#meta ability to survive without sleeping

[britcision]

Okay but this will also tie in perfectly with how he actually beat Dan

Dan didn’t have his human half anymore; he was all ghost

Which means he no longer had the meta gene that would have allowed him to adjust to Danny’s rapidly increasing power

So maybe Danny doesn’t fucking know he’s a meta at all.

(Legally he’s an ecto entity, which is distinct if both the Anti Ecto Acts and Meta Protection Act exist in this world - removing his ghost half would grant him rights if the human half survived

Extra motivation for vivisection, anyone?)

He’s getting all these powers by mimicking ghosts; makes sense that he’s also just a ghost, right?

Except the ghosts can’t scoop each others’ power sets, or Ember would be beating down doors for the wail

What if only metas can become halfas at all, because it takes an extremely specific meta gene to support a ghost core AND a human body

Practical differences in any story line not about the legal battle? Eh, negligible at best. The assumption is always that any outside observer will assume Danny’s a meta; them being right ain’t a big deal

Metas have legal protections ghosts don’t, everywhere but Gotham Danny is WAY safer as a meta than a ghost (no matter his actual DNA)

But there is a juicy little side story in this, in Danny’s assumption that he’s just a ghost and learning that actually? His meta gene is vital to becoming what he is

This means Jazz is a potential carrier of what is basically a genetic nuke primed to go off at the wrong near death experience and create a super weapon

And DC has lots of lovely villains who are all about trying to breed the perfect weapon

Give me Ra’s kidnapping Jazz in his quest for a new heir

Fuck, he can also kidnap Vlad, Vlad has a weaker version of a similar meta gene (or perhaps one that was able to keep him physically alive but unwell longer, taking more time to adapt)

Vlad and Jazz Unlikely Allies team up in Ra’s’ dungeon, Vlad finally realising that the reason not one of his clones stabilised is because he didn’t fucking need Danny’s ectoplasm, he needed his living blood

His bone marrow, his stem cells, he needed enough living matter with Danny’s meta genes to adapt to an influx of ectoplasm

He tried to start with ectoplasm and shape it to a baby, but he needed the baby first… and Ra’s worked that out potentially because of Vlad’s own research

Danny can also be kidnapped for the same things, but Jazz deserves a chance to kick ninjas in the head to prevent them stealing one of her ovaries

Because let’s be honest, the best part of this story? Ra’s trying his manipulative brain washing nonsense on Jasmine Fucking Fenton, who WILL therapise his immortal ass right back

Ra’s: You have been mistreated by your family, Jasmine… they never appreciated your brilliance, your dedication. But I do.

Jazz: What, you and the mountain of daddy issues and fear of death? I mean really, you could at least personalise that speech, I bet it’s what you tell all the kidnappees.

They fucking have to steal one of her ovaries because it’s obvious within 30 seconds that dunking her in the pit to see if she halfas can only create a halfa who will kick their asses because she fucking will not obey

There’s a chance Ra’s could try his body hopping on her directly too cuz we don’t know his gender flexibility but honestly if it’s a purely mental fight there can only be one winner

Jazz will read him for filth and make him cry

Also, if this is even remotely pre Damian going to Bruce, Jazz is the fucking goddess of “You Are Mistreating That Poor Innocent Child Drop That Weapon He Needs NURTURING”

(It also gives us a chance for a young Jason to be still with the League and also hear about Hurricane Jazz fucking Ra’s up and they can bust out together, Anger Management bait all I’m sayin’)

The most interesting version of this story barely fucking needs Danny in it because the big difference in Danny being a meta or a halfa doesn’t impact his powers

It impacts how transmissible those powers might be to someone else

Also Jazz deserves to develop fucking insane action hero powers within an hour of observation of the League of Assassins because liminal!Jazz is excellent but ninja!Jazz is the bomb

Fuck it Jazz/Cass is my OTP now there’s something just juicy in the girl born to be a weapon and the girl who can’t hit the broad side of a barn both reclaiming that they are fucking more than their DNA

Also Cass’ incredible body reading combined with Jazz’s psychoanalysis is a killer combo because Cass doesn’t need to ask why if Jazzy knows

You know what?

We’re missing out on meta!Danny and it’s a shame!

Like sure:

“I’m not a meta, I’m dead!”

And

“I’m pretending to be a meta to lay low.”

Are great tropes!

Ten out of Ten would read again

But give me Danny only survived his accident due to his meta gene

The reason he keeps getting more powers like a teen with acne?

His meta gene is trying to compensate for all the dangerous bullshit in his life.

Maybe he’s not actually half dead but just a meta and that’s why all the ghosts are so hostile to him!

Come on, let’s have some variety!

[crepesuzette2023]

What’s a fic that made you cry ?

Thank you for asking—and for immediately sending me off on a brief 'meta' slingshot trajectory around my own navel! (Don't worry, I'll answer your question.)

Your ask reminded me of the fact that I almost never cry over stories. I either enjoy them, or I'm shaking with rage, if they're too painful. For a story to hit the sweet spot of undiluted sadness, of simply being moved, without spouting angry tirades in my mind trying to argue with the sad events of the story, is pretty special.

For this reason, the stories your ask made me think of are among my favorites. Sorry if I mentioned some of them before, but here we are.

(I'll mention some spoiler-y and hopefully brief explanations under the cut.)

Miracle Worker by @scurator. Still Mates by @pauls1967moustache. The late, great, johnny ace by @midchelle. Coast Starlight by bookofapril. All I Know Since Yesterday by RedheadAmongWolves.

I guess what the three quote unquote saddest stories in this list have in common, to me, is that they're a big, noble Fuck You to the ultimate adversary, everyone's final lover, the great oblivion, etc.: Death—while at the same time summoning its inevitability. It will get you, even if you love a Beatle. Even if you are one.

So, you better hold on tight and make the most of it while you can (she says, typing these lines on tumblr while seizing the fuck out of her instant coffee flavor).

Miracle Worker is about Paul and Robert Fraser making love after John's death. It's about death, and fading physical beauty, and the untarnished beauty between them. The guttering flame. Yes, it's very hot, and both sad and invigorating—like a good cry, but without the ugliness of anything as overt as crying.

Still Mates is about Peter Asher giving himself permission to reject a life of politely closeted desire by sleeping with Paul, his sister's ex, in '68. It's a story about courage, and the ability to face who you are and who you want. I'm sorry for sounding like a movie trailer. It's also a fantastically realized outsider's perspective on the beauty of J/P turning ugly, and on the mystery surrounding this legendary relationship—the elusiveness of Paul's soul is in striking contrast with Peter's hot but mundane physical closeness to Paul, the man.

The late, great johnny ace is a ghost story that denies being a ghost story, but at the last moment can't resist reaching for comfort. (At least that's what I choose to believe.) Paul, George and Ringo make a record in 1981. Paul writes Here Today. The ghost is John. The 'at the end of all things' atmosphere is shattering, but the music in Paul's soul, and the surviving bonds of friendship, and, just possibly, John's ghost, prevail.

Bonus: crying/tears without sadness

Sometimes a story is so beautiful it makes my eyes well up with it.

Coast Starlight is about a world where Paul and Robert Fraser are together in the 70's, and they're vacationing on Fire Island, and they fuck a lot, each other and others (together), and it's fine. More than fine. It's heaven on earth. As I said before, I really can't do this story justice. The relief (what a weak word) I felt in the end, when Paul realizes he can let go of his burdens and be loved for who he is (by Robert, who is giving this to him), nearly had me speaking in tongues of the awesome power of fiction.

All I Know Since Yesterday is about two teenagers in love, without either of them having told the other. They're sheltering at one of their houses after being caught in a rain storm, and dream about the future. A future with each other. And, finally, they kiss. The teenagers are John and Paul. And what I love about the story is that you feel throughout that this is the beginning of something big. The kiss is both sweet and elemental.

[kachikirby]

If you’re willing, uhh, ♟️🐛🌙🦋🥀 or Kurabe and/or Fetty (and/or anyone else)?

I'll do whatever I haven't answered for them and probably add... hmm... maybe Mikuto? Yeah, I'll do Mikuto too. I have fun writing these answers out for him!

Putting these under a cut.

-

Does your OC get possessed easily, or do they have the willpower to fight back against any possible attempts? Have they been possessed before?

Kurabe: Generally, she does have the willpower to fight back against possession. There will be a time where she gets possessed in GranEssex Chronicles, but that will be when she's already mentally weakened due to certain events.

Fettuccine: She has the willpower against mental possession, but if it's more physical, she might struggle more. She's in the middle when it comes to her strength as a Limet because she's a non-combatant and most of her fighting ability is for self-defense. Thankfully she's never been possessed before.

Mikuto: In the past, he might have been easily possessed, but after he meets Kurabe, he wouldn't be so easily possessed. Basically he'll at least put up a good fight against the possessor if he does get possessed.

What are your OC’s greatest fears, and why? How do they act or react when they’re afraid?

Kurabe: Other than the usual "losing people she cares about, and she couldn't do anything about it", her most interesting greatest fear imo is that she's afraid of the dark. While it might seem silly for a powerful warrior like her to be afraid of the dark, it makes sense in context. Kurabe was originally an orphan born on Nightfall, a planet covered in eternal darkness that was full of terrifying monsters who lived in the darkness. One day, the lights in the city that kept the monsters away went out and they descended on the citizens. Kurabe was one of the few who survived thanks to her mentor and father figure saving her, but it resulted in her developing an intense fear of the dark.

Normally, if Kurabe is afraid, she won't show it due to needing to not show fear as a commander, but you'd be able to tell she is a lot more on-edge than she normally is. Of course, this is unless you put her in a completely dark room. In complete darkness, she has a panic attack where she hallucinates being surrounded by the monsters of Nightfall.

Fettuccine: Her two fears are pretty simple actually. Losing the people she cares about and being haunted by the ghosts of those who were led to death by her interrogations.

When she's afraid, she does her best to hide it, but you might be able to see her hand trembling slightly or small signs like that. She's the chief interrogation officer of Task Force Zetta, she kind of has to be good at hiding emotions. However, she will discuss it to someone she trusts like Risotto, Pandoro, Meta, or Raita in private if she needs to.

Mikuto: His greatest fear is losing friends because of his innate Crash Ability. In my AU, it's extremely rare for a puffball to just naturally have the Crash Ability without needing to inhale something, and Mikuto is one of those rare people. Unfortunately, it means that it can activate if he gets particularly angry, so that's why he's so laid back.

If he gets frightened, he does slightly jump and cringe, but he then calms down quickly.

Is your OC a particularly light or heavy sleeper? Somewhere in-between? Do they take naps?

Kurabe: Kurabe is in-between because sometimes she has to wake up ASAP due to missions or meetings. Though I will say an interesting fact is that she can sleep just about anywhere due to her training. She only really takes naps if she's been awake for a long time or just feels tired due to stress.

Fettuccine: Fetty is also in between. Like Kurabe, she's observant enough to notice if something is wrong when she's sleeping, but she also can quickly fall back asleep if needed. Similarly to Kurabe, if she's particularly tired, she'll take a nap. (She does it a lot more after Sieg and Freya are born, actually)

Mikuto: HEAVY sleeper. He also tends to take naps a lot because of how laid back he is. The funniest part is he's actually really observant of his surroundings even when he's asleep, so he can sometimes respond to questions while he's sleeping or drag Kurabe back into bed if he senses she's still tired when she wakes up.

Does your OC ‘fear the reaper’, so to speak? If they fused with Morpho Knight, what sort of form would they take on?

Kurabe: As a soldier in the Organization, Kurabe is not afraid of the reaper and knows that it is simply part of her job that he will come for her someday. Just not any time soon even if she should be dead because she has survived insane odds, leading to her being called "the Unkillable".

As for what form she would take if fused with Morpho, I imagine something similar to Galacta Knight, maybe with a more transparent veil running down her back that could transition to being butterfly wings. Lots of Ice and ESP based attacks too.

Fettuccine: Fettuccine is the same as Kurabe. She understands that death is part of her life as a soldier, but that doesn't mean she's not afraid of it. Though this fear has lessened in later years, especially as she's started to do many of the things she's dreamed of (i.e. retiring and settling down with Meta) and she's not as afraid now.

As for what form a fusion would take: there is two options. If it's her humanoid form, I'm imagining something akin to a fairy knight. Maybe most of the attacks are psychology-based because Fetty isn't exactly a fighter.

The second option is if it's blob mode. Just imagine a metal blob with Morpho's mask and butterfly wings and that's it. Probably one of the worst forms for Morpho to be stuck in if they want to do anything.

Mikuto: He just doesn't think about it too much if I'm being honest. He understands that death is inevitable, but he doesn't make a big deal about it.

I think for MIkuto's fusion with Morpho, there would be a lot more nature-based attacks due to Mikuto's affinity with the Leaf Ability. Overall, design will likely be the same as normal Morpho.

Do they have a Soul form? What would it look and act like? How much control over themselves do they have? Is it still possible to save them, or are they too far gone?

Kurabe: She doesn't have a Soul form, and it's the case of why would you want to make her more powerful than she already is!? /j

Her Soul Form would likely be more armored, and she would throw out Crimson Shadow Spike like it's nothing because I feel like if she did gain one, it would be for the purpose of defeating an enemy. even stronger than her.

I feel like the amount of control she would have would vary. Just have Mikuto with her for best control.

Fettuccine: She does not have a Soul form and I think the closest I can think of hers looking like if she did have one is something like one of the Ashen/META ships from Azur Lane.

I feel like it depends on how she gains a Soul Form, but I think that the most guaranteed way to save her is to have Meta talk to her.

Mikuto: He doesn't have one either and I think it would be another case of "too horrifying to think about" because he could potentially spam the Crash Ability if he has one.

Thought I think he has the easiest solution of "just have Kurabe freeze him".

[lucent-nargacuga]

updated random celesta knight facts

-she likes to eat snow, especially when she's dehydrated

-she can make noises like birds of prey! it's very cute

-she also makes very unnatural noises (when she purrs, she sounds like a diesel engine, her breathing sounds like a commercial aircraft or a computer fan, her growling sounds like a revving car or motorcycle engine, and her hissing sounds just as unnatural and machinelike)

-if she's cold enough, she'll sunbathe like a reptile

-she has a strange fascination with wind chimes and has decorated the exterior of her "den" with them

-she has uncorrected farsightedness, but can see things that are far away in terrifying detail

-all four of her canines are able to move forwards and backwards independently (it's lowkey creepy)

-the top of her wings are always warm but get very hot when she flies

-she's three times meta knight's height

-her tail is strong enough to support her weight; she uses it to jump

-she can easily break stone with her tail, and it usually will instantly kill anyone unfortunate enough to get hit by it

-her wings are over 60% of her total body weight. she's ridiculously heavy

-she sheds her scales all at once at random, usually twice per year, and becomes uncharacteristically irritable and withdrawn when she does so

-she can sleep for up to 72 hours (usually sleeps for anywhere between 12-36 hours)

-she's a very deep sleeper and can't be woken up easily

-when she's not aboard the astral wings, she prefers sleeping in remote places where she won't be disturbed

-she can't sleep while flying but she can enter a state of low consciousness known as "rest mode"

-since she's largely unaware of her surroundings when in rest mode, this is when she tends to accidentally crash into things (mostly aircraft)

-despite fish being her favourite (and main source of) food, she's a very poor swimmer; she "flies" through the water like she does through the air instead

-she'll often steal fish from people (she prefers to ambush them from the sky)

-her tongue is forked

-the inside of her mouth glows with life energy, similarly to gaismagorm

-she'll occasionally eat metal even when her wings aren't damaged

-she prefers hunting large fish and will sometimes go after prey larger than herself

-her wings can be used as claws, stabbing weapons, cannons, and even air blasters

-her teeth, except for her aforementioned canines and the eight tiny ones between them, are serrated and point backwards

-her tail always drags on the ground as she walks (this doesn't hurt her)

-she may be a fish thief, but she also loves giving fish to her friends! the bigger the fish she gives someone, the more she likes them

-she can make loud, low-pitched sounds through her wings and will occasionally use this ability to communicate while flying

-she has very bad posture

-she will drink so much water when she's thirsty. this doesn't harm her and in fact she's adapted to going for long periods of time without drinking anything

-she can survive in space and can fly between planets without a spaceship

-she has hunted (and eaten) entire sea serpents before

-on a similar note, she once caused a fish farm to close permanently because of her appetite

-her favourite dessert is butterscotch ice cream, but she enjoys most ice cream flavours

-she prefers the ocean but is also fascinated by waterfalls and will even "shower" under them for a while on rare occasions

-two of her favourite music genres are traditional folk music and funk, but she'll happily listen to any music casey plays for her

-she doesn't realize how touch- and affection-starved she is

-she doesn't know how to run because she spends so much of her time flying that running is unnecessary to her

-tenebra knight was her mentor before she was knighted

-the only bones in her body are part of her wings; the rest of her "skeleton" is cartilage

-she can withstand the extreme pressure of deep oceans as well as extreme changes in pressure and can dive up to 10,000 metres deep in a matter of minutes

-however, she rarely dives this deep as her preferred prey is almost never found at such extreme depths, not to mention the strain it puts on her body

-she tends to miscalculate her weight due to spending much of her time flying, and has attempted, many times, sometimes even in succession, to stand/sit on objects/surfaces that can't support her weight, causing them to break

-she won't eat anything that doesn't fit in her mouth for obvious reasons

-but she will try to eat anything placed in her mouth regardless of edibility

-she'll also try to eat anything placed in her mouth while she's sleeping

-she spends a long time cleaning herself when she has her weekly "bath". she'll also clean her talons with her teeth and tongue immediately before and after she hunts

-like a shark, she has two sets of teeth. the second set isn't visible until she sheds the first set (which occurs once every year or so and is unrelated to her scale shedding)

[stealingyourbones]

DP + JLU crossover prompt: I wanna see Flash as Danny's mentor, so--

Danny has survived (Sorta?) 2 years as a ghost without being discovered. Until their field trip to Central City. First day there and immediately Flash catches him phasing out of some locked container (Thank you, Dash). Danny thinks he's screwed, "Hello GIW, dissection tables, and ecto-uranium cages for the rest of my life", but Flash just asks "Meta?" and Danny rolls with the out, figuring he can just let the hero believe he has some sort of intangibility ability and not get caught doing anything else for the week. The League hero even asks if he's out about his ability and helps him with a cover story for where he was when Mr. Lancer asks.

Cue Danny getting a surprise mentor. Turns out, it's something of an open secret that Flash likes to help out young metas with their abilities. He's willing and able to set things up so he can visit Danny in Amity Park regularly, so Danny doesn't have to move. He's got a ton of experience helping kids feel out different abilities safely (and Danny's almost a little disappointed he only told the guy about intangibility because he wishes he could get this level of guidance on other abilities. Like duplication. Or teleporting.). And he's not afraid of acting as a go between for kids who want to keep their identities secret while learning their abilities and other heroes with similar powersets, either.

Flash is aware there is a lot more to Danny's powers than he's been told, but he's willing to let the kid come to him with the full story in his own time.

ooooooooo alrighty okokokokok. sO.

this brings me so much seritonin I love Flash x DP crossovers, I simply haven't read much stuff on Barry since the guy since he was dead for like a solid 25 years irl time for comics. It's a good thing that I can write this since Justice League Unlimited Flash is Wally West. Barry straight up just doesn't exist in JLU and sO:

Wally damn well knew the kid had something else going on. He's not sure exactly what but he's seen enough to know that this kid is more powerful than he's making himself out to be.

He's spotted Danny's foot almost on reflex turn invisible when his hands slipped and he dropped a knife on the ground. The knife clattered to the floor harmlessly and Danny was fine. The flickering of his lower limbs was for less than a second. Flash can think as fast as 100 attoseconds in one second. That's what a second is to 300 million years. He may not be able to perceive just as fast but it's still far far quicker than any meta he's ever known. He watches the boy for what seems to be days but to Danny it's quick as a flash, how he realizes that he's invisible and hastily flickers back to reality. No one should have spotted it, but Flash saw. He knew. He kept it to himself. It was not his secret to tell.

Danny thinks he's subtle. He might be for the average human, but not to fellow Supers. Danny's drinks are somehow always perfectly chilled even when its been sitting in the sun for hours. The kid's nightmares cause him to yell in his sleep. Wally had to ask Batman for some custom glassware made out of the same stuff the Batmobile's windows are made of cause the kid keeps shattering every new set he buys.

The other day Danny showed Wally that he could turn invisible. On his own terms. Wally acted as if the dozens of times he's seen Danny blip out of existence never happened and accepted the new development with ease. He knew he gained even more of Danny's trust when the young meta laughed and for the first time didn't worry about hiding his sharp canines from his sight.

Progress is slow going but eventually he'll get this boy to open up so he can get the proper help he needs.

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

If Bella was somehow bitten somehow and woke up alone during New Moon, but the Cullens didn't find her (I don't know if this is still 'Edward mercy kills Bella' territory but if it is then maybe her gift knows this and starts blocking Alice) and she became a nomad, would she still do the diet and if so for how long?

This is shockingly in the realm of possibility and not necessarily in the land of Edward mercy killing Bella.

Though there are some dangers Bella would have to avoid somehow for survival.

Bella is Bitten Alone in New Moon

We have one vampire who meets Bella during New Moon and another who with very little difference in the timeline would have run across her: Laurent and Victoria.

In the case of Laurent, he and Bella have a chat, he decides Bella smells delicious and he'll spare her the pain of being slowly murdered by Victoria, and just as he decides to go for it he gets run down and eaten by giant wolves.

Bella survives her vampire encounter.

In the case of Victoria, she never really gets close enough to do damage until the fight between Edward and Victoria and Riley and Seth in Eclipse.

So we have a few ways this could go:

Laurent's a few seconds ahead of Sam and company. He manages to get a good bite in and doesn't crush Bella on impact. He's run off by the wolves and Bella survives.

The problem here is that Bella has now been bitten and there's no coming back for her. It's a tragedy, and the wolves will feel a shared sense of failure and burden that they failed to save her, but she's dead anyway. They have to kill her before she fully turns.

Bella's gift, while powerful, doesn't appear to help in this kind of situation. Though, that said, in her dire need it could suddenly give her the ability to project illusions like we see in Renesmee. Doesn't seem to be how Bella's gift typically rolls, but hey, this is her darkest hour.

Otherwise, Jake could pull his alpha move much earlier in order to save Bella's life. He ignores Sam's order, flees with the turning Bella, and dumps her in the wilderness somewhere with a note from Jake that she must never return to Forks. She wakes up alone, only guessing though not knowing what Jake has done for her, and stares blankly at the wilderness.

If Victoria catches up to Bella, well, it's not looking good. All too likely, Bella dies painfully, and Victoria leaves a video tape of the entire ordeal in the Cullen house for when they eventually return (as they surely will).

Though, that said, the ease with which Victoria accomplishes this and the complete lack of Cullen intervention could catch her off guard. Perhaps... Edward doesn't actually give a rat's ass. That says terrible things about James' needless death, but Victoria's holding this girl hostage. She will die, in the most painful manner imaginable, and the Cullens aren't there.

Victoria might turn Bella out of pity or else turn her as she figures out, in part from Bella, that Bella becoming a vampire is Edward's worst case scenario. However, in that case, it's unlikely Victoria would abandon Bella, so Bella wouldn't be on her own.

Which, I think for this post, makes Jake's alpha sacrifice the most likely path. He dumps Bella's half-vampire body somewhere in nowhere Canada.

Bella After the Bite

Being dumped in the wilderness helps a lot. For one, Bella already has unbelievable control, for another this is Edward's penguin scenario. There is no one else out here for her to eat even if she wanted to.

So, following the diet is easy.

And it's something she'd very much wish to do. Bella sees the world of vampires divided into two types of vampire: the good Cullen vampires who don't eat people and the bad vampires who, well, eat people.

This left such a mark on Bella that she has very little idea of what a vampire even is.

Bella would be horrified at herself if she became a bad vampire. In wanting vampirism she wanted the vampirsim she sees in the Cullens. Bella might be miserable and alone, without a friend in the world, but she would be horrified to choose anything other than the Cullen way of life.

At least, at first.

The Return of the Cullens

There's a few paths for Bella after she's dumped in the middle of nowhere.

Alice sees that Bella's become a vampire, an abandoned newborn, and is wandering aimlessly around the wilderness somewhere. Even though Edward has forbidden contact, this is probably enough to motivate Alice who was genuinely worried.

She likely goes behind Edward's back and tries to find Bella with Jasper and possibly the rest of the Cullens.

Edward, of course, is still in Rio being a miserable saint for leaving precious human Bella.

Eventually, they manage to find her, and there's a lot of miscommunication, very hurt feelings, and heartfelt apologies even from Rosalie because look what happened to this poor girl. Though they each, either reluctantly or more enthusiastically, agreed to leave this was not what they had in mind.

Bella forgives them quite readily, as she did in canon, because she has the self-esteem of a thimble. The Cullens are awed and very grateful, Rosalie would never have forgiven them for this.

It probably takes them both a) a while to decide how best to tell Edward and break the news to him b) a while to get a hold of Edward because he's ignoring all their phone calls.

Eventually they do, it's a shit show, for the purpose of this post we'll say he does not mercy kill Bella. He might actually be feeling too guilty for that. Instead he grovels on the ground constantly, begging Bella's forgiveness, and refuses to enter a relationship with her because he's unworthy.

This undoubtedly upsets Bella, because she's also unworthy and Edward knows it and doesn't love her, but that's not the point of this meta.

In this world, the Cullens keep Cullening after picking Bella up, Bella's adopted into the fold and made Edward's twin sister due to looking the most like him (which, of course, makes them look actually incestuous in high school to add to the Cullen mystique).

With the support of the Cullens, living the Cullen lifestyle, and having the control that Bella has there's no question of ever leaving the diet.

Bella stays on the wagon.

Bella Seeks Out the Denali

Alice is successful and doesn't see Bella's future for whatever reason. Edward will be so proud. Bella is left alone in Canada to eat moose.

Eventually, Bella decides that however great being a vampire is, she's lonely and miserable. She wants companionship.

Well, obviously the Cullens hate her, so even if she could find them they probably never want to see her again. But what about the Denali?

Bella's already in Canada, she could head over to the Denali National Park in Alaska, and surely the least she could do is actually introduce herself.

Of course, the coven sounds blonde, hot, aggressively female, and very intimidating. Tanya's history of wanting to bang Edward has Bella feeling very small and worthless. More, the Cullens may have told the Denali all about how stupid and ugly Bella, Edward's current human girlfriend, is and they've all laughed at her.

However, Bella's so desperate for companionship, for some connection back to her old life, that she goes for it.

She makes it to Alaska, wanders around until she eventually finds the Denali coven, and introduces herself. The Denali are weird assholes, but Bella's so oblivious she actually doesn't notice.

That said, they've had their brush with the law, and Tanya doesn't want a newborn running around by herself. Eleazar also gives a truly pompous, awful, speech about compassion to their fellow man. It's unbearable, Bella finds it charming.

They take Bella in, she can be the dark-haired sister. Her control is so good the three single ladies quickly take her clubbing and encourage her to sleep away her troubles with human men.

Bella quickly finds that, when you're on the vampire end of the equation, the relationship with human thing is kind of gross. These people smell like food, are squishy and overly warm, and have the substance of tofu.

Bella feels even worse about her relationship with Edward.

She sleeps with human men anyway so that the Denali sisters won't judge her/will think she's cool.

They're so proud of her.

Regardless, Bella stays on the diet as the Denali follow the diet. She will likely have a few accidents with her human lovers, and will be inconsolable, but the coven will be there to offer comfort and help her get back on the wagon.

Bella stays on the wagon

Bella's Low Self-Esteem Wins and She Becomes a Hermit

Bella can't return to Forks and she's so ugly, stupid and boring that even though she's a vampire if she met anyone new they'd realize how ugly, stupid, and boring she is.

Better to just forsake society altogether and live with moose.

Bella's able to do this for quite a long time. Years even. And it's... fine. But her life has no purpose nor any direction to it.

She becomes tempted by society. How many years has it been? Has the world changed since she left? Has Forks changed? Is Charlie still alive? Is Renee? What about her classmates?

Bella starts travelling and visiting human cities and, thanks to her control, she does very well.

However, it's very likely that one day she'll slip, she takes her control far too much for granted and all it takes is one mistake.

And that's where Bella starts getting into trouble.

She's horrified at first, of course, and that likely doesn't break her. She gets back on the wagon, but the second time it happens...

There are no consequences to her breaking the diet. She has no companions, no one cares. Why is she living in constant agony, every single day, for people who will one day die anyway? Why is Bella choosing to suffer?

As time goes on, as humans start to mean less and less to her and all the humans that she knew when human herself are dead, Bella starts forgetting the reason that the diet seemed so vital to her existence.

At one point, it stops meaning anything at all, it's just Bella pointlessly choosing to live in agony.

Bella falls off the wagon.

TL;DR I think it'd take a while, at least ten years, but if she becomes a solitary nomad, it would inevitably happen.

[panspy-draws]

Troubled was no understatement for Vivian. It was actually spot on. Orphaned at just a few years old, she actually ran from multiple foster homes before actually being able to get away, where she lived on the streets since she was ten. Her only way to survive was crime. Mainly theft, but; it didn't mean she didn't have run ins with hostiles. She wasn't big like anyone else, and had taken a few beatings before. She adapted, used her size to her advantage, using their own against them as well. After a particular run in she was nicknamed Great Grey, after the Great Grey Shrike birds, known for their brutal take downs of larger prey. Though she fought, she never killed, and was against harming someone who didn't wrong her or deserve it. During a normal night she had stolen a few items, mainly food, before coming across someone she recognized threatening an innocent woman. She dropped her things to swiftly (without hesitation) sent the guy to his ass. More goons showed up and she was quickly outnumbered. That was until Batgirl (Barbara Gordon) showed up. Together the two of them wiped them out and made sure the victim was safe and unharmed. Babs obviously knew she was a criminal, but took an empathetic kindness to her. Like most of her family, she was an orphan and only wanted to survive, did good deeds when she could. After lending her a couch to sleep on and an extensive call to Bruce, Barbara took her under her wing like Bruce had done to Dick, Jason, Tim, and now Damien. It took getting used to, having a home after so long and an actual way to do some good for a town that she called home.

Living in Wayne Manor she became another one of his adopted children, but mainly trained with the other batkids, mainly with Batgirl. Although she didn't want to be remembered as a criminal, it was a large part of her childhood. As remembrance of those times, she called herself Shrike.

After a few years of training it was revealed she was born a meta-human, but the power was so miniscule that it went largely unnoticed. She has the ability to probe one mind at a time and alter their vision slightly. It takes great concentration to do any of it, and usually only uses it to create openings in combat. Dick often compares the sensation to being hit with early scarecrow toxins back in the day.

____

This is really all I have written down so far, I actually really want to go further into the story and what she struggles with the most and even come up with a villain that she focuses her attention of like Batman & Joker, or Superman & Lex Luthor. I hope you enjoy it! (Sorry if I missed you dropping their real name, I just improvised cause I love the name Vivian, or Vi for short.)

Okay dude that's AWESOME! I hadn't actually had a name for them yet since it was mostly a self insert oc and its weird coming up with names for characters that are like.. you, but you dont want to use your own name lol. (although my name does have a v in it so its kinda funny that vi/vee could be a nickname for me if anyone ever came up with it). It's so cool to see other peoples interpretations of a character, especially when the backstory work I've put in i've only really kept to myself. If you want, I think i've uploaded pictures of the spinoff villain character, Butcher, which is who Shrike would be if they never became a hero.... maybe that could inspire you a bit ;). Other than that, its a very quick and small detail but I have actually decided that Shrikes pronouns are they/them because they're a self insert. But this is your story and essentially your character building so you don't HAVE to change it but it was just something that bugged me a lil, but you wouldn't have any way of knowing so its no big deal 😅

[magicpotatoobsession]

GIVEN | Chapter 42/Mix 12 Initial Thoughts

Recently, I've been seeing some people being confused online about what the latest conversation between Shizu and Ue was on about so I thought I might give my own interpretation.

SURVIVAL vs. PASSION

I think what Shizu is saying is that he doesn't care, as long as he gets to stay by Hiiragi's side, he doesn't care how Hiiragi treats him, even if that means throwing his own life and passions away. He is completely unfazed by being in a relationship with Hiiragi because everything Shizu's ever done his whole life has been for Hiiragi. He's saying that whatever Hiiragi wants, he'll do without question as if being commanded by God himself. Shizu doesn't have any emotional attachment to music at all which is the total opposite of Ue and Mafuyu, who use music as a metaphor and source of communication. Both Ue and Mafuyu wants to get a sense of emotional gratification from the music that they create.

For Ue, it's because he wants to understand Mafuyu and by composing, he wants his songs to reach Mafuyu's heart. For Mafuyu, through music he wants to use it as a tool to process his grief and express himself more clearly. Which means that when things don't go well in their relationship or they are dealing with internal struggles, it's very risky and can reflect in the music that they create together. While Shizu plays music because it simply is just what he's supposed to do like one would sleep or brush their teeth in order to live (because he sees Hiiragi as a life source), both Mafuyu's and Ue's passion and drive for music comes from within and from each other. So I think that's why it's a lot more complicated. Well this is my interpretation anyway.

Why does Shizu feel ominous?

But also, why am I feeling this crazy sense of dread when it comes to Shizu? like his confession of

Like that's not normal for someone to say. I really hope that Shizu works on his issues of codependency because I feel like we could see a "Yuki repeat" if Hiiragi accidentally says something that makes Shizu feel abandoned....

Edit: actually there is a reason why the confession is the way it is! Post linked here. But it’s still really unhealthy that shizu’s still completely disregarding his own needs!

The co-existence of grief and love

My heart is aching for Ue. But I feel like that's what I really love about Given, it's not a typical love story, it's a story about grief and Mafuyu is still processing the loss and trauma of Yuki. In my very first blogpost about Given, I noted that I felt like Mafuyu moved on too quickly from the death of Yuki straight into dating Ue and there was a lack of conclusiveness and resolution to him moving on. But I think upon reading the manga, I think the Fuyu no Hanashi (A Winter Story) performance was the first time that Mafuyu even BEGAN the grieving process.

I saw that someone pointed out online that most other major characters had a 'breakdown' moment and we haven't received one from Ue, so it is likely that we might see him snapping soon because he's been enduring for so long.

Mafuyu is in the FREEZE stage

I think Mafuyu is going through the different stages of grief is experiencing a tremendous amount of anxiety from feeling left out now that Ue is playing support for Hiiragi and Shizu's band. When someone goes through anxiety, they either fight, flight or freeze. Mafuyu in my opinion is 100% in the freeze stage. He is scared of the the past repeating itself and therefore is affecting his ability to sing and hear music as well. Mafuyu is going into shutdown.

What we might see next is Mafuyu continually shutting down and Ue continually trying to reach out through his music but Mafuyu doesn't have the capacity to listen. If this is the direction Given is going in I'm not sure if I will be able to emotionally handle it.

---

Masterlist of my Given Metas

If you like what you read, all I post is basically Given analysis content! Give my blog a follow to be notified of future posts! #metapotato

[randomingoftherandomness]

The Bone of Impurity

So with the upcoming Winner is King, my brain got whirling with the thought of The Bone of Impurity which is arguably one of the main plot points of the novel and I thought I would do a bit of a meta for it? It is definitely something I hope they do not dilute for the Live Action adaptation but even if they did touch upon 1% of the shit that goes on into making a Bone of Impurity, it's still pretty Dead Dove Don't Eat. So I thought I would preempt it by actually putting down a primer on the Bone of Impurity.

I did not read the novel in Chinese and read it in English, so some of the more subtle themes present in the original work will have been missed by me. If anyone who has read the Sha Po Lang novel as it was written by Priest, do let me know if I have made any mistakes on any of the below ( •̀ᄇ• ́)ﻭ✧

Fair warning, there's some pretty Nightmare Fuel inducing shit, so I'll be keeping things under a read more in case people get squicked by this lol I'm also basing my references around the translation that Northwest Flower did because that is the one I read.

Just a basic background on The Bone of Impurity:

It is essentially a curse unique to the Northern Man people who utilise it in moments where someone's country is broken and nothing remains but revenge. To attain that, they make a sacrifice to the 'evil' gods of their beliefs

It is a cruel and horrible affliction to put on the person, but the return for it is that the person who becomes a Bone of Impurity gains the strength, intelligence, foresight and abilities of two persons

Whoever becomes a Bone of Impurity is someone who is single-mindedly ruthless and bloodthirsty when pressed towards a goal; they will attain power and their near supernatural abilities will make them unstoppable in achieving their goals

They will also gain a sort of existence that is neither alive nor dead. Sort of a zombie-like living. They also don't live very long

For all this super abilities, the flip side for anyone living with the Bone of Impurity is that they will be constantly highly suspicious and paranoid of everyone and everything; they will be slowly driven mad by the visceral hallucinations that will leave them incapable of knowing what is real and what is fake (Volume 1, Chapter 26; Volume 3, Chapter 70)

A Bone of Impurity attack comes about when the afflicted experiences heightened emotions or moments of extreme stress (I seriously cannot list out all the times it popped up in the novel because we would be here quite long lol)

It manifests in dual pupils being observed in their blood-hued eyes, hypersensitivity of the senses, their body burning up, almost sleep paralysis levels of body-lockedness and they will experience extreme pain with the bouts of attacks lasting hours at a time (Volume 2, Chapter 50 & 51)

The method of 'refining' a Bone of Impurity is...

Basically taking two babies and putting them in a dark place with no air, no water, no food. One of the babies will survive while the other one dies (Volume 3, Chapter 70)

I'm not quite certain if they have to be blood related or not, but the examples given in the book all indicate that if they have a strong connection to each other, then it would be better and that the Bone of Impurity would better take

The dead baby is then... 'refined' with the arcane arts and medicines of the Northern Man Goddesses and fed to the surviving baby (re:baby cannibalism)

I told you it wasn't pretty...

In the novel, Chang Geng is the Bone of Impurity made by Hu Ge Er, his aunt, in order to bring about chaos and tumult to Great Liang that had subjugated her people. Chang Geng is repeatedly described to have almost scary levels of intelligence and foresight, to the point where some of the characters actually wonder if he is omnipotent.

Chang Geng is also revealed to have obtained characteristics of his cousin

One of the ways Shen Yi and Gu Yun identified Chang Geng as the missing Fourth Prince is the congenital defect of a toe - which, lol, the worlds where DNA testing did not exist - and Chang Geng insists that his toe deformity was caused Hu Ge Er (Chapter 8)

It is later revealed that this was one of the further side-effects of the Bone of Impurity where the afflicted would reflect characteristics of the 'devoured' counterpart (Extra: Souls returned home)

Now on to the meta bit:

Chang Geng has a pretty much single focus sexuality on Gu Yun; even when he wasn't clear on what the nature of those feelings were, he was already dedicated to the man, already thinking up ways of how he can support him in the future

Even when he was heartbroken by the reveal of who 'Shen Shiliu' was and the lies and the subterfuge that had flowed between them, just with an apology and assurance from Gu Yun, Chang Geng was already ready to forgive him

Now, we know that Hu Ge Er said with her dying breath that the Bone of Impurity will cause him to lose his mind and will cause the death of everyone he will ever love. I think she said this because she has already detected the level of dedication he has built for Gu Yun and also because she is a horrible person and wanted one last pot shot at tormenting Chang Geng

Through all his Bone of Impurity attacks, Chang Geng has one consistent thing that he fears the most above everything else - Gu Yun abandoning him, rejecting him, leaving him in any way

My thought is simple; what makes him different from the other Bone of Impurities that were explicitly said and described in the novel? One person. Gu Yun.

Had Gu Yun not saved him from the wolves outside of Yanhui Town, he would have definitely died right there and then being killed by the Northern Man wolves. I truly believed that at that time, Chang Geng really ran out there to die. With just the scant descriptions of what Hu Ge Er did to him throughout his childhood, even the brief glimpses into her horrible abuse, is enough to cement that he was very likely unable to handle everything anymore.

If Gu Yun had not shown up and took on the mantle of Chang Geng's Yi Fu - as clumsy and as emotionally stunted as he was to deal with a dependent - was kind to him without any sort of condition attached to it, if Gu Yun had not taken that spot in Chang Geng's heart and mind as a moral compass, guiding his path to tempering the more extreme effects of the Bone of Impurity, I have no doubt that Chang Geng would have destroyed Great Liang before he even turned 21.

Because of Gu Yun, Chang Geng plotted the way to peace for Great Liang; divesting of weak emperors and ushering in a new age of stability and peace, building a foundation for his nephew to take over and build upon. All because he knew that Gu Yun loved his country, loved the people, has broken his back time and time again to toil for peace and defend its borders.

In the novel, they even explicitly say that when Gu Yun is out doing routine inspections of the borders and stuff, Chang Geng essentially shuts down; starts living like a monk and a life without colour until Gu Yun comes back to him (I don't know which extra or chapter this is in because this post has been waaaayyyy too long at this point)

With Gu Yun, especially when he learns that his supposedly unrequited and unfilial feelings were not as unrequited as they seem, he found a path to a future where he can strive to live without pain and without worry. With Gu Yun, he could focus all of the ruthlessness and all the bloodlust and the brilliance and the horrors and make it into a fulfilment of Gu Yun's dream; to be able to walk away from the battlefield and live out the rest of his days in peace and leisure.

Think about it, especially if you have read the novel, how scary can Chang Geng get when Gu Yun isn't around to temper him?

Basically, yes, I am definitely saying that Chang Geng and Gu Yun doing the horizontal dance with no pants resulted in peace for the country lol

[Bit of Trivia] Chang Geng's name is also significant because, according to Hu Ge Er, it is the name of the 'Bone of Impurity' in the Chinese dialect (Chapter 6)

[oneiromanciy]

THE NEW GODS

          a very important meta, because it’s adding to the Worldbuilding. ( part 1 )

ok, so there are obviously the Old Gods, which save for canonized mortals, divine messengers, and mewtwo, were all created by arceus. the old gods all have a few things in common: 

a primordial form that includes “the allfather’s halo” which is a mark of being created by arceus

power that can’t be scaled actually, because it’s on a whole new level

the ability to negate “type matchup” while in primordial form

the divine messengers were created by the old gods, and everything on the list of canonized mortals is exactly what is on the label. all of those people have DIED and then got the divine label slapped on as like... an award for life deeds or something. mewtwo is an exception to everything, since this being was created by humans, but was recognized by the old gods without dying first, which is why mewtwo is counted under “god of the age of mortals”

the new gods are different. the short version is that they are beings that are a blend of canonized mortals and divine messengers, but the power they gain skyrockets them to being equals of the old gods. and the new gods are created by the old gods, and it’s not fun. 

new gods start out as human beings; there are no current records of pokemon becoming new gods as of yet ( but it isn’t impossible ). the one thing that all new gods seem to have in common is the fact that they spend a lot of time with possession of a divine relic. usually, this relic is gifted to them by an old god personally — like tobias wearing darkrai’s lunar shroud as a traveling cloak. tobias is a unique case because he is the reincarnation of a harmonia king, and the powers he possessed as sanivar passed to his new body, because basically he’s sanivar getting a chance to not supremely fuck up in life. 

but for any other human, the divine relic grants supernatural powers which only grow as time goes on. the old gods keep a close watch on those who possess a divine relic, because they don’t want the wrong people to go through an ascension, because that would suck. 

new gods usually have no idea that they’re even becoming new gods; they see the new powers as blessings, but they sure can develop god complexes. and unlike guardians of the gods (humans chosen to bear some of a god’s power after proving their worth) where the power level stays constant, or heralds of the gods (lovingly, i call them “arceus’ fucked up gijinkas”) who gain power through reincarnations before becoming the old god who is their patron, new gods also run the risk of Not Making It Through The Ascension. this is due to the strain of power in a human body. the human body isn’t meant to carry that, so really, those who make it to being a new god are uh. well, it’s sorta shitty, because it’s UNNATURAL. there’s no way around it. 

new gods have powers much like the old god who put them through what honestly is pure hell. since this is technically also a post about tobias becoming a new god, his innate abilities to control shadows and dreamwalk just sorta end up being Even More Darkrai-ish than before. new gods are also granted a deity name when they ascend; tobias becomes “somnus, god of sleep”, darkrai remains “morpheus, god of dreams”. 

new gods stop aging if they survive ascension, and much like the old gods, they are immortal unless killed with a godslaying weapon (few of which exist). however, they are more vulnerable than the old gods to injury, even if they’re more durable than mortals by far. 

the number of new gods is ... not a lot. mostly because relics are not easy to find if they’re left lying around, and also people DIE in the process more often than surviving ascension. but, there are new gods that came before tobias, and there will be new gods that come after him; it’s just ... honestly a really shitty fate in a lot of ways. thanks for coming to my tedtalk

[sou-ver-2-0]

Writing Master List

I love writing analysis and fanfiction for Your Turn to Die. Here, you can find links to all my writing. Spoilers abound!

Meta I’m Proudest Of

Why Calling It “Logic Versus Emotion” Makes Sense

Sou Hiyori and Kanna’s Sister Parallels

I was wondering why Sou had a zero percent survival rate…

What is Sou proudest of?

What is Kanna proudest of?

What is Keiji proudest of?

Unpopular opinion about Keiji

What are your thoughts on Nao as a character?

Why pushing Fake Reko is logical and sparing her is emotional

Shin vs. Kanna choice: each “valid in its own way”

That was a real comedy of errors on your part, Shin

What “Things” did Shin learn at Sou’s House?

If I could kill Keiji to save both Kanna and Shin...

Thoughts on queer-coded villains and Shin

I make Shin say five nice things about Keiji (not meta, but important)

Some jumbled thoughts about Redemption, and Part 2

How different do you think the story would be if Shin were a girl?

Theories

“Midori is Meister’s son,” and other Sou theories <- my favorite theory!

The Hades Incident, the Present Death Game, and the Role of the Man from the Memorandum

Rambling about Meister Family Theory

A Quick Keiji Theory

I’m staking my pride on this one: Keiji won’t die in the coffin. Part 1 and Part 2

Implications of Kanna being Original Sou’s blood relative

The Mystery of Anzu’s High Survival Rate

Fanfiction

My username is Florencetheflowerfairy on Ao3! Any fanfiction I write will be tagged “my fanfiction” on here.

I haven’t yet posted this to Ao3.

My fanart

Soup Hiyori

Happy birthday Kanna!

All of my meta

How does Sou deal with pain?

When does Sou feel safest? What would others change about him?

What would the others change about Sara?

What do I wish to see happen with Sou?

Chapter 3 Prediction: Sara will lose Keiji

Sou & Keiji’s relationship thoughts; and Personal Headcanons

Opinion on Midori / Original Sou; and Opinion on YTTS

Thoughts on Kurumada’s Partnership with Sou and Kanna

What calms Sou when he’s upset?

What does Sou wish he could change about himself?

Who would be Sou’s favorite fictional character?

What would EVERYONE change about Sou?

How did both Sous do in school?

Who does Sou want to please the most?

How would Kanna spend her money?

What calms Kai when he’s upset? How does Kai deal with pain?

How does Kanna do in school? What’s something Original Sou lost that he would love to have back?

What’s something I wish had happened with Joe?

Unpopular opinion about Q-Taro

What’s something I wish had happened with the Yabusame siblings?

Unpopular opinion about Kai

Unpopular opinion about Original Sou

Who would I vote for in the Second Main Game?

Laughing at Q-Taro in Russian Roulette

Speaking of “I laugh at inappropriate moments in YTTD”

Math Saga (Collection of Theorizing Posts about the Percentage Papers)

Why Kanna can’t take the scarf

More Scarf Meta

I think Shin should fake amnesia in the zaniest way possible, please

Thoughts on Mr. Policeman is Joe’s Dad Theory, Parts 1 and 2 (Some of these thoughts are outdated because I don’t think Keiji knew Joe’s last name in the beginning.)

If I ever seem too harsh on Keiji, please keep in mind

We can hear Joe’s music theme in Midori’s music theme

Thoughts on the Floor Masters

Did Shin send the Sacrifice Card to Joe?

What if Joe had one month to live?

What is Original Sou proud of?

Reading Shin as Queer

Alice and Pain

What would other people change about Kai?

Could Shin and Keiji’s roles switch?

What was Keiji like before the shooting?

I encouraged Sister to vote for Kai in Practice Round

How does Original Sou/Midori sleep?

Who do you think Keiji would bond with the most?

Analysis of Sara’s vote in the Practice Vote

Massacre Ending Thoughts

Thoughts on Naosara?

Dummy Bullet Saga (How did Shin know about dummy bullets??)

Keiji is my Confront Character

What will the fallout with the dummies look like?

Keiji seeing the percentage papers is the simplest answer IMO

Thoughts on Keialice

Thoughts on Joesara

Shin Tsukimi could have DIED ON HIS BIRTHDAY?!

Shin is Poor! Part 1 and Part 2 and Part 3

One more funny story, on a walk with Sister...

How would Shin have fared in the Death Game without the Sou persona?

Is Shin too good for this world? (Reaction to above meta)

How would Joe, Kai, and Mishima approach the Second Main Game vote?

What do you think would be Shin’s partnership ability?

Thoughts on AI personalities

Reaction to ‘Sara gets the Sage Card’ Theory

Have you considered the implications of 0.0% vs. 0%?

Foolish Sara AU

When does the Death Game take place, and how long are they there?

Shin’s relationships with Reko and Gin

“When you drink, you gotta be careful not to get swallowed up yourself.”

Judge Keiji by the fact that he’s acting like a cop

I’ve switched to calling him Shin! 

What was Shin like in the years after Original Sou died, but before the Death Game?

Headcanons and Shin, Kanna, and trading tokens

Analyzing Shin and Sara’s doll placements in Safalin’s lab

Shin’s reaction to Sara’s “Haven’t we always been the bestest of friends?”

Scenario: Keymaster Kanna takes Shin’s key necklace instead of his scarf

Artists should draw Kanna grieving Shin however they like

Nao and Shin’s friendship

“I happen to like people with nice personalities”

I’m just putting these here so I can find them if necessary: 1, 2, 3

What if Shin thinks Sara is an adult?

Shrodinger’s Lock Saga (Many theories came from speculating about Asu-Naro’s weird locks in Sara’s first trial!)

Shin emulating Sou, oh no

Some thoughts on Shin and Alice, and the darker side to their relationship

A Serious Analysis of the Collarbone Sprites (& other Shin sprites)

Midori and Joe Sprite Parallels

Do you think Ranmaru is more or less reliable than Keiji?

Ranmaru and Keiji Parallels and Thoughts on Keiji flirting

Ranmaru and Keiji reacting to Joe

Out of the cast, who do you think is most likely to be the mastermind?

Miley vs. Gashu thoughts

Megumi Sasahara theories and headcanons

I love that this game’s heart is so earnest

AU where Shin has the Sacrifice, and he can’t pick Kanna

Theory/Headcanon: Sou-Shin-Sara-Kanna three year age gaps

Scenery Paintings in the Gallery

Kanna and Original Sou Parallel - “creepy smiles”

Undertale Parallels, and making Original Sou sympathetic

Kai and Original Sou Parallels

Fic ideas: Green-haired characters, and Shin + Sara Friendship

I love Fake Reko so much!

What if the decision to push Fake Reko affects what happens with the dummies?

Follow-up to above meta about Fake Reko

What if Joe died in his First Trial?

Reaction to Keiji Discourse about flirting, Part 2

Reactions to Fem!Shin:

Kanna’s perspective, Bath Scene Shin, More Bath Scene, Keiji flirting with Shin, I DON’T CARE HOW SEXY HE IS, Am I a lesbian

Will the dummies want to fill in for their counterparts’ lives?

Q-Taro Pacman Sister Theory

Poison Stinger analysis and Rio Ranger’s characterization

Megumi returns as a doll theory

More thoughts on “Back Up Candidates” Theory

Thoughts on AIs representing younger personalities

What if the current Death Game is another simulation?

Shin and Q-Taro ages musings

Shin and Sara ages musings

Honorifics Analysis: Part 1 and Part 2

Everyone’s music preferences headcanons

Shin’s thoughts on Gin in Logic Route

What if Shin died and Kai survived in the Second Main Game?

Imagine Trans Kanna

Thoughts on the names Sara “suspects” when learning that there is a human from Asu-Naro among us

Why doesn’t Shin challenge Keiji for lying that he’s a detective at the start?

Shipping

Which death hurt you the most?

Who do you think is overrated? Who do you think is suspicious?

Shin-Sou roleswap AU

Did you ever notice how Shin is crying during the First Main Game?

How do you think the characters sleep?

What if Shin became Sara’s ally instead of Keiji?

Seven Deadly Sins in YTTD

Song Analyses

“Rat” by Penelope Scott

“Villainous Thing” by Shayfer James

“Nearly Witches (Ever Since We Met)” by Panic! at the Disco

“Butterflies and Hurricanes” by Muse

"House of memories" by Panic! at the Disco

More fun posts

Sister tag (All submissions by my sister)

Sometimes I get self-conscious for loving Sou Hiyori so much

Thinking about how our Sou Hiyori is a queer-coded villainous type

Picrew of the Greenblings

Fannish ramblings and Speculation about Voting for Keiji in 2nd Main Game

Sou has a halo in the manga

Sprite Parallels between Kanna, Sara, and Sou

Confession: Character development is more important than plot twists

Star Wars KOTOR musings

My Favorite Thing about Sou and Sara meeting

Another Greenblings Picrew

How to roast my fave

Are the greenblings next to each other??

Me feeling soft about Sou x Alice and Sou x Kai in spite of myself

I’m too much of a nerd for tumblr

Picrew of Green-haired characters and Sara

Cute Kurumada and Kanna headcanons

Do it for Nao

Happy birthday Keiji, from Sou

Danganronpa Thoughts as of 10/22/20

Top 3 emotional moments

Comparing Eye Sizes

I’m all caught up with 3-1A as of 10/24/20

Link to my “Shin attacking Inbox” edit

I am my PFP

“Disclosure” apparently means “Coming Out”

What did you name your Midori?

Do you think Shin was a gamer?

PMMM Thoughts: Logic vs Emotion

Why would you make Shin a tank?!

Dracula is Sou and Shin is Renfield

Among Us Headcanon

I just think Kanna having the Keymaster first is good drama

So long you fucking fascist (posted on 11/7/20)

Please don’t send me leaks!

Also how are we going to tag spoilers...? (11/12/20)

oh no I’m getting sentimental

Shin and Sara’s confrontation over the smartphone remains my favorite thing ever

Reactions to “I make Shin say five nice things about Keiji”: 1, 2, 3

A Rewarding part of my blog

My undying love for Britney Spears

“Ahaha, I’m glad you remembered my name.”

I love this picrew for the Greenblings

“Saw” and “Cage” on Google Translate

What if there were two Gonbee Yamadas?

Put them in meme boxes

Keiji’s emo eyeliner

Shin can smash something! and part 2

Acrostic Poem for Sou Hiyori

Midori’s canon voice

“Sou” puns

Time sensitive questions!! 1 and 2

All the characters’ ages

Do you think Shin swears?

Let’s not pit bears and twinks against each other!

Here’s how Shindemption can still win

tfw you draw fanart in time for Kanna’s birthday

Keiji accuses Shin of breaking Mishima’s monitor even though he KNOWS Shin is innocent

Q-Taro and Shin college AU

Kugie’s ghost haunting Keiji

Christmas 2020: Part 1 and Part 2

Picrew of Shin and Sou, High School Days~

I struggle to write villains

I play Villains Bingo with Shin

…

This list will be updated sporadically as I write more! You can always use the “mine” tag to find any worthwhile original post I make.

Please feel free to talk to me about YTTD anytime! I love hearing from you all! It keeps me motivated and makes me happy to meet people!

[sleepycoffins-and-benhargreeves]

Let’s talk about Ben becoming Sparrow!Ben / Number one

So, I just watched the end TUA s2 yesterday and it really made me think about Ben (but, then again he’s the only one I usually think about). It’s amazing that in this timeline, HE’S NUMBER ONE. He’s the one with the painting in the main room and he’s basically the leader of the team now.

But how did that happen? Of course the timeline now is different but, what were the reasons that led up to that?

Please bear with me, this will be one long ass meta under the readmore.

I think the main reasons are Klaus and Vanya.

Now let me explain first. Let’s start with Klaus.

Klaus is obviously the closest sibling to Ben. Even when they were young, it had been obvious and basically canon already that they were each other’s best friends within the group of siblings. We even have that one scene where Vanya was destroying the house in s1 and reminiscing horrible memories and her memories were of BEN AND KLAUS TOGETHER in one memory

Also, prob a bit of Horrance because this was taken from a Horrance post. But, please bear with me. I would like to point out, shippy or not shippy that it seems that they were also close enough to want to SHARE A ROOM TOGETHER.

I adjusted the brightness of the picture above and confirmed that yes. THAT IS ANOTHER BED. THERE IS ANOTHER BED IN THIS ROOM SO IT IS NOT A FAR REACH TO THINK THAT BEN AND KLAUS SHARED A ROOM.

And seriously? With how rich their father is you know he would be decent enough to give every child their own room. 

But what I get from this is that not only are they close, but how Ben can also be protective and caring of Klaus. Let’s go back to episode 4 in s1 where Reginald locked him in a mausoleum. From that experience alone, Klaus would’ve been vulnerable, afraid, claustrophobic, and obviously traumatized. He’s Ben’s best friend and most closest sibling. Ben is a softy from what I can see, he cares very deeply and is a concerned person. I wouldn’t even be surprised if he was the one to suggest to Klaus that they start sleeping in one room together.

I think seeing his brother being afraid of the dark and unable to function properly brought out his primal instinct to protect and care. He allowed himself to be emotionally vulnerable in a way that he shows and acts that he cares. In their world, that would have been a big mistake. Showing weakness by letting people know that you care and would get hurt if this person were to be hurt is something that can get used against you. I would not put it past Reginald of slipping that kind of idea into them.

Yes, you protect your siblings because you can die from not defending one another. But why protect them from your own father? Why protect them and care for them? If they’re weak, then that’s good for you because you can climb up higher into Daddy’s ranking and get a better position. But no, Ben let himself care and damned it all for his best friend.

And going back to the pictures above, I know that Vanya sees Ben’s words as a stinging knife to the heart. Reminding her once again that she, out of all the siblings, is the un-special one. But you also have to take in the fact that there is such a thing as tough love. I can imagine young!Vanya looking up to her siblings and asking them about their missions and probably in more than one occasion begging for them to tag her along, just smuggle her out of the house. Let her see and experience what it’s like to be a hero like them.

She comes to Ben and Klaus for that. I think out of all the siblings, Vanya is actually closest to Ben in a way that Ben also sees her as someone to protect. Vanya is their *ehem* “most fragile” *ehem* sibling, the one with “no powers” so he has also been protective of her. I can imagine him trying to befriend and play with her as much as he can, including her in many things because he sees that she’s miserable and always alone.

We can even imagine Ben trying to either train with her and worrying about her at some nights. She lives in a house full of people with superpowers and she’s just ordinary. What if one day, someone attacks them and he wouldn’t be able to protect Vanya? What if one day there will come a time that they can’t defend someone evil and he’s gone? How will Vanya survive? How can he keep Vanya safe and protect her at the same time?

Ben sees Vanya and Klaus as people he has to take care of.

Let’s also not forget the fact that Vanya practically told all of us that Ben was the glue keeping them all together. s1 ep3

Here she tells her readers how distraught everyone was for Ben’s death. And that him dying was basically the last straw, nobody could get along anymore because I think, Ben was their peacemaker.

Yes, we have Luther who is by their vote and their father’s, the “eldest” sibling, but being the eldest doesn’t mean you can be the mediator. He is the stereotype definition of eldest sibling, golden boy with a lot of achievements, always follows their parents, prim and proper, and always initiates things to go into motion.

But, he is not a mediator. He is not someone who can get everyone in line to listen. Yes, he has leader qualities, but not all of them. He is missing the ability to empathizing and include others. I actually wish we saw some flashback interactions with him and Ben, or Luther talking about Ben because I wanna see how their relationship would’ve been. 

The same goes with Five. He is leader material as well (given he’s 58 years old tbh), but he has a hard time with his emotions and empathizing with the others as well.

So all in all, who else has the power to empathize with the others? Who else has that? Allison and Ben.

Allison is someone who I think is very good with people even without her rumour power (as we can see with season two). She and Ben seem to have had a very good relationship too judging from her scene in s1 ep2

I think she and Ben were the mediators within the family. They are the ones who is most often on the neutral side of things, thinking about everything and everyone, the pros and cons, everyone’s feelings, and how they can make a solution that will make less sacrifices.

I think out of everyone, both Allison and Ben are the ones who take care of their sibling in a more emotional way. They allow themselves to show weakness or strength in a sense that, they let their guard down and allow themselves to just care. They also protect their siblings, but with Ben I think it’s deeper. 

In regards to Ben protecting and even sacrificing himself on a deeper level than Allison, I will refer to this post that talked about their numbers. Some were saying that they were numbered backwards, from weakest to strongest, yet at the same time, it was also based on their usefulness for Reginald.

If we go with the usefulness and how well Reginald can manipulate them, then it is also very plausible. Luther is our golden boy who wants to please their father, Diego although denies it still tries hard to be a superhero that their father told them to be, Allison is also very much afraid of their father. Although she loves him even when he was abusive, she still followed him. Klaus being four is because of his fear, he’s very lenient and will somewhat do what their father wants. He wasn’t like Vanya who could blow up the place where he was being kept, so in a way he was easier to manipulate. Five obviously had a mind of his own as well.

So why, pray tell, is Ben number six? How was he immune to being manipulated and used whenever by Reginald?

My answer, Klaus and Vanya.

I think he saw how unfairly they were treated, saw how vulnerable his siblings are, and that was what made him rebel against Reginald. Klaus and Vanya are close to him, they are the siblings he is closest to, so having to see them go through all of those hardships, those trauma, and be so unloved by their father because they could not control their powers or have “no” powers in Vanya’s case.

I think in his own way, Ben stood up for his siblings that’s why his rank/number was demoted to six. He was punished to have a lower number.

I think the reason that the Umbrella siblings were so protective of each other was because Ben rebelled in a way that he saw injustice within their father and did something about it, even if it caused him a way to gain his father’s favor and love.

Now, after that explanation with how Ben became Ben with the Umbrella, let’s go to Number One in Sparrow. I will be calling him One now.

One did not have Klaus and Vanya growing up. I cannot assume yet what their upbringing was like, but with how I just described Ben’s relationships with the others, I think the Sparrows are more cut-throat and independent from one another.

One has become the “eldest” and supreme sibling here. He is the most useful and easily the most powerful as well. One did not die at a young age, so him being able to tap more into the secrets of his powers and being able to hone and improve it is deadly. The fact that Vanya is not here, we could also speculate that One is also the most powerful sibling here right now.

I would also like to reference my own post here on how powerful Ben could have been if he had not died. One has had years of training behind his back to polish his skills. The theory of One being a portal that could easily summon and manipulate monsters from another dimension is too good. He is the living embodiment of OP wherein he is calm, collected, and knows how to control himself and his emotions to not set an apocalypse in motion. That is, only if this theory even has a smidgen of a chance to become canon. Or has some aspects that can become canon.

But anyways, Ben with his stomach and Bentacles is OP enough already.

Going back to One, the idea of his siblings here being more independent and cut throat is a big possibility. I’m not saying that they don’t have a bond or that the Sparrow siblings hate each other. All I’m saying is that they might not have been as affectionate and emotionally open as the Umbrella siblings.

I mean like heck, even Diego, who is our most macho character has a soft side, especially for Ben.

Look how soft they both look here, how Diego hugs Ben and just the all around atmosphere of it. You can feel from this scene alone how important Ben is to Diego.

I don’t think the Sparrow siblings have this kind of connection, hence why One was able to become One. Yes, they probably work better as a unit/team and yes, they will probably be better at using their powers and combining it with their other siblings, they’ve been together for 30 years and did not separate like the Umbrella siblings... But the actual connection of being soft and loving one another? The urge to protect and be vulnerable? I don’t think they have that.

I think, the Sparrow Academy will have more emotions and frustrations bottled up inside of them, than the Umbrella Academy. They’re trained to be tougher. At least, that’s what I’m speculating for now. I could be wrong on this one.

My speculation will be that Sparrow kids will be more independent and have lesser feelings and emotions for the others. Unlike Umbrella who obviously care so much about each other.

All in all, I think Sparrow!Ben/One will be an asshole in season 3 lmao we’re probably going to hate him so much in the first few episodes until we see how fucked up Reginald has raised them.

I look forward seeing how everyone will react to One, I think in the end, he’ll become our Ben one way or another. The Umbrella sibling’s bond is too strong to be severed, even in alternate realities.

But also, it will be such a good bitter tragedy if One loves his Sparrow siblings more and they were raised better because fuckkkkk that would hurt so good lmao

[novantinuum]

Fandom: Steven Universe

Rating: Teen Audiences (Chapter TW: An absolute disregard of personal safety that could be read as attempted self-harm.)

Words: ~750

Summary: Steven can’t help but dread the undefined cocktail of emotions that trigger this newest power…

12 shorts, each delving into Steven’s developing opinions and feelings about his “pink mode” in SUF.

Chapter 10: A scene mid-Fragments.

Updates (hopefully) weekly. There’s some brief meta rambles on the AO3 version. If you read this and enjoy, I’d greatly appreciate your support through reblogs here, or kudos/comments on AO3. Thank you! <3

____

Sleep is a joke in these woods.

The few short lengths of shut-eye he manages as he huddles on the dirt in his makeshift shelter are riddled with shadows, regrets, and warped fragments of all the disturbing encounters of his childhood he’d rather not remember. Upon startling awake he swears he was trapped within those nightmares for months, just like Lapis and Jasper were shackled to each other at the bottom of the sea, and yet whenever he darts to his feet and into the clearing to check the night sky, the moon has barely shifted in position. This pattern continues three times before he gives up on the idea of rest entirely.

That’s fine, though. Given his lackluster performance in Jasper’s training sessions thus far, he doesn’t deserve it in the first place.

Instead, he finds himself pacing at the top of the hillside overlooking the valley, right alongside the cliff’s edge, a hundred feet up. It’s a picturesque view, that’s for sure. Thousands of trees— yet untouched by his mentor’s fury— blanket this vast expanse, only interrupted by rocky clearings or streams. Hanging light years above the fragile skin of the Earth are the constellations, their pinprick patterns almost crowded out of clear view by the Milky Way’s full splendor. The sight is mesmerizing enough to make a boy reflect on the path he’s taken. On what his rightful purpose is within this galaxy’s clockwork, the very question that’s been senselessly gnawing away at him for weeks and weeks. And miraculously, tonight he’s met with an answer.

Slowly, surely... he’s beginning to realize that this high precipice he’s so afraid of falling from is merely the tipping point he’s been coursing towards his whole life. It doesn’t represent his damnation, but a choice. The choice to shed all his inhibitions and finally embrace all the tumultuous emotion running deep, this power. To finally shed the childish illusion of restraint like an ill-fitting skin and rise above it like a lustrous phoenix. In retrospect, it seems stupidly obvious. How can he ever claim control of himself when he’s still blind to what he’s truly capable of? Of the scope of the destruction he can induce? Like Jasper, he’ll only attain true control of these abilities when he learns to wield them. And to properly wield them, he must first set himself free.

 Let go of the precipice.

With this final thought permeating his mind— shattering the last of those self-made barricades as he consciously allows that pink glow to envelop his form from head to foot in full force— the young diamond steps to the edge and dives. Off the cliff. Allows himself to slip into terrifying free-fall for just a second too long, desperately resisting that instinctual urge to back down from this inevitable confrontation and shamefully float his way to the forest floor. Instead, he sheds his skin. Extends his arms like wings. In reward of this liberation, some long-buried power within his gem unshackles.

And suddenly he’s laughing. He’s flying.

And with his heart slamming against his ribs and every sense smashed into overdrive as he dexterously weaves between the trees of this hidden valley, the harsh crosswinds whipping against his face, he realizes he hasn’t felt this alive in months.

Invigorated by this new lease of strength, he trains without a blink of respite until morning, until sunrise finally creeps over the distant hillside and Jasper emerges from her cave. He pushes himself like he’s fighting for his own survival, sprinting mile laps around the woods until he‘s able to complete a loop in the minuscule time it takes for a pebble to drop from his hand, hurling heavy stones long distances as if they merely weigh the same as his feather-light shields, smashing his fists into the trees until he’s able to fell them in one punch and his knuckles are raw. What’s more, he changes, undergoing a metamorphosis in more than just spirit. His curls grow long and wild atop his head, and the burgeoning stubble upon his cheeks more prominent. Under the waning moonlight he practically doubles in size and height, his body ever so subtly shifting over the hours to match some idealized image of power that lurks like an anchor within his mind. He’s broad. He’s muscular. He’s a force to be reckoned with.

And he refuses to let shame and fear hold him back any longer.

He’s finally free.

[thestupidhelmet]

What would you say are the core personalities of the six? I don't know if you've made a meta about this already since I'm fairly new here. Love your blog!

Thank you! 😊

I’ve written a few metas on the characters’ personalities or characterizations. But I’ll write up what I interpret their consistent core characterizations to be. First, a preamble.

Unfortunately, That ‘70s Show’s writers had a tendency to forget, ignore, or outright change the characters’ core characterizations, too often introducing new elements -- to serve plot -- that conflict with earlier established personality traits confirmed and reconfirmed by many episodes that followed. This is different than character development, which is grounded often in incremental changes over several / many episodes or even seasons. 

Most of these revisions of the characters’ core personalities are negative. Only one I can think of is positive: Hyde’s in “Prom Night” (1x19). The core of his character gets a complete overhaul once his role as Eric’s villainous foil and rival for Donna’s affection is over.

Because of the show’s inconsistent writing, one can pick and choose which consistently depicted attributes are the truly canon parts of a character’s personality. Later in the series, these consistently depicted attributes often conflict. When I write fanfic and @those70scomics​, I depicts the characters according to what I believe are their core personalities. Other people can reasonably view their core personalities differently. 

Now to answer your question.

Fez

He’s insecure about fitting in with his group of friends and among Americans in general. This insecurity sometimes manifests as neediness with friends and girlfriends alike.

He’s loyal to his friends and generally caring. He doesn’t like hurting their feelings. He’s in touch with his emotions and sensitive, which means he can be hurt rather easily by his friends’ or others’ thoughtless remarks toward him -- or hurt by what he misinterprets as an insult (e.g., Hyde telling Fez he needs to act aloof to attract women, and Fez believing Hyde is calling him “a loof,” which Fez apparently thinks is a put-down).

He’s not defenseless, however. He’s got a quick wit and comes back with cutting remarks of his own or simply cuts off his friends with his catchphrase and its varieties (i.e. “Good day. ... I said good day!”)

He’s passionate, but this passion variously paired with his insecurity, neediness, and sensitivity can cloud his judgement, which causes him to go too far in many areas: dirty jokes, masturbation, pursuit of unavailable girls, eating candy, etc. 

He suffers from Nice Guy syndrome with Jackie during seasons 2 and 3. This means he has a sense of entitlement to Jackie’s romantic and sexual affection, and his respectful treatment of her is predicated on the expectation of romantic and sexual reward. Once he realizes that she’ll never reciprocate his romantic feelings, his respectful treatment of her diminishes greatly. 

In season one, he’s depicted as insightful to other people’s feelings and motivations. In seasons 1-4, he’s also depicted as romantic and a romantic. He’s a serial monogamist, but he suffers somewhat from toxic masculinity (e.g., calling Jackie little girl when he believes she’s overstepped her bounds) and sexism (e.g., often calling girls whores; once this insult is prompted by a girl who does not put out sexually, which is the opposite of the meaning of whore). With Rhonda, though, this toxic masculinity and sexism seem not to be evident.

He longs for intimacy, whether platonic (men) or romantic (women). See this meta about how the show writes Fez and Kelso’s relationship as near-romantic in later seasons while also (re)affirming Fez and Kelso’s canonical straightness to keep T7S’s universe a heteronormative one.

Fez is obsessed with losing his virginity, but for the first four seasons of the show, the depiction of this obsession falls in line with that of many teenage boys his age. It’s not out of the ordinary. Eric is shown to have the same obsession until he and Donna finally have sex. Further, Fez’s obsession is not so all-encompassing that he can’t put it aside for love. He does so for his love of Rhonda -- until “Everybody Loves Casey” (4x26), where the best parts of his core characterization are destroyed. See my meta The Deterioration of Fez’s Character for details.

My Take: I prefer to write the insightful, loyal Fez who sometimes doesn’t know how far to push a joke. He can be insecure, but he’s also got a strong moral center and sense of what’s right and wrong -- or develops this sense more thoroughly during a given story. He’s flawed but very capable of growing and changing due to his ability to examine his own behavior and love for his friends.

Kelso

In season one, Kelso is a math and tech prodigy who has little common sense and or will power. He’s also loyal to Eric and Hyde and clearly loves them, but his impulsivity and addiction to sexual pleasure drive him to act thoughtlessly. He displays a sense of entitlement but not a pathological one. He’s capable of apologizing for his thoughtless and entitled behavior.  See this meta about “Ski Trip” (1x13) for an in depth analysis of Kelso’s behavior during that episode.

After season 1, his math and technology knowledge is gonet. His selfishness and sense of entitlement overshadow his loyalty to anyone (or anything) other than fulfilling  his own needs and desires. His lack of common sense becomes cartoonish. He acts maliciously when he feels slighted, which happens when he doesn’t get what he believes he’s entitled to. He relentlessly pesters Jackie verbally and physically for sex when she just wants to sleep. He’s pathologically narcissistic, vain, and dishonest.

During the end of season 3 and beginning of season 4, however, he begins to grow and change. He experiences and express remorse toward Jackie for treating her so badly -- without any expectation of return. His selfishness fades significantly, as does his lying, but neither attribute disappears completely. He’s capable of putting his own wants and desires aside for Jackie’s, but she sometimes has to assert herself more than once for him to do so.

During the end of season 4, unfortunately, he not only reverts back to type, he also becomes worse. He rescinds his remorse and gives Jackie the responsibility for his cheating. He speaks misogynistically about women and her, and is just generally awful. See my metas Jackie Kissing Todd “the Cheese Guy” and Kelso’s Reaction and False Equivalency: Kelso’s “Most Romantic Gesture” Toward Jackie for further analysis.

In season 5, Kelso reaches the peak of his self-entitled narcissism, selfishness, hypocrisy, and possessiveness over Jackie. He interprets Jackie dating Hyde as an act of betrayal and an attack on his pride and self-esteem. He seeks out revenge on both of them, even while trying to “win Jackie back” with the same kind of maliciousness he shows Jackie in season 2 when she doesn’t forgive his cheating within a week of her discovering it. 

Throughout the series, he makes unwanted sexual advances toward Donna. He tries to grope her breast repeatedly while she sleeps. He tries to sneak a glimpse of her breasts while she changes, and she’s so sick of his whining that she gives into what he wants (in “Class Picture” [4x20]). The writers intended this scene to be funny, but it’s actually horrific and parallels Jackie’s complaints about Kelso pawing at her and whining relentlessly for sex that she gives in so she can sleep.

He makes these numerous sexual advances on Donna when she’s in a relationship with Eric and when she and Eric are broken up. Yet he when he and Jackie are no longer together, he acts like Hyde has committed a crime against him for being in a consensual relationship with Jackie.

Without Ashton’s comedic timing and likability, Kelso would be unbearable to watch during seasons 1-5. Kelso is funny only because of Ashton’s performance.

But in season 6, Kelso gets another chance at a true character growth arc. He fights his selfish, cowardly tendencies to have a place in Brooke’s life and their child’s (whom hasn’t been born yet). He works hard to prove his ability to be a good father. and himself worthy of Brooke’s love. Even more, he makes an act of utter unselfishness and sacrifice by letting Brooke and their baby go  -- to live Chicago with Brooke’s mom -- because that’s what’s best for them, not him.

That being said, he still demonstrates an amount of selfishness toward his friends.

Season 7 again drops him back to status quo -- almost. Brooke is gone. He’s barely involved in his child’s life. He dates Hyde’s newfound sister, in part to burn Hyde. But at least he treats Angie with respect and is faithful to her, as far as we’re shown. So that part of his growth from season 6 stuck.

Throughout all the seasons, he’s shown to have a vast imagination. He fancies himself an inventor or an astronaut. He comes up with some wild -- and some might say insane -- ideas. He’s creative despite not being very skilled.

My Take: I generally write Kelso as a selfish, self-entitled narcissist because of when my T7S fics take place in the series. I also use his lack of common sense as comic relief. But I prefer the Kelso capable of growth and change, the one who is willing to put his own needs and desires aside for the benefit of other people. This latter characterization development has continued in @those70scomics​, and I’ve given him major growth arcs in my stories Reflections Through the Glass, Beneath a Shattered Sky, and Those Who Play with Demons (which I have yet to finish writing).

Eric

Eric has a compassionate heart. He cares about his family, his friends, and people in general. But he also suffers deep insecurities about his masculinity thanks to Red’s treatment of him. Eric is more in touch with his emotions, like his mother, and Red has trouble relating to him. Red also worries Eric might be too emotionally vulnerable to survive the real world, which is why he’s so hard on him (see “Hunting” [2x13]).

Because of modeling his dad gives him on masculinity, the clear messages that Eric isn’t masculine enough, and what he absorbs from observing how society expects men to behave, he suffers from bouts of chauvinism. Donna.is regularly the recipient of Eric’s insecurities about his manliness. He often feels threatened by her self-confidence, athletic ability, intelligence, etc. -- because she’s a woman and his best friend / girlfriend / fiancée. He falsely believes her strengths highlight his weaknesses as a man.

But he’s also patient and unselfish with Donna, putting aside his own sexual desires for her need to go slowly or for celibacy (in season 6). He’s supportive of her and all his family and friends, including Laurie and Jackie -- both of whom he has an antagonistic relationship with. He’s very loyal to his friends.

Eric uses sarcasm and his quick wit as defense mechanisms. Some might say he’s a little stunted in his growth due to his continued enjoyment of playing with action figures. He indulges at times in his mom’s infantilizing of him while also trying to assert his adulthood.

He has a specific vision for his future: marrying Donna and having a family with her. This vision, however, does not include a career. He doesn’t seem to be passionate about much else besides his relationship with Donna (and having sex with her) and Star Wars. This is a failing of the writers. Eric’s storylines are so Donna-focused that the show gives little space for what else he might be passionate about.

Eric is very much capable of recognizing, owning, and learning from his mistakes. He can be a total ass, but he eventually realizes his behavior and makes correction.

Donna

Donna is confident, athletic, intelligent, and a staunch defender of gender equality (when written consistently). She’s loyal to her friends. She often puts aside her own pride to protect Eric’s self-esteem. She gets angry at him almost only when he’s earned it. See In Defense of Donna (an essay in eight parts) for an in depth analysis on her relationship with Eric.

When she’s in severe emotional pain, she becomes self-destructive. Losing her relationship to Eric at the end of season 3 and her mom moving to California sends her into downward spiral. Earlier, we see this self-destructive trait in “Eric Gets Suspended” (2x09) when her parents pay little attention to her due to their obsession with the latest fads. 

Her parents’ lack of boundaries with her -- exposing her to their marital troubles and making her a pawn in them, as well as not hiding their sexcapades from her -- create a strong sense of boundaries within her.

The state of her parents’ relationship often influences her confidence in her relationship with Eric. She’s afraid sex will destroy her relationship with Eric; but once her parents renew their wedding vows, she has faith enough that romantic relationships can last that she finally feels safe enough to have sex.

She strongly values her independence. She doesn’t want her life and prospects dictated or limited by her romantic relationship with Eric. She witnesses how her dad’s controlling chauvinism stifles her mom’s own independence and dreams for herself, and she refuses to let Eric’s insecurity and chauvinism do that to her.

She’s passionate about writing, both journalistic and fiction, as well as music. She’s playful and forgiving. She doesn’t fit the gender norms of the 1970s. She’s as comfortable playing basketball with the guys as she is decorating a room or gymnasium for an event. She has a mixture of femininity and masculinity, which only Jackie seems to insult her about.

Jackie

At her core, Jackie is a compassionate, generous, and insightful person. She gives far more gifts to Kelso during their relationship than he does her -- despite her always stating how much she wants presents. She gives Donna lots of advice and support during Donna and Eric’s transition from friends to lovers. She continues to give Donna advice and support throughout the series about her love life.

But Jackie can also be very controlling, insulting, and selfish. She’s quite vain, but she’s also insecure about all she acts secure about. See Does Jackie Become Less Insecure about Her Physical Appearance when She Dates Hyde? If So, Why? 

Jackie has abandonment issues because of her parents. Her father isn’t home a lot and often shows his love for her through presents. The latter is why she wants / expects to get gifts from her boyfriend(s). She develops a marriage obsession out of wanting a guarantee she won’t be abandoned by her romantic partner, despite that marriage doesn’t actually guarantee this.

She also has a tendency toward self-delusion. She so needs Kelso to be whom she wants him to be that she goes into denial about his infidelity and all the negative qualities of his I described above. Eventually that delusion is broken, only to be replaced by delusions about Hyde. She transfers her feelings of (relationship-)safety from Kelso to Hyde.

Only when Kelso breaks her heart for the final time at the end of season 4 does she break out of this delusion cycle. She fantasizes about what her future with Hyde might be like, but that isn’t the same as deluding herself. Plus, Hyde consistently disabuses her of these unrealistic fantasies and offers her a much healthier and happier potential reality.

Once she’s with Hyde in season 5, she begins growing and changing significantly. Instead of complaining of her suffering as she does, for instance, during her S2-S3 break-up with Kelso, she hides the fact her mom has completely abandoned her after her dad goes to prison. She tells no one her mom hasn’t come home from Mexico.

This is not one of the healthier changes she makes in season 5, but fantasizing away her pain no longer works as a defense mechanism. Instead, she believes she has to face her struggles alone. Fortunately, Hyde discovers the truth and gives her a safe place and, in a very real way, becomes a literal safe place for her himself. (The writers screwed this up for the sake of a season-ending cliffhanger, but that’s beyond the scope of this meta.)

Jackie can be stubborn and determined. She wants what’s best for the people she loves, especially Hyde. She’s extremely forgiving. She doesn’t trust her ability to take care of herself, but she learns that she can (through getting a job, Hyde’s encouragement, her public access TV show, etc.)

She’s a complex character. When people don’t look beyond her surface, they find her easily dismissible. The writers too often wrote her this way during the series. But they also added many layers to her, as I’ve described in this meta.

Hyde

See the following metas I wrote about him:

Hyde’s Core Characterization Steven Hyde: Organic Character Development Steven Hyde: Inconsistent Characterization Hyde’s Character Shift from Season 4 to Season 5 Why Hyde Closes Himself Off More Emotionally in Season 5 Pathological Passive-Aggressiveness: A New Personality Trait Added to Hyde’s Character in Season 5 Hyde’s Potential Career

[jacksjoke]

The Gifted Class’ Potentials Breakdown/Meta

(What we know so far)

PAWARET “PANG” SERMRITTIRONG (20/09/2002)

Mind control i.e. he can “compel someone to do whatever he wishes through physical contact with the subject and feeling their heartbeat” (x). As he develops his Potential, he is also able to control others without touch and only his voice.

Stems from his leadership qualities and natural charisma that makes him likable, trustworthy

WASUTHORN “WAVE” WORACHOTMETHEE (26/11/2002)

Technopathy i.e. can “control and manipulate electronic machines through contact” (x)

Stems from “his advanced skills in mathematics, computers, and programming” (x)

CHAYANIT “NAMTAAN” PRACHKARIT (15/05/2003)

Psychometry i.e. she can “see or hear associated events on an object through contact” (x)

“Retro-cognition, an ability to see a person’s or object’s past through touch” (x)

Stems from her naturally curious and intuitive nature (what Claire refers to as ‘nosy’)

Ability to use her Gift is affected by her having primary hypertension, which flares up when she is stressed and can cause her to have seizures and/or send her into a coma, cardiac arrest, or kill her.

WICHAI “OHM” SAI-NGERN (14/06/2002)

“Can make himself invisible, and can make objects (including humans) disappear and bring them back again by will.” (x) With this, he sends objects or people into a dimension between theirs and the next until he wills them back into this world. this ability therefore includes teleportation of himself and others.

Will get a nosebleed if he uses his power for something relatively big, especially transporting people

Stems from his absent-mindedness and ability to frequently lose things

THANAKORN “KORN” GORBGOON (25/07/2002)

“Remain awake for days without getting sleepy or fatigued” (x) so he doesn’t necessarily require sleep.

Presumably stemmed from his creative mind that is usually restless with ideas, but his abilities come also from anxiety and his relentless drive to finish what he starts

Because he doesn’t feel tired because of this ability, he can’t be knocked out by gas or other such chemicals. They would cause internal damage over time of excessive inhalation, of course, but he wouldn’t be knocked out by them. This can be seen in episode 5 when he uses the gas in the storage room to knock out the gang but he isn’t visibly affected.

Korn is also, as far as we’ve seen, basically un-killable because he survived a stories-high drop from the top of a building with only a few bruises.

IRIN “CLAIRE” JARUSPHAN (21/08/2002)

“Synesthesia, a synesthete is a one who can see a person's aura and associate the color of the aura with a certain kind of emotion” (x)

Blue aura for sadness; violet aura for guilt or fear; pink aura for joy; red aura for anger or curiosity, yellow for fulfillment, etc. (x)

Her eyes ache when she use her potential excessively, which limits her in using her ability on its full extent (x)

Stems from “her passion for acting - an art that requires skill on conveying different emotions” but also being able to read the audience (x)

PUNN TAWEESILP (26/11/2002)

“Imitate or copy a skill by watching or studying only once” (x). In pushing the limits of his Potential, Punn has learned that he can memorise not only basic skills but the Potentials of his Gifted peers as well.

Because of this, Punn developed four different personalities on top of himself: “first, the leader; second, the paranoid; third, the rageous; and fourth, the dark one, who usually shows up when the rest of the personalities fight or debate each other” (x)

He has multiple personality disorder that he can keep under control if he doesn’t memorise any more skills too often and doesn’t put too much pressure on himself

Stems from “his being a perfectionist, being an achiever, and eagerness in learning different things” (x)

PATCHAMON “MON” PITIWONGKORN (18/07/2002)

“Superhuman strength with enhanced agility, dexterity, and coordination” (x)

“Her body produces pheromones that are excreted through her bodily fluids (sweat, tears, etc.) and can cause a person to turn insane or violent” (x)

Stems from her “passion for sports” (x)

CHANUJ “JACK” SAELIU and CHANET “JO” SAELIU (08/09/2002)

“Respond to stimuli in sync” (x) and they can also communicate through their minds, like they’re on the phone with the other. Basically, telepathy.

Stems from their shared love for chemistry (x)

If one is hit over the head, the other feels it (seen in T.G. episode 12). If one eats ramen, the other will feel full too (seen in T.G.G. episode 2).

PORAMA ‘POM’ WONGRATTANA

“Memory manipulation which enables him to erase memories, first by putting the subject in hypnosis using sound with a regular tempo (through a metronome) and snapping his fingers, and second by touching the subject's head while it is in hypnotic state. He is also able to both erase and restore his own memories” (x)

Stems from “his [natural] ability to memorize many details” and be a good studier/test taker (x)

CHANON ‘NON’ TAWEEPONG

“High-accuracy calculation” (x)

Stems from “his passion for astronomy” (x)

DR. SUPOT CHUEAMANEE

“The same, but stronger and evolved, mind control power as Pang” (x) such as he can control people’s minds without having to touch them

Stems from his “strong belief in a society where the strong leads the weaker or inferior ones,” charisma and leadership qualities (x)

“Because he and Pang have the same power, they cannot use their powers against each other” (x)

[redteabaron]

Sansa and the (yellow brick) road home

The movie The Wizard of Oz follows along the general theme most heroes/heroines do; the journey to the inner self, at times in relation with the outer world. (The book by Baum, and by relation the movie, has racist/xenophobic/nationalist undertones and implications that continue and multiply through the text that I’m just not going to include here since this meta is already too long and I’m also not going to include the political or Baum’s personal symbolism in these things.) 

I’m going to go off on a limb and assume mostly everyone knows the general summary of TWOO and not summarize it, if not, the wiki on the movie itself is pretty comprehensive. Below, instead of a short novel describing all the possible references and parallels found, I’ll just be using summarized points about how Sansa fills in for Dorothy Gale on her road home.

Red shoes - Red in the film, as that’s what I’m focusing on rather than the silver ones in the book since that was all about the free silver movement. Red for women and girls in a lot of fairy tales often represents the path onto adulthood, particularly connected to menstruation, which isn’t an enormous part of Sansa’s arc but it does get quite a few notable mentions (usually from gross people concerned with her ability to produce heirs). Sansa, like Dorothy, only gains her “red shoes” once she leaves home (that is, setting her on a path to metamorphosis and growing up). The “red shoes” symbolize things Sansa possesses that people, envy, admire or desire for their own. Sansa’s red shoes represent womanhood, agency over self, beauty, intelligence, her kindness and compassion. 

Sepia colors to technicolor in the film/Kansas to Oz - This transition from little to no color to places where it becomes a feast for the eyes (from the north to the south) represents Dorothy’s and Sansa’s feelings toward their respective homes and the places of their desires. Sansa yearns for something else, something different and southron because that is the place all the songs and tales are about. The north, as reiterated by numerous characters both northern and southron, is a hard, harsh place that has little beauty. Sansa, like Dorothy, feels unfulfilled and out of place in her home. She doesn’t explicitly state how out of place she feels in the north like Jon and Arya, but there is the implication that at least within her family she is out of place (perhaps with the exception of Bran who wants knighthood, loves songs and stories like his sister and doesn’t stick his nose up in the air at the fact that Sansa prefers the ones with ladies or love). King’s Landing is her land of Oz, a place of magic and possibility like all the songs, it’s a world of technicolor and danger.

Yellow Brick Road - The yellow brick road is just that; a road on which Dorothy needs to follow to meet with the wizard of Oz, and most importantly the journey she must undertake to go home, and Dorothy does want to go home, she misses it even in this enchanting land that seems to be everything she first wanted. Like Dorothy, Sansa wants to go home after briefly being in the place where dreams are supposed to be a reality (all the stories can’t be lies) and this beautiful place has more danger than she’d realized; Sansa’s yellow brick road is a sight more twisted and unclear with far fewer friends and guarantees of safety. Dorothy is told to stay on the Yellow Brick Road to find her way to her ticket home (the Great Oz), otherwise she’ll run into danger. 

Sansa’s metaphorical ‘Yellow Brick Road’ is her role as a ‘pawn’ in the game of thrones; she has to play within the rules others make for her and outliving them, or she will have no other recourse for survival. 

Toto - Toto is Lady; the animal in a fairy tale setting that is something unknown in a child, yet to be understood or tamed. Toto was Dorothy’s playmate, constant companion, and likely her confidante, and undoubtedly although Toto didn’t have a large part to play directly in TWOO, he set off the events to occur the way they did for Dorothy throughout her time in Oz and in Kansas, but at least she had the comfort that he was there with her throughout it all. Toto is symbolic of a natural gut instinct (his hatred of Miss Gulch, where Lady hates the Hound) and the one who uncovers things normally concealed (again, Lady’s dislike of the Hound despite being the gentlest of her siblings). 

Lady, like Toto, sets off a chain of events for Sansa personally, but Sansa doesn’t have the comfort of Lady being there with her. Here, Lady is the unknown part of Sansa (that functions as her gut feeling, portrays her true self yet to be realized) but ultimately she, a part of Sansa, is killed by Ned at the behest of Cersei (also featuring Robert once again turning aside something unjust and gruesome for an easier solution). 

It brings Toto escaping from the Wicked Witch of the West in a harsher light. Dorothy’s tearful happiness that Toto escapes alive even while she’s captured and her life is in danger … yet Sansa is in danger and Lady is dead, only alive briefly in her dreams. Toto represents a part of Dorothy that manages to escape the worst of the punishment, yet a part of Sansa is already dead, spiritually, at this point. With Robb’s death and his last words being Grey Wind, we can assume there is no ‘getting a new direwolf’ or just simply recovering from the death of their direwolf. 

The Twister - Ned Stark and Robert Baratheon uproot Winterfell and the Seven Kingdoms unintentionally. By accepting the position of Hand, Ned paved the way for her journey there. Later the deaths of Ned Stark and Robert Baratheon, Sansa is trapped in King’s Landing/the Vale (“Oz”). Robert is the Twister and once in King’s Landing, Ned is the locked cellar, essentially leaving her out in the open in danger as he doesn’t share his worries with Sansa. He deliberately leaves her as the odd man out while he manages to speak with Arya about the situation and at least makes her aware that there is danger. 

Poppy field - The allure of giving up and wasting away; in TWOO these lovely, deadly flowers cause those who breathe in their sweet scent to lay down and fall asleep until their death. The poppy field represents apathy and surrender during difficult times, and similarly this makes its appearance for Sansa who abides by all the rules of her captors (people who have harmed her, her family, her home, etc) - but she only succumbs to this from a certain perspective. Sansa hasn’t fallen asleep and succumbed to her metaphorical poppy field, she is, in effect, lucid dreaming. Dreaming while aware, even if she must stay in the dream so she can survive. She’s giving everyone around her the illusion that she is trapped in her “dream”, that she is “Sleeping Beauty” while she continues to learn, adapt, and observe.

Dorothy has three companions that remain with her on her journey that all want the great wizard to give them something they feel they lack. While in the book/film, it’s clear they’re still good people and not without their positive traits, everyone focuses on what they lack across the board. In the sections below, I’ll be using commonalities found in the (unwanted) “suitors” of Sansa on her journey where they too focus on their negative traits, or are the inverted intentions of Dorothy’s companions.

Tin Man/Tyrion Lannister/Sandor Clegane - Men of sympathetic circumstance and who want to be wanted as they are, or desire to be loved/objects of desire and are understood among others as not having a heart or not able to.

Both Sandor and Tyrion project their feelings of rejection from society and in particular women, noblewomen, and lust onto Sansa (a child, a prisoner of war and an easy, isolated target). They are the most selfish form of desire for the Tin Man’s want for a heart; where the Tin Man desired a heart for the purpose of loving others and everything (although he finds later he never needed a physical heart because he was good and loving all along) Tyrion and Sandor desire a heart from someone else for themselves.

They’re who are typically the ones we want to root for as the underdogs who get their just rewards as they have been abused in their positions or misfortunes in life, but they ultimately fall short because they are simply awful and have built up these defenses and use them against Sansa despite being positions where they could have proven to be the ‘knights’ she yearns for (barring the enormous age gaps which inherently leaves these matches undesirable anyway). 

While Sandor’s backstory regarding his abuse at the hands of his brother are awful, he himself enacts abuse on others - the murder of Mycah, him relaying regret for not raping Sansa when he had the chance (whether or not he meant it, she was a child and it’s an awful thing to regret not doing), and his participation in the unkiss as well as verbally abusing her and gaslighting Sansa. Yet he wants kindness and some sort of love or affection from her regardless of his treatment of her. She sings the Mother’s Hymn for him during the Battle of Blackwater Bay, in a way, giving him some form of (her) heart although that wasn’t what she’d intended to do (she misremembers the trauma so we can assume she was terrified), it can be inferred that Sandor got something from her that he wanted (subconsciously or not). 

Similarly, we have sympathy for Tyrion because although he is highborn, he still faces constant mockery, obstacles, verbal and physical abuse due to his disability and looks. However, he still wants to be lord of Winterfell and he wants Sansa (who he finds himself attracted to) - girl or woman-child or whatever she is. Tywin could have married her off to a Lannister cousin, so Tyrion does have the choice to pass her up, but he chooses to go forward with the marriage and even prepares to take her against her consent (where he molests her and says he could be the Knight of Flowers in the dark; essentially telling her to lie to herself about how she felt about him and the situation) but stops after he feels guilty. Tyrion could have been sympathetic because he isn’t without his soft spots (see his conversation with Jon Snow, his consideration for Bran, etc) but he again falls short. He wants love and affection - but he has rather exacting standards, the same thing that infuriated him about Sansa not finding him attractive.

Like the Tin Man it isn’t that they have no heart. Unlike the Tin Man, however, for Sandor and Tyrion, it’s simply that most of that heart shown consists of selfishness and self-centeredness. Sandor might immediately cop to it and never attempts to hide it, but he tries to bring every man down to his level by saying how awful everyone is, everywhere. Tyrion meanwhile may be capable of kindness, but he shows that he is easy to offend when it is rebuffed or denied, as though he expects payment for such a thing.

Cowardly Lion/Ser Dontos/Joffrey - Characters who have the titles of courtly images; Joffrey is a prince, then a golden king. Ser Dontos is a named knight. Both have the roles in songs and stories where the expected virtues would include courage, grace, humility, honor, etc but ultimately do not have these things even if they have the appropriate titles. 

In TWOO, the Cowardly Lion presents a falsehood or an oxymoron (after all, how can the king of all beasts be a coward?). Joffrey and Dontos do the same. (How can a king be cruel, how can a knight not have dignity, etc). Sansa’s attachment and adherence to songs/stories isn’t really all that different from any of the ideas the Stark kids have about their favorite stories, but in her journey specifically, we see her unraveling popular propaganda in Westerosi high society; she even makes comparisons in her inner monologues. 

Where the virtues of kings and knights are meant to be shown, we see her expectations fall very short of what the title is meant to indicate about the character of the people who hold them.

In both Joffrey and Dontos, they lack these qualities even if we, Sansa, may briefly hold out hope for the better (where Joffrey immediately kills that by suddenly having Ned executed, where Dontos sells her off to Littlefinger despite trying to play her Florian). In particular, Ser Dontos ultimately fails as the CW because he says he wants Sansa to be safe, to be her Florian, but isn’t truthful with her about it, yet he wants to reap the reward for it. Joffrey believes himself to have these qualities but is often called out on it by other characters, playing the CW in the beginning who immediately attacks the Tin Man, seemingly unaware of his lack of character. 

In TWOO Dorothy says she’ll miss everyone, but she’ll miss the Scarecrow most of all; below the characters I associate with the Scarecrow are the ones who Sansa might be able to more easily pick out traits (or trick herself into seeing more good than exists) she is most comfortable with (one of the characters below is most obviously not “safe” or the one she has the most affection for, but rather the one she tries very hard, due to her current dependency on him, to project or emphasize what he’s “done for” her). 

Scarecrow/Petyr Baelish/Harry the Heir/Ser Loras - Characters shown or believed to be less intelligent, without depth, or even overrated. They are stuffed with straw, padded with nothing of substance in a person.

Briefly starting with Ser Loras, I included him specifically because even though Sansa has a little crush on him, she quickly realizes that he never had interest in her, and didn’t remember giving her the rose even though it was the highlight of her day when he did. This is an indication to Sansa she doesn’t know him even though she daydreamed about him. She doesn’t truly know him, is what she realizes and he doesn’t know her despite the implicit belief that love or affection can be found and trusted at first sight. He was handsome, seemingly knightly, dreamy, and he turned out to be no one who would have any consequence for her.

Harry the Heir, we don’t know much about as a person beyond the basics. He has one illegitimate child and is currently courting Saffron, who is pregnant with his second illegitimate child. He is a knight. He’s Robert Arryn’s heir. There’s the idea that he’s quite good at knightly actions (jousting, swordplay, horsemanship, etc) and likely indications that he is a little egotistical. From the released chapters of Alayne we’ve seen, he does apologize for his rudeness, but I don’t believe he’ll be around long enough for us to explore his person. Our understanding of him, and I believe Alayne’s/Sansa’s understanding of him will be one of pity, knowing his fate, but ultimately we won’t know him enough for it to be particularly impactful save for how his death will affect Sansa’s actions. 

To that end, Harry has every possibility of being a better suitor than the others that have sold themselves as her beaus, but it won’t last. Where we read that Ser Loras didn’t remember Sansa or seem to care or was invested in her, we’ll see that ultimately Harry is another, if newer scarecrow; ultimately a character of seemingly goodwill, or at least one who won’t wish her harm, but will fall flat by not having substance or not be allowed the time to develop much. 

Admittedly, Petyr as the Wicked Witch of the West is also fitting, but considering we are constantly told in text how dangerous he is forces him to the forefront of our minds as this terrifying endgame boogeyman. Since asoiaf likes to have little twists and turns and defy immediate expectations, he isn’t likely so important to the final fate of Westeros, and by extension, Sansa’s fate. His biggest impact will be having spirited her away to the Vale and keeping her under lock. To that end, he is (one of) the Scarecrow(s) in Sansa’s journey. 

The whole “I’ll miss you most of all, Scarecrow” here applies to Petyr. Not that he represents a positive point in Sansa’s journey home, but he does represent safety, even though it comes at a price. (Where he tells her to call him Father, where he molests her, gaslights her, verbally and psychologically abuses her and she forces herself to dissociate, ultimately piling on the trauma). 

Petyr isn’t stupid, or without a brain, but he is overconfident in his mind, to the end that he will make huge missteps he won’t have accounted for (Jeyne at Winterfell, not thinking Sansa will be capable of fleeing or thinking for herself, believing he knew everything that happened after the Red Wedding, doubting Dany is a dangerous element, underestimating Aegon, etc) despite giving Sansa similar warnings (all while believing she would be too stupid or naive to heed them). He, like the Scarecrow, is a planner but ultimately he will meet an anticlimactic death. He, and numerous other characters, sell the idea (very loudly) that there is more to him than there appears, that he has great depths, that he is one of the most dangerous men in Westeros.

That isn’t to say he isn’t dangerous - he obviously is. He kicked off a violent war, arranged for the deaths of numerous people, has quite a lot of money and power (although he doesn’t have a name with weight). It’s just that with every person who announces how dangerous he is, we’ll see in Sansa’s journey when we see him as his truest self, stripped of his gold and power we will see nothing. He has no great depths to plumb beyond his own ambitions.

He is the Scarecrow who already found his “brain” (where Petyr already has the lesson that his strength is his mind), yet in the end, is still a scarecrow. Just the form of a man filled with straw.

Wicked Witch of the West/Cersei - The ever present danger that never loses focus on Sansa, seemingly magically out of reach from danger to Sansa’s eyes. Cersei, in a way, is this insurmountable force to Sansa; she is the purest form of danger that exists and it’s why Sansa has no choice but to hide and trust that Littlefinger will keep her concealed.  

Cersei blames Tyrion and Sansa for Joffrey’s death, and especially has a grudge against Sansa for her “red shoes” (her name, her agency, her womanhood, children, beauty, etc, we see her reference snidely about Sansa’s qualities whenever she talks/thinks about her) (see above for what Sansa’s red shoes are) and the action she believes she is responsible for. She has multiple hangers on as Queen Regent (flying monkeys who do her bidding). 

She, from Sansa’s point of view, has all this power and represents someone who can’t be stopped (we see the same thing with Dorothy and the WWW), but yet the Witch dies easily. In TWOO, she’s melted by a bucket of water Dorothy accidentally spills on her. I think this may be an indication that Sansa may have another indirect hand in her death (indirect as with the Purple Wedding), perhaps letting some information she gives be used against Cersei, or something. But ultimately, Cersei, like the Wicked Witch of the West won’t have a particularly “onscreen” death (she’ll likely die in King’s Landing, either by Jaime’s hand, or indirectly through Tyrion when Dany burns it).  

Oz/Man behind the curtain - The songs and tales of Westeros that conceal the darker truths that exist behind what power means; a means of propaganda that Sansa is forced to unveil on her own. While all the Starks learn a lot more about people, the world, truth and lies, politics, etc Sansa’s position in court leads her to pay a lot more attention to what people don’t say. She also develops a deeper understanding of how what she believed came to actually be. She has to learn how to weed out the domino effect stories and songs have, even though at their core they can be appreciated (for instance, that honor and nobility are good things, even if the song/tale about the person isn’t someone who realistically practiced it). 

This saturates court culture across the world, although her focus is on Westeros, but we know that this isn’t just a southron issue; this exists in the north, across the Narrow Sea, within Houses, legacies, and even singular people.