in big fights. Papayaman takes the credit for saving the Earth nowadays, and all the news articles cover the walls at home (equally with his other siblings achievements). Uub can 100% ham up the media appearances to be the dashing hero due to Mr Satan’s training, but it’s definitely something he’s only capable of with the mask on and otherwise he’s an eager, polite, caring, but ultimately shy guy.

Pan is fascinating, she’s at an intersection of being known as a publicly talented martial artist, and is well-known in Satan City for being a crimefighter (though not as into it as her Mum was as Papayaman is around now) but is privately a beast. People don’t know she has the same super-strength and flight abilities as Papayaman and she’s very keen to keep it that way. She uses the stage name “Pan Satan” for tournaments and to help maintain her Grandfather’s image. Whilst when young she got frustrated at the lack of recognition the Son side of her family got, the negative reactions a sizeable minority of the public have to the few public alien encounters the Earth’s had and to Papayaman’s “possibly real” superpowers scares her as she gets older. She has on occasion tagged along in disguise after Papayaman and used her powers freely in the background in things like hostage situations to provide barriers and prevent explosions “just to help :3”. The one time she was spotted Papayaman was asked about his friend and he despairingly referred to her as his “little shadow” and the name stuck for the gang when in camo. She has a massive number of teachers - Goku, Gohan, Picco"yo", Roshi, Chichi and Videl, Trunks and Goten (and of course Mr Satan), even advice from Vegeta. With all that her understanding of ki control, particular focuses and intents is terrifying, (maintaining barriers with very little concentration etc) and she’s eager to teach what she’s learnt to the group.

Bra took ballet as a kid, is graceful, a real effortless beauty, great with people, the model socialite … is a freaking scrapper in a fight. She spent so long working out how to guard her “perfect” nails as a kid during daily training (a frivolous challenge Vegeta set her) she can form solid and fast ki fists with an almost impossible momentum behind them given her size. She’s very physical in her attack forms, and takes a “point me in the right direction and I’ll smash them” approach. Like her Dad she can take a hit, acting as off-tank for the group (Trunks had to be convinced to let her participate, so close to danger is her attack style). She’s also calculating as hell, crafting a perfect social media profile to push the capsule corp brand amongst teens and young adults and is a media darling, every photo and hashtag considered and poured over to further her image. She is very, /very/ invested in keeping that intact. Trunks on the other hand just can’t work social media, so doesn’t do media other than official interviews if he has to as COO. Bra keeps pushing him to engage, so he has two posts - “This is my official account, all others are a fraud” and “Hey.” “Hey.” has the third highest number of engagements on the site, which both perplexes and amuses Trunks and really irritates Bra. She has a horrid temper in private and in honour of that, Trunks calls her Giggles. She and Pan are two peas in a pod though, getting into their own brand of trouble at all times and Pan is probably the only person she’ll listen to to get her out of a mood.

I could literally go on forever but I’m going to stop now aaaaaaaaa