#more of ivan backstory

[i-am-trying-my-best-okay]

Attempting To Analyze Luka And Till To Try And Figure Out How Round Seven Will Go

LUKA:

From what we've seen of him, while he knows how to manipulate people's emotions, doesn't quite know how to understand them and process them. We see this as far back from when he was a kid, when he and Hyuna's brother would get into fights, and he would use his frailty as an excuse to go running to Hyuna for her to defend him; it's an excuse to get her attention, to get her to side with him against her brother. This probably made him feel good, like she placed him above her brother, even if it was momentarily.

However, this strategy came crashing down when he went too far, when he killed her brother. Perhaps this was an accident, just him being too frustrated that day, him going to far, and he didn't realize it till too late. Even so, it was fine, he just needed to present himself as the victim to Hyuna like he usually did. What he didn't anticipate, was Hyuna's complete horror and rejection of him.

Now, we don't know when exactly Hyuna ran away and went rouge, but it couldn't have been right away; also, if we're going on what we saw that one time with Hyuna still having cuffs when she was an adult, then it wouldn't be till many years later. The aliens wouldn't have put Hyuna in a different group or anything; even if she did somehow try and plead a case that she was worried for her safety or something, they'd take one look at little prized Luka and be like 'nah he's harmless; that stunt with your brother was in self defense', basically not caring at all about Hyun Woo dying at all; he wasn't as profitable as Luka. It helps that Luka is so sickly; it helps with him getting out of any actual punishment on the rare occasion he slips up. And so, in the aftermath, Hyuna and Luka still had to interact with each other everyday for the remainder of their training in childhood.

Now, to backtrack, for Luka's backstory, this is more speculation than anything. But from what I can tell, he's always had a camera in his face, some sort of eyes on him looking for media entertainment. Even before he's been properly trained, we saw that small scene of him as a child with a bunch of aliens crowding him, eyes on him, and him just looking so tired from it. I'm assuming that he was either breed and born for being a singer, or he was clocked at a very early age. Either way, he started getting media attention from before he was even put into training with others. It's in this, that Luka formed his understanding of interactions; it's performative, doing whatever the aliens want out of him for their entertainment, he learns that he needs to do certain things in order to get a positive reaction out of the aliens. It's what he needs to do to survive, all he's been trained to do really. From this all he knows about socializing is how to get an emotional response out of someone, a completely hollowed understanding of how emotions work.

And then he was put into training with other humans, which is likely the first time he's actually put with other humans. He's ostracized; he's seen as sort of 'other', since he's leagues ahead of the other humans who've barely started properly learning and he's been trained for this since forever. Also, the other humans likely have been around other humans before, meanwhile we have Luka over here who as none of the common social ques that humans have. Basically; he's never been treated like an equal before, he only knows the dehumanization dynamic from aliens, who just want him to perform. But with his group, their not asking him to perform, so he essentially ignores them, thinking that's all an interaction is. That's when Hyuna comes in; she feels like the sort of person to see how Luka is put on the outside of the group for being strange, and doggedly tries to become friends with him, despite his initial disinterest. It's through this, that Luka forms an obsession with Hyuna, his first friend, the first living being that doesn't demand anything from him. He can relax around her, do weird shit like chew on his sleeve if he feels like it and she doesn't mind, doesn't have to mask a response. He actually has positive feelings himself when he's around Hyuna, something he's not really used to. But despite this, Luka still has a dysfunctional idea of how emotions are, and really likes Hyuna, so he wants to get a positive out of her, so he still tries to do things he knows will get that out of her, like that thing with her brother.

Now, back to Hyuna now being horrified of Luka, he really doesn't know what to do with this. He tries to fix it, do every trick he knows to get a positive response from her, try to get her forgiveness, but nothing was working, and he doesn't understand why, and he's getting increasingly and dangerously frustrated. Luka is not use to getting a negative response, and I think it's through this that he really learns what that's like. So, I think to ward off his frustration, he tests getting negative responses from his fellow humans, particularly his opponents. It's through this, that he finds out how useful that can be, a more secure way to survive. As the years go by, Luka gets all the better at manipulating others emotions, and it's through this that he understands why Hyuna still won't forgive him, despite his understanding of these emotions being very clinical. Because of this, he knows how to try and better manipulate Hyuna into forgiving him, so much so that it actually starts messing with Hyuna's head. She emotionally begins to be swayed into forgiving him, but rationally she doesn't want to, and it gives her a whole complex of what she knows what she wants to feel versus what Luka is manipulating her to feel. But she ends up running away from the aliens before Luka could completely manipulate her.

When she runs away, Luka falls into a spiraling depression. The one person he's ever loved is gone, the one person who made him feel anything. From this, he dives into his work, trying to glean any sort of joy from manipulating negative responses from his competitor's to make them mess up, turning it into a sort of game at this point. It becomes his only defense against the constant eyes on him from the aliens, the constant and disgustingly dehumanizing attention that has choked him ever since he could remember. Luka folds further and further into himself, burying whatever sliver of humanity he felt with Hyuna. However, he follows very closely the revolution movement that's happening, knowing for a fact Hyuna would join (or start?) the group. The aliens likely have covered up this revolution, especially from the humans so they won't get any ideas, but with Luka being Luka, he likely has the influence to get some insider information whenever he can, causally eavesdropping on important alien figures talking about it while he sings for them. Whatever the case, no matter how much time has passed, Hyuna haunts him just as much as he haunts Hyuna. And even after all this time, he still doesn't hold the proper remorse of murdering her brother or trying to manipulate her into forgiving him, just regretting the results.

TILL:

From what I can try to glean from Till's past, it's littered in violence from the aliens. I can see there being a sort of cycle with Till; he does something that his alien owners lightly punish him for, which puts him on the defense and gets violent, which in turn makes the alien's get violent and try to restrain, which makes Till get even more violent, and so on. The aliens viewed him as sort of this feral dog, completely untrainable, moving him from home to home, shelter to shelter. They try all their methods they have to make him 'submit', but each and every time he simply refuses.

I sort of have this theory that Till didn't start out as someone with an owner, or someone who was even regulated by an alien in a adoption facility or something; he used to live on the streets, completely unmanaged, which is very rare for humans. Maybe he even had other stray humans he hung around, or maybe he managed on his own. Either way, eventually he gets captured by the aliens, and maybe his fellow stray humans get captured and broken down or killed in this. The aliens try to integrate Till into their human pet system, but he's just not having it. He wasn't trained by aliens since birth to act a certain way, which would explain his intense resistance towards them. He sees the situation for what it is, how humans being put in such a degrading and dehumanizing dynamic is wrong, and it makes him angry to be expected to put up with it. It makes him especially angry that his fellow humans expect him to go along with this dehumanization, just to keep the waters calm. Because even the humans that have sort of realized that this is wrong, were still trained under this system, and has just accepted that they need to live with it, and Till won't. They all act like he's crazy, aliens and humans alike, but Till refuses to give in.

Whatever the case, Till proves to show constant resilience, something that probably was having him set up to be on track for being 'put down', having no worth as a 'pet'. Till knew this, but it just made him push even harder, fight back harder. We see in a few flashes of Till be experimented on with syringes; possibly in an effort to make him calmer. This was probably something that happened before and after he became a singer. Even then, physically and biologically abused, he refuses to go along with this system, to try and hold on to any sense of autonomy he has even as they try to restrain and degrade it. And all this fighting does take a toll on Till; we see it in the heavy bags under his eyes, but even so, he keeps going. You know, unironically, I think Till is the embodiment of the term "the indomitable human spirit"; he just absolutely refuses to be cowed for the sake of an easier survival.

I think what kept him from being 'put down' was when it was discovered he had a talent for singing. I don't know how this was discovered; maybe Till was just bored and entertaining himself with singing or strumming a guitar, or maybe they had him tested for a talent before the decided to kill him just in case he had any sort of monetary worth. Once they figured out he had a talent, he was shipped off to be the Anact Garden's problem.

Now, Till, at his core, is an extremely protective person; it's actually kind of insane. Once he decides something is 'his', he tightly holds onto and protects it with everything he has. We see this time and time again; deciding to be the sole protector of the flowers and encouraging them to grow, literally beating someone up if they stepped on them. Following Mizi around just in case she would need help, and one day she did, and she didn't hesitate to run into that cave and fight off whatever monster she had stumbled upon, literally just some child squaring up against some mutated beast (or possibly striking a deal with it? we didn't see the whole thing. either way whatever he did must have been a huge deal because it literally changed Ivan's life). He doesn't even care if Mizi loves Sua and that she'll never love him; he just wants her to be safe and happy. And in defending Ivan as well, cause he was a weird kid, and I know Till would go from snarling at Ivan to snarling at another kid who's making fun of Ivan. And that's why he fights so hard for his own rights and autonomy as well, because he's protective of his own sense of self, refusing to let go of it. His protective instincts are his main motivation for basically all of his actions, all of his supposed feral behavior.

It's probably this that trait that drew Ivan to Till in the first place; his and Till's first interaction was Till beating him up over some flowers. It kind of looked like Ivan felt alive for possibly the first time in his life during that fight. I bet afterwards, if Ivan were to question Till on it, Till wouldn't even understand the point of the question; like of course he would defend the flowers till his last dying breath? Duh? Don't be a dick? Ivan probably followed Till around all the time, but I imagine the reason Till didn't form as close a connection to Ivan was because Till sees Ivan as just another source of violence in his life he needs to fight against. It's why he probably developed such a crush on Mizi; Till is drawn to kindness more than anything, to softness. It's why he forms a connection to the flowers, to Mizi. He can't see the kindness in Ivan, not till it's too late.

It's probably those protective instincts that made him turn back when Ivan was trying to get him to run away; of course he wanted to run away. But then he thought of Mizi, left unprotected. And then he considered Ivan, who upon running away, would also be left unprotected out in the world. His need to protect was being torn at, and in the end, he chose Mizi, leaving Ivan to fend for himself. What he didn't expect, was to see that Ivan came back too. That's when Till truly stopped seeing Ivan; his guilt didn't allow him to. He feels like he abandoned him, thrown him aside what he feels he needs to protect, forced him to come back to the facility, and now Till can't look him in the eye.

Honestly, I think it's these protective instincts that serve in his break down after Mizi left. He feels like he failed in protecting her, and not only that, he feels like there's nothing left for him to protect. He'd already thrown away the idea of protecting himself when he was entered into this competition, only motivated to protect himself to get far enough to go against Mizi in the final round, in which he was going to throw the round so that she could live. He completely threw away any protective instinct for his own survival, having accepted that at the beginning of this competition, because those he loves will always come first, and he and Mizi both couldn't survive, so really it was a no brainer for him. But now Mizi is gone, and he doesn't know how to get that desire to protect himself back, can't find the motivation for it. And so, going up against Ivan, all of the years of constantly fighting are just coming to get him, and he's just so tired. With nothing left, he was just going to throw the match. And then Ivan comes up and starts kissing him, which catches Till completely off guard. But then Ivan starts choking him before Till could process what that meant, and this made a lot more sense to him. Ivan killing him on stage lines up with everything he thinks Ivan to be; just another source of violence, and he's going to let him. But then he realizes what's actually going on, and it all clicks into place for him; Ivan loved him. Ivan had a whole inner world Till never knew because he decided to look away. And Ivan was something Till still had left to protect, but now he was gone. And all he has left to protect is the sacrifice Ivan left behind; himself.

TOGETHER:

It's unlikely these two have ever really met before; they were in different age groups when they were being trained as kids, and given their extremely different vibes it's unlikely they'd be asked to perform together or even be asked for from the same clients. So this competition is likely the first time they've met. Having never really met, what they currently think of each other is Till thinking Luka "is a dick who messed with Mizi and kisses up to the audience", and Luka thinks of Till as "an idiot who will go unhinged at the drop of a hat and has no sense of his own self preservation".

Till finds the motivation to want to survive, for Ivan's sake. He wants to protect Ivan's cause for dying, almost like he wants to make up for not properly seeing him over the years, for tossing him aside and not protecting him. Bro's got a whole complex he'll work on for the rest of his life, but right now it's really motivating him to win, so at least there's that.

It would be really easy for Luka get a negative reaction out of Till; he's very reactive to things. But I think Luka will fail in getting the right kind of reactions out of Till. Typically, when he backs his competitors into a corner, they feel too much turmoil to properly sing. But that's the thing with Till; he's reactive. If Luka pushes him physiologically, his response won't be to shut down, it'll probably motivate him to sing even better, try to sing over Luka out of spite. So Luka's best bet is to try and provoke Till into violence, and it'll prove a challenge for Till who probably already hates this guy for giving Mizi a breakdown. I bet for the entire round Till will have to try so hard not to beat this guy up, to push all his aggressive energy into the performance, but it's so clear how much he just wants to murder this man, leaving the crowd and the guards on pins and needles.

Till's normal style of competing seems to be singing over his opponents, making sure they have absolutely no time to collect themselves. It's kind of funny, how both Till and Luka's strategy is just to make the other one look worse. But Luka has a lot of experience with making the crowd like him, so he throws tricks at Till he wouldn't be expecting, somehow blending the performances perfectly. But Till has never been one to stick to the script, so I can imagine him just playing a wildly different tune, trying to force Luka to change lanes again and again, seeing if he can keep up. In the end, this isn't a performance; it's a fight, a tug of war for the spotlight.

On another point, I wonder if Till will accidently remind Luka of Hyuna; she was obviously a rebel herself, given her whole thing of going to go join a revolution, so I wonder if at some point in the performance Luka will see a bit of Hyuna in Till, and it'll cause some faulter. It's kind of funny; Luka will on purpose psychologically torment Till with those that he lost, and Till will accidently psychologically torment Luka with the one that he lost.

Really, them competing with each other is sort of like a round of chicken, seeing who will crack first. But of course, all this could be for naught when we thrown in these two uncontrollable elements; Hyuna and Mizi. They're here, at the facility, and they're in trouble. This is something both of them will deeply care about, and it's unclear how it'll factor in. I wonder, if at some point during the performance the two of them will realize Hyuna and Mizi's situation, and give each other a look, like they're saying to each other "okay fuck you and all but we've got to help them", and then their battle turns into a weird sort of temporary alliance. Maybe they try to distract the aliens with their performance or start actually fighting. Maybe they do some sort of weird complicated dance move that's made to break the power and to make it easier for Hyuna and Mizi to get away. Maybe they just say 'fuck it' and run off the stage together, going to help the other two and have them all escape. Either way, I think the ending of their performance won't have anything to do with the two of them at all, but rather another. And I suppose it's fitting for the two of them, whose current sense of identity is tied so closely to other people, rather than themselves.

[mystycalypso]

Video slightly postponed by art wip

Enjoy very much cropped Tricky sketch while I work on the full piece

I feel bad bc Trinity is literally the main character and I keep losing it over Nicky in text stuff

Love drawing her though (even though I keep forgetting her eyeshadow TvT)

EDIT: I shouldn't have put the "somehow I don't hc him as trans!" Tag bc now I jinxed it. The trans hcs are inevitable now 😔 (it might just be bc it's late)

[kaitcake1289]

i have an iwtv art idea….but i’m not sure about which character to choose and i would want a second opinion

[0tenn01]

I’m having that “oh my Shayla” moment but with Florian

[zoe-oneesama]

Zoe, how do you manage to create this fashion design or redesign of the Miraculous characters?

You seem to understand fashion, this thing, you're being very critical, I like that, could you give me some tips?

Because you seem to have studied fashion arts, especially from Scarlet Lady, which I loved, where the characters change clothes instead of wearing the same clothes 24 hours a day.

Do you understand how to combine which character would best match such personality by personality or appearance and if

Anyway, I'm a big fan of your art, especially the future you're creating. Thank you very much for answering me if possible.

Wow thank you! That's high praise! I actually haven't studied anything about fashion from an academic point of view, I'm just really passionate about character design lol. I think I actually come at it from a Cosplayer angle - I want to draw characters that people would want to cosplay as, so I want to make them a little more interesting than everyday clothes.

Not to say a casual look doesn't make good character design, but I just have more fun with drawing a character that has something fashion forward going on. Especially when they are CANONICALLY supposed to be fashionable!

As for "how I do it", I just look up sooooo many different references. I feel like it's not that hard to marry a character's personality and life circumstances to their fashion - if anything, their fashion is just another vehicle to getting their personality and backstory across.

Example: Ivan is a irritable loner with a rough homelife who gets his aggression out through music, so he dresses in almost no color and dons band tshirts. Visually is he striking or like something you want to immediately craft a Cosplay over? No, but it doesn't have to be - Ivan's fashion fits Ivan.

I've actually been asked for tips in the past, so I gotchu over here. I stand by what I said here even 5 years later~

Anway, with Miraculous Ladybug, sooooo many characters are tied to Fashion or Legacies that Prioritize Appearances, so I feel like those characters should be, I dunno, fashionable? Marinette, Chloe, Adrien, even Kagami and Nathalie should be going harder than they are and it's weiiiiiird that they're not.

[crustyfloor]

Ivan's hopelessness and introspection / Nowhere

TL by whatafruit

What mainly sets Ivan apart from characters like Mizi, for example, is his upbringing, he initially lived in the slums, a dangerous, harsh environment, and had to learn how to navigate that at a young age without anybody by his side. Ivan didn’t grow up in bliss and innocence or as a generally happy person, and after nearly dying in the slums, it left him with a first impression of life that was unforgiving and cruel. That aspect of his backstory deeply scarred his subconscious and impacted his perspective, which molded his nihilistic approach to life.

Even after being adopted by Unsha, Ivan never left that side of him behind but adapted those traits to his new environment. Ivan obediently conformed to whatever the aliens expected of him to ensure his survival while he lived, perfecting his expressions, maintaining the alien's favor, becoming well-admired by the other children in Anakt Garden and well-liked by the aliens, and a lot more things. All this to say, Ivan was the perfect pet; despite that, he still had a hollow interior. Complying with the aliens without a real sense of identity, nor any will to develop one could've been what led to his self-perceived unusual ‘otherness’ compared to others. To say his life was ‘stained’ from the beginning means he saw his existence as inherently corrupted, irreparably so; that's the way Ivan always regards his existence, as something sad and flawed.

It highlights how miserable Ivan was, even after being given everything that he needed because of his guardian, simple necessities that didn't come easily when he was still living in the slums. Despite being surrounded by kids, that's the thing. From watching how they interact and play, Ivan knows how different he is from them; he simply lacks life. He doesn’t feel like he truly belongs anywhere, in Anakt Garden, where he can only wear a mask to blend in, or in an alien society where he is simply a product that was on a very clear time limit. The reality of that keeps him in his own head, dissociated and alienated. He's already twisted, and his fate was written from the beginning. So whatever happens, happens.

Despite how aware Ivan was of the desolation of his reality that didn't leave any room for hope when he saw Till for the first time standing up for himself, it brought something out of Ivan, that urge to (study like a bug) understand a part of Till that had courage and rebelliousness that Ivan himself didn't possess. Ivan grew a fascination with Till akin to the way he felt when he saw a meteor shower for the first time, through Till, and through expressing himself by pulling on Till's metaphorical pigtails, bringing out Till's emotions. Ivan could feel deep emotions again; he could feel alive again. Those feelings even encouraged Ivan to do something that would essentially be him rebelling even though he had no prior incentive to escape his monotonous life. Before Till, Ivan showed no genuine interest in changing anything; he didn't fight it, just accepted things as they were. But because he saw that Till fought because he wanted freedom, I think Ivan naturally dislikes his own conformity. It is only an efficient and beneficial way to live, and it kept him alive for the most part. Escaping would probably be one of his less well-thought-out plans in retrospect; they were only children. Wouldn't going out there mean certain death? but I think he wanted to indulge for once and see what Till saw in being free, and he wanted them to be free together.

When the lyrics refer to “A rigid dream and hope seeped in rose tint,” it could be relating to the common saying “rose-tinted glasses,” for something to seep is like a leak, a rigid and stiff ‘dream’ that has a rose tint leaking through, the meaning behind “dream and hope” is synonymous with looking on the bright side and seeing pleasantries, you intend to look at the bright side that distracts you from that unpleasant reality, but it is ultimately just a shallow hope, the kind that “it’s stained with blood” isn’t real with all of its undertones and conditions, it was naive, faulty, and cruel, In a world like this, they would be and were stomped on immediately. The sad thing about it is it's not like Ivan didn’t see it coming when Till turned back, but he only naively thought he had it all right, hopeful that he could change something in his own life and might be accepted by Till, wishing things would go his way and wanting more but knowing he can't ask for more than this. The rejection hurt, and remembering it hurts even more.

Ivan's motive for wanting to escape was because of that childishness. He had long since accepted his situation for what it was before then. He deals with life as a whole with detachment, and more specifically, his emotions. he is so used to downplaying his feelings and hurt that, at some point, he becomes 'numb' to them; his apathy leaves his complicated feelings buried, and forgotten from time, but never healed.

Ivan’s identity as an idol is carefully curated; everything down to the way he smiles ties into that image, But that identity separate from himself is not something Ivan particularly likes. His smile is significant to his image, it makes him ‘special.’ When asked about his charm point in an interview, he replies that it’s his snaggletooth. Ivan's obedience and perfect behavior are what rank him up so high among human pets, which is probably why he’s so critical when referring to his most notable features. Of course, his face gets him places, but because it is directly tied to his identity as a product and, by extension, the system that he sees with contempt, he's disgusted by it to a degree.

&

Ivan emulates what the aliens want of him, he's always forced into submission by the very system that he resents. To his detriment, the benefits he had received from being perfect only exacerbated the negative image he has of himself that he is ultimately powerless and the feeling that his real self will always be unwanted, and it leaves him feeling a loneliness only he understands beneath the persona.

He does as he’s told and doesn’t do anything about confronting his feelings because there's no point in trying the way he sees it. Nobody cares about him, so it’s not a big deal if he feels bad, it's not a big deal if he hurts himself because he can just keep going because there’s nothing else he can do, Ivan treats himself like a waste of time all the same, his whole character is repressing the emotions he feels, and leaving them to fix themselves at some point, it is what he wants to think, that “if I just ignore it, it will fade in time.” Ivan wants to pose as a mature and nonchalant person who can persevere and let go of things that hurt him, even just for the sake of making it to the next day, but he is very emotionally immature.

Even though he wants to subdue his emotions, it’s ironic how, no matter what, he can't escape his humanity and the part of him that craves to be seen and understood by someone. This is best seen in confession-- Ivan tried relating to others. Sua, who he thought was like him, the 'connection' and the feeling that he wasn't alone brought him a twisted sense of comfort, he didn't even seem to realize or know how to put into words why he was so upset when he realized that wasn't the case the whole time--because he's so out of touch with his emotions.

This cycle, when it comes to Ivan allowing some semblance of vulnerability with someone or something and then being exposed to hurt ultimately leads him to close off with no outlet for these intense feelings of hurt and bitterness that are just left to build up. 

Hysterie often refers to the state of extreme and controllable emotions, I find this interesting when Ivan uses it because of his quiet personality, only in brief moments does a part of him that is emotional and smiles freely come out as he grew up and learned to mellow out that side of him and stifle his true self, “a hysterie festering” like feelings of emotion that have built up over time into something Ivan can’t manage and stifle so easily anymore and that's what it ultimately amounts to when Ivan is in his most emotionally intense moments, during Black sorrow when he was singing about his melancholy and devotion to staying by Till's side, singing the song exactly as he learned it until he lost control of his emotions for a moment, and in Cure when he recklessly expressed the strongest of his heart to Till, even if Till couldn't understand, to be seen by someone, and someone that he cared so deeply about before forfeiting his life override the part of him that wanted to keep these feelings tucked away, to die with them before burdening someone else with the weight of it all.

Cure and Black Sorrow can't be sidelined for just how vulnerable they are. But Nowhere is so intense and honest in an intriguing way, given how evasive and deceptive Ivan is when it comes to his feelings. Especially considering that this song was likely specifically made to never be used on stage or even found in the first place, it's a song purely from his point of view filled with emotions he always kept hidden; it is essentially Ivan's soul. His apathy, his loneliness, his beliefs, and his sorrows, such as the way the affectionate lyrics at the very start of the song are cut off at random and distorted into meaningless background noise that lingers until the end of the song, reads like Ivan's bitterness towards his haphazard feelings, his way of love, and by extension his resentment, mixing with his self-loathing into something intangible that only he could really understand.

Ending this off with the same words, “This always happens to me,” “That's just how it is,” is a reflection of Ivan’s view of life (even though the narrative disproves his flawed perspective on several occasions). He’s very secure in his nihilistic view of the world. And his inability to change anything about it, the fact that he's incapable of being loved and understood, or the idea that he was cared for at all. His pragmatism regarding that is because he’s witnessed firsthand how life contradicts and snuffs out hope, so Ivan decided to never subject himself to that kind of naivety again, living with such deep-seated feelings until it came back to bite him, and died thinking that this is just how things go, his emotions, shallow and meaningless always gets the better of him

[palilious]

Have any of your listener designs become the canon version? And for who if so?

Listeners are definitely tricky as they're supposed to be audience stand ins, BUT there have been a few cases where my listeners have become the VAs personal canon!

First one that comes to mind is Faith Koria from @goodboyaudios Bastard Warrior!

I came to GB with the concept that she had more African features, and he loved the idea and made it canon to his canon! Hence why the official art of her brother is also black! Now that Faith has an official voice, she's more of a character then a listener. So you can consider this art accurate to her character!

Another option would be Raven from @escapedaudios Neon Noir, but that's a more complicated story

I headcanoned that Raven got a Crow tattoo on her back, shoulder and neck to memorialize Crow at the end of the series and going into Neon Wings. Escaped really liked the idea! but my headcanons had already infected enough of that series and I felt bad, so I asked him to not include that one lol You can blame a lot of Ivan's look and backstory on me though! I came up with his birds and their names, his prosthetic leg, and his actual design!

[redrandomposts]

till narrowly missing ivan in every universe, either literally or figuratively, makes me giggle and cry at the same time AUUHSHSJSH if he was a regressor/reincarnator and og/alnst!till was watching his later incarnations, mans would be bald from tearing his hair out in frustration

"LOOK BACK MF LOOK BACK, YOU JUST MISSED HIM"

"THATS NOT WHAT HE MEANT AND YOU KNOW IT"

"NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO HAVE YOUR NTH SEXUALITY CRISIS, IVAN IS MOVING AWAY TOMORROW. MOVE IT"

and imagine his previous incarnations from other failed lifetimes watching the current lifetime with him and theyre all in the same frustrated state 😭

"can we PLEASE have one lifetime where we dont end up breaking his heart ? can we PLEASE—"

— 🌦️

HAHAHAHAHA LMAOOOOO

doomed lovers and tills watching it all happen, kicking and screaming

everytime an incarnation pops up in their little hell, he is kicked and beaten up and treated as a less-than-human being until the next one meets ivan. and then they're too focused watching how till (yes, that's you, a dumbass) misses every smile and glimmer of eyes and heartbreak that ivan shows.

"what the fuck?! what's he doing?! ivan is right there, don't go hitting on her - fuck! who is that idiot!"

"that idiot is you! do you remember how you made ivan your best man at your wedding?!"

"says the one had an arranged marriage with him then went to war and came home in love with a nurse!"

"all of you are idiots!"

and none of the tills know og till's backstory. most of the time he's writing songs and playing the guitar, as all of them do, but in a more extreme way. there's a little library with all the songs the tills have made, each shelf a different life. og till's is a whole bookshelf, but the ones about ivan only starts after he first appeared here.

(there's also the songs each and every ivan has made about till, for till, to till. those are treated much better than the ones the tills haphazardly throws into their respective shelves. they're encased in gold and glass, just as unattainable as ivan seems to be.)

extra reactions according to some of my aus (except it's all the bad ends and ooc??):

omegaverse

"...what the fuck?"

"WHAT'S A PHEROMONE?! ALPHA? THAT'S SO CRINGEY? WTF"

"GUYS!!! IVAN CAN BE PREGNANT-"

"-SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP-"

"holy fuck"

"it was indeed a fuck"

"did you know ivan could moa-"

"fucking hell we're all tills we're all here we all know!"

"BLOOD! GET A TISSUE YOU FREAK-"

"HALF OF US HAVE NOSEBLEEDS WDYM"

"please please please till hE IS PREGNANT-"

"..."

"what the fuck."

"HE'S DEAD?"

"guys i don't ever wanna get ivan pregnant if that's what's going to happen"

android au

"...he owns ivan..?"

"THAT'S NOT FAIR?? WHAT DID HE EVER DO TO DESERVE IVAN??"

"surely they fall in love, right?"

"don't fucking jinx it, you moron!"

"ivan's so cute... look! he's cutting the veggies into flowers!"

"hey! till! say thank you to ivan!!"

"ugh, can't he just get out the studio so i can see ivan??"

"till, can't you just be a stay at home musician?!"

"aww!! aren't those flowers in the stitching?"

"oh my god ivan hand sewed him clothes?!"

"that's not fair! ivan! you can't just give things to the idiot! or else!! ...or else."

"...you fucking jinxed it!!! ivan!!! you can't die!"

"how'd i know that they'd just shoot and never stop shooting?"

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH THEM??"

"i'll fucking BEAT THEM UP I SWEAR."

"??? why's he only just checked the cameras now since he got ivan?"

"...ivan's voice is so heavenly."

"..."

zombie au

"is it another boring one? haven't we already seen till and ivan have normal lives and drift apart or something else?"

"maybe this time, till will..."

"shut UP! CROW'S MOUTH, I SWEAR"

"nevermind that is nOT NORMAL FUCK"

"OH MY GOD HE IS ROTTING AND MOVING??"

"IVAN GET AWAY FROM THERE -"

"...ivan?"

"FUCK! HE DID IT AGAIN!"

"TILL YOU FUCKER GO BACK FOR HIM!!"

"...at least we still have ivan."

"...and till knows he loves ivan."

"...and they kissed."

".....oh fucking hell, why are you so happy?! ivan's basically till's dog! till doesn't deserve him!"

"well, as long as they cure ivan, they'll be together for real, right?"

"..."

"YOU FUCKING JINXED IT-"

"WHY'D THAT RANDO JUST SHOOT IVAN???

mermaid au

"oh my god he's a fish -"

"- ivan looks like a prince!"

"??? how can you be so rude to ivan!"

"why are his thoughts so weird? ivan's a human, not some pearl! he has dignity!"

"he's much better than some pearl, too."

"till knows he loves ivan, right??? surely??? with those thoughts..."

"i wanna see ivan's eyes...."

"i wanna see ivan's smile..."

"fuck! till, just speak to him god damnit!"

"oh my god!!! ivan!!!"

"??? where's his fishy parts?? ow, don't hit me-"

"...he looks so fine."

"hey! he's sixteen! you are definitely not sixteen, you fucking homewrecker!!"

"homewrecker?! i didn't cheat!!"

"you wrecked your and ivan's house life!"

"what?"

"where'd the letter come from??"

"how's there sea foam???"

"IVANNNN!"

"HE'S DEAD? JUST LIKE THAT?"

"HE DESERVED MORE YOU FUCKER-"

===

anyways im going to edit my masterlist to be better ig

[nopanamaman]

happy (late birthday)! just want to say that I loved Rough!! I’m glad we’re getting more detail on Arthur!

How do he and Ivan know each other? They seem to be childhood friends or something similar

Thank u, I'm so glad you enjoyed it💥💥

You can learn more about their backstory right here!

[raijin-tribe]

Since I’ve already rambled a little bit about the 100YQ today, I also wanted to share this longer rant that’s been sitting in my drafts for a while.

⚠️ 100 Years Quest - Ch. 123 Spoilers ⚠️

One of the biggest annoyances I’ve had with Fairy Tail’s sequel is the mis-characterization of the Raijinshuu. Don’t get me wrong, I hated their fight against Gray, but I mostly expected that… as sad as it is.

Aside from that, it’s this short sequence with Laxus from Ch. 123 that is truly disappointing to me unlike any other.

Like, I’m sorry, but are these really the only reactions we’re gonna get…?

After returning to the guild, Laxus has a moment where he opens up and admits that he took out his own dragon slayer lacrima, and the Raijinshuu just… boast about him? (Aside from Ever, who seems more shocked at his ‘true power’ than the lacrima being removed.)

You’d think they would initially show more shock/concern and ask Laxus questions about what happened and if he's really okay. Let Freed scold him for being reckless, at least. Not just go 'That's our Laxus!!' and move on. I honestly feel like this is something they would all take more seriously.

It's also annoying how we don’t get to see much reaction out of Makarov either. Remember that this is the same lacrima that Ivan wanted to steal after the BoFT, not caring if it would kill his son or not. But everyone seems to keep looking over the fact that Laxus, again, took out the lacrima that he's had since he was a kid! Just ripped it out of his chest— with his bare hands, no less!

I’m just gonna assume Laxus will tell them everything off-panel, but still… I hate when the Raijinshuu are treated like a 'blindly devoted fan club' rather than his best friends, a strong team, or even as individual characters. Even in that bullshit fight against Gray, he calls them ‘Worshippers of Laxus.’ (100YQ Ch. 30) And it’s stuff like that which I feel undermines how close they really are to him.

For the record, I don’t have an issue with the Raijinshuu fawning over Laxus— that’s always been a part of their characters and has led to some great moments between them. I have an issue when it’s the only thing they do.

Compared to other characters, especially those who were a part of the Tenrou team, it feels as though the Raijinshuu are the most forgotten about. They have no backstory, they barely get any new magic or development, and they were left out of the latest Fairy Tail games altogether!

When was the last time they had a good fight that does their magic justice? Hell, when was the last time their eye magic actually worked in their favor?

I never expected them to have much of a role in the 100YQ, and I still don't, but still, it's... really frustrating.

Sorry if this was long, but I’ve wanted to share my thoughts on this for a while.

I try not to post about the 100YQ too much because it’s mostly criticisms and frustrated rants. I want this blog to be a positive place to appreciate the Raijinshuu as characters instead of complaining about how they could be written better, but I also think it’s good to have discussions and express criticism from time to time as well. It’s just not something I’ll be doing too often.

If you made it this far, thank you so much for reading!!! I really do appreciate it!!! 💕

[pinkblanket7]

Stupid alien stage au…. More info under cut for anyone who gives a gaf

Just a warning a lot of this lore will not align with alien stage exactly, I’m not the most caught up person on everything so I kinda just ball… also they don’t have the same exact relationships as their AU counterparts as u will see…

So like the characters basically go like:

Sua: Yolay

Mizi: Sarah

Ivan: Knight

Till: Greg

Luka: Petey

Hyuna: Lil Petey

(These sketches r high key lazy sorry…) Sarah and Yolay have kinda the exact same situation mizisua does, I haven’t totally thought out their story more than that…

Petey’s main goal is to win and will do whatever it takes to. He has that same skill Luka does with the copying other people, he does it on Sarah during ruler of my heart. Similar to alnst, she ends up beating the shit out of him near the end (u go girl…), and gets saved by the rebellion; Lil Petey pulls up and drags her out

I’m still working out Petey’s backstory and how Lil Petey even got into the rebellion or whatever but all I got is LP is a clone created by the aliens and he somehow escaped orrr he somehow got into alien stage and had a similar thing to hyuna like getting rescued by the rebellion…?.?? I will get back to that…

Greg is a humanoid dog similar to Petey in this AU, he’s quiet for the most part, tends to not speak unless absolutely necessary and obvi when he’s singing. He and Knight grew up in Ohkay Garden (instead of anakt garden Ik I’m a genius), together and became super good friends. Knight was a really talkative kid and it’s part of the reason why he got along so well with Greg, they were basically yapper and listener besties

When Greg and Knight go up against each other, Greg is 100% ready to lose on purpose for Knight so he doesn’t try as hard during his performance. Knight was also ready to lose on purpose but realizes what Greg’s up to, so he has to purposefully drop his score by attacking Greg instead; he does the same choke thing Ivan does except without the kissing. Greg can’t really like fight back cuz he’s being choked but with the little strength he has left, all he’s able to do is get closer to Knight and leave him a few scratches on his forearms, which messes up the aliens’ aim (don’t ask how just… use ur imagination). Both Greg and Knight get shot, Knight gets shot in the head and DIES, and Greg gets shot on the side leaving him barely conscious. They both fall on each other, The lights go out, and Greg is left to look at Knights dead body and eventually loses consciousness. The aliens start freaking out cuz they messed up big time… and one of the aliens is like “okay hear me out… what IF we sew the dogs head on the man’s body :D” so they collect the corpses, do their thing, and that’s how DOG MAN is made!!! So. Yeah.

Then DM and PT go up against each other in blink gone and it’s cinema yeah (more super scuffed sketches…) I love detey but in this au they don’t rly have much chemistry except for some weird gay tension in blink gone I guess… shrugs…

There is so much more I gotta figure out but that’s enough for this post 😭😭😭 also this is all subject to change… any1 feel free to ask or point any flaws out it will just help me develop this further 👍👍 hoping to make more art of this au and i can just like info dump under

[dreamweave01]

i actually love your tmnt 2012 swap au concept so much

so what does "role" actually mean here? obviously i'm assuming it means shredder takes the role of their sensei/father, donnie as the leader/mediator, mikey as the tech/smart one, leo as the protector/hothead and raph as the silly guy (these might not be the most descriptive i haven't watched much of 2012 my apologies)

but how much of their original personality stays intact? from what you've posted i can assume raph and leo have had some personality change, but! was the swap au's splinter still yoshi?

or is the foot clan the peaceful clan and the hamato clan was wiped out, and yoshi was adopted, and ended up killing saki's wife? if so, why did the turtles "grow up in a not so pleasant household"?

not sure if this makes sense, but what i'm trying to ask is, did the swap au!splinter get his wife and think his child was killed, OR was he the brother that did the killing and burning of the house?

- @asheronangel

Okay, first of all, thank you so much! <3

And second of all, you basically nailed the “role” thing. 

Donatello’s the leader, Michelangelo’s the nerd, Leonardo’s the hothead, and Raphael’s the silly :P 

Despite the change in family dynamics, there’s still a few things that have stayed in tact. 

For example, Leo is still the most dedicated to his training, taking it very seriously, (part of that being Splinter’s influence.)

Donnie is still madly in love with a certain Ms. O’Neil, but though I kept the Donnie-April-Casey love triangle, a couple things have been altered for my own sanity.

Mikey still has ADHD and has retained his catchphrase, “booyakasha"; he’s basically just more smart/nerd oriented and less childish.

Raph is still technically the best fighter of the four, but he’s too much of a softy to ever actually let loose, unlike the classic 2012. (It may or may not frustrate Splinter. A lot. •_ •)

Splinter is still Yoshi, and essentially everything has stayed the same with his backstory, the only difference being that his personality was swapped with Saki’s. 

However, the context of said events were admittedly a little different. 

The Hamato clan was never necessarily “evil,” (same with the Foot) but their rivalry led to many conflicts and contentions.

When the Foot was wiped out by the Hamato due to such conflict, Oroku Saki was spared and adopted by Hamato Youta, raised side by side with Yoshi as brothers. 

Yoshi was always the more merciless and aggressive of the two, whereas the now Hamato Saki was compassionate and thoughtful.

The both fell in love with Tang Shen, and the both wished for her hand. 

However, Shen still chose Yoshi, getting married and having little Miwa together. 

Saki, being the man he is, was willing to step aside and respected her decision completely. 

It was soon after the time that Miwa was born when Saki discovered the truth of his heritage and who he really was.

Though he never sought vengeance, and chose to let go and move on.

When Yoshi revealed his plans to lead the Hamato clan and take over the world, Saki couldn’t just stand by and watch, leading to a confrontation that would cost the life of his love, Tang Shen, in a house fire, (which also left both him and Yoshi physically scarred.)

Presuming his once called brother dead, Saki took in little Miwa as his own daughter and moved to New York, starting a new life, safe from what remained of the vengeful Hamato. 

As further precaution, Saki changed his name to Oroku Kazuo (if you get the reference, I salute you) as well as Miwa’s to Oroku Karai. 

Karai would grow up and go to school, making friends with people such as Casey Jones and April O'Neil (though Casey and April don't officially meet until the turtles come along.)

Saki also made friends, becoming close with Anton Zeck and Ivan Steranko (both of which got mutated into a certain warthog and rhino duo during a "freak accident.")

Going back to Hamato Yoshi, he had of course survived, him in turn thinking that Saki and Miwa had both died in the fire along with Shen. 

Due to business opportunities, Yoshi moved the Hamato clan to New York, (not realizing his enemy was living right beneath his nose.)

While in New York, Yoshi met an interesting man named Bishop, who revealed himself as an alien once from a place called Dimension X. 

Bishop promised Yoshi immense power to fulfill his wishes in taking over the world, if Yoshi in turn could provide him with the resources Bishop needed to exact his revenge on his people, the Kraang, who banished him and his followers, (known simply as the Utrom.)

Agreeing to the terms set, Yoshi was mutated with Bishop’s mutagen into a mutant rat, along with four baby turtles, who would be the first generation of mutant warriors among the Hamato.

Yoshi, changing his name to Splinter, named the four babies Donatello, Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael.

It would only be years later that Miwa and Saki would meet Donnie, Leo, Mikey, and Raph. 

Admittedly, I’ve made little change with Tang Shen. She’s essentially the same, though I guess you could say her taste in men is different than the original, considering she went with Yoshi. . .

Miwa was swapped in the sense that she and the turtles switched places, her being the one hiding out from the big bad guy and the turtles having been raised by said big bad guy.

Before when I said the turtles grew up in a “not so pleasant household,” it was in reference to the living conditions they had to be in, what with being raised to be soldiers in a war they never asked to fight in. 

The easiest way to put it is that their relationship with Splinter is on the abusive side of things. He was always hard on his sons, and “weakness had no place among the Hamato clan,” to put it in his own words. 

It’s probably why the turtles have so many issues.

But Miwa and Saki are quick to take in the turtles and help them through their troubles.

Along with others, like Casey Jones, April O’Neil, Bebop, and Rocksteady :3

That was probably more information than you asked for, but I felt like it was needed to explain everything.

So hopefully that explains everything :')

[hamliet]

Mafia Sports Melodrama: The Sequel

Which is really a sequel trilogy to All for the Game but only the first two are out, so that's what I'll be reviewing.

Much like the first trilogy, melodrama is the name of this game. Accept it or leave. And I love it, because while it's flawed, it's not a bad series. People are drawn to it for the same reasons people are drawn to melodrama in general: it reveals emotional realities and contrasts them with possibilities about the limits of humanity, and that is inherently fascinating.

I really enjoyed Jean's development, and his inner monologue. The prose has improved quite impressively from the original trilogy, and it's especially noticeable in how Jean's POV is written. Intrusive thoughts are intrusive. Comforting thoughts are punctuated to show peace and calm.

Jean is of course the essential wooby who has been through everything from waterboarding to human trafficking to assault. But his self-hatred and non-existent self-esteem make sense and again, like with Andrew's issues in the first trilogy, feel real from a viscerally emotional standpoint. No matter how dramatized it is, no matter how hyperbolic, there are elements of true humanity in there that allows the author to explore the limits of the human capacity for healing.

I was also truly drawn to Jeremy as a character, which I wasn't expecting. Listen, sunshine boys are not usually my favorite archetype. But his complicated background was genuinely interesting and heartbreaking. Essentially my thoughts on JEremy are summed up here:

“...they’ve always brought out the worst in me.” “It makes you more interesting,” Jean said... “Not your capacity for unkindness, but how fiercely you fight against it.”

Jeremy's backstory involving politics and law enforcement also felt, well, fitting for today. Prescient, if you will, despite being set in 2007. And the way his family's cage holds him back is intriguing because it mirrors Neil's predicament in the first series (also Nicky's).

Both are captives of their families. Jeremy stays at home and tries to be a good son, knowing at a deep level he will never be accepted. Neil was on the run from his family, but he knew he couldn't run forever. But both of their fathers--or stepfather, in Jeremy's case--ultimately want to take them apart at the seams for ruining their image.

The power they wield they use for petty grudges and sadism. The ultimate reality is that politics, despite its shiny exterior and inviting cameras, is run similarly to the mafia underworld. Which. Well.

I also think Jeremy's struggles with self-esteem foil Jean's in interesting ways. Unlike Jean, who was abused and self-harms, Jeremy mixes pleasure with self-harm. He sleeps with people who, as Laila accurately points out, degrade and even harm him.

“Would it kill you to fuck someone who respects you?”

Look, degradation is fine if that's what you're into, but it's pretty clear Jeremy is not into it. His conversation with Ivan (whose name is literally Jean but in Russian, by the way; yes the names were meaningful here too) was pretty clear that Jeremy doesn't like being insulted but hasn't the self-esteem to walk away.

“...we both know you’re a shameless slut.” “Says the man who invited me here,” Jeremy said, cool enough that Faser laughed. “Can’t make up my mind. Either he’s as a big a whore as you are, or the Ravens are using your history to destroy his reputation...” Jeremy pulled Faser’s hand free. “I didn’t come here to gossip about Jean. If that’s all you want from me, I’ll just leave.”

If Jean realizing how wrong what was done to him was hits him only through seeing it through Elodie's suffering and through others, then Jeremy also is being warned to realize how wrong what he's doing to himself is when he's angry that Jean is being slut-shamed but accepts it as the best he deserves.

Side Characters

I know Riko is dead, but I did enjoy the humanizing note that while Riko would like to have killed Wymack, he couldn't do it because there was a part of him that desperately wanted a father, and he couldn't take that from Kevin. I maintain my interpretation that Riko had a ton of internalized homophobia thanks to his family that he directed into torturing Jean. The man's feelings for Kevin are barely even possibly platonic, and the only reason they are is because Riko clearly sees Kevin as a replacement for Ichirou, and Kevin leaving (even though he needed to leave) reinforces that abandonment idea. Dude was awful but is still tragic.

Coach Rhemann is wonderful. I liked that he turned out to be queer too, showing Jean that there is nothing wrong with him and that he can find love. The scene where Jean breaks down in his arms is very Good Will Hunting, but also very beautifully done. He and Wymack are amazing dads to their teams, even if they have very different perspectives and personalities.

While it's true that the sprawling cast means a lot of the Trojans are merely names--even among the 'floozies'--they are all likable. Cat and Laila are of course the standouts. I adore their friendships with Jeremy and with Jean, and much like Dan and Matt's relationship, even though they are an established couple with little drama, they have enough chemistry and development to make the reader root for them as a couple.

I also really loved Lucas's character, despite in initially disliking him, and I love Cody. Though Cody's throuple situation is something I'm apathetic about because we just don't know enough about Pat and Ananya and what they bring to Cody's life for me to root for it or against it. Tanner is adorable, as are Derek and Derrick (rooting for Cherise too!). I quite like Xavier too, but again, I wish we got a tad more from Min to see what the core of their relationship is like--kind of like we did for Seth and Allison, or Aaron and Katelyn. Even if neither got a major focus, they got something. Xavier/Min and Ananya/Pat are just names at this point.

Critiques

One critique I have related to the "timeliness" aspect is that it does read like a 2025 novel set in 2007. Which it is, but it's a noticeable difference from the original trilogy, which was published in like 2013 but captured exactly what 2006-07 American culture was like, specifically in regards to phone usage. Here there are a few too many reliances on text messages and emojis and such for me to entirely see it as authentically 2007. However, this doesn't detract from any of the novel's strong points, so it doesn't really matter.

Another critique I have is related to Nathan's "trial." That's just not how the legal system works, because the dude is, like, dead. They're not going to try everyone involved all at once. A grand jury, maybe, but that's not a trial. Okay, okay, I get that colloquially they're calling it his "trial," but yeah lol.

But "how things work" has never mattered in this universe, and frankly a lot of the stories I love most don't rely on that either. So yeah, it's a foible. Oh well.

For The Broken Cage:

I really need to see Bryson face a confrontation--there's been a ton of build-up in conflict between him and Jeremy. It has to explode at some point. I also want to see Joshua. He's the only sibling of Jeremy's who hasn't really appeared, and we know he was extremely close with Noah.

I want to see Joshua and Jeremy work it out if possible, but he's still such a question mark I'm not sure where Joshua is going. However, I do want Jeremy to tell off the rest of his family and for William to quit on Jeremy's way out the door. He needs to choose Jean over them, and I believe he will.

For Jean's part, I do want Jeremy to find out exactly what Zane did to Jean in terms of betrayal. I'd also like him to find out Jean was sold to the Moriyamas, and the waterboarding to be revealed too... and maybe for Jean to make some progress in overcoming his fear of water, but that can only happen if he's upfront with Jeremy about what caused the fear.

And, I want to see Jean tell Jeremy about Elodie. Of note, it's most likely she's dead but... no body no death, and that's a common trope in mafia stories.

Lastly, I need a sex scene between Jeremy and Jean. Sex is a major factor in both of their traumas, and I would like to see them start healing together.

I don't know if I want to see the Trojans winning the championships... mainly because I don't want to see the Foxes lose lol. But I'm open to it! Sorry Kevin, I have chosen my colors and they are orange and white.

Kevin Duology

But speaking of Kevin...

I quite liked the set-up with Kevin's budding alcoholism. I really want this to be a focus in a coming Kevin duology, even if I think one is a prequel and one is a sequel. I presume the sequel would be the one addressing this, but it's significant enough of a problem in The Golden Raven that it has to be addressed.

And maybe we'll get a flashback to the scene of Kevin telling Wymack he's his dad because I need that.

But related to looking forward to Kevin's story while also reviewing Jean's trilogy...

Are we supposed to like Thea Muldani? Because I want to like her. I was excited to see a character with a Sindhi surname (she's described as Black but biracial with a Black mom, and I'm assuming her father is South Asian given the name?). I don't even dislike Riko, who is objectively the worst!

I just... don't. I'm not even apathetic to her; I dislike her. And it takes a lot for me to dislike a flawed female character. Before starting Jean's series, I saw a ton of hate for her, and I chalked it up to people being grumpy about their ships and the like, plus some misogyny and racism. Which still is likely a factor, to be clear.

Just--in neither of the three scenes she's appeared in, one per book, has she given me the remotest reason to like her as a character, much less to root for her and Kevin together. The first scene in The King's Men was kind of cute, but told me nothing about her, so much like the Cody-Ananya-Pat situation, I was apathetic but optimistic about learning more.

Then we get the two scenes in Jean's stories and hoo boy.

Andrew at least had his loyalty to Kevin early on; Aaron had his protecting his brother. Thea has had no 'save the cat' moment at all. Her anger at Kevin for shutting her out in the original trilogy was fine, but it was neither here nor there for establishing their relationship dynamics or her character stakes. And if the author intends for them to end up together in an eventual Kevin duology, I frankly think it'll be too late even if she's given a great redemption arc. These two scenes are very hard to come back from.

I'm also not against a het relationship in this series, and I do think a lot of fandoms wherein series have m/m relationships have, er, hate boners for female characters that are completely nonsensical. I was actually initially disappointed that Renee and Jean didn't work out, and I loved Dan and Matt, and even Allison and Seth in their short story.

But there is zero reason to care about Thea at this point and a lot of reasons to dislike her. Her entry is literally victim-blaming Jean for being assaulted. Her second scene in The Golden Raven is even worse. I get that Kevin is using her to destroy the image of the Ravens, but for pity's sake, her words cost THREE people their lives. Three! Are we supposed to assume she didn't know that was a risk, when Jean knew it? Are we supposed to assume this will make her doubt the Ravens' methods, when the previous string of suicides and attempts didn't give her pause?

Look, I do think Thea is very, very clearly a victim of brainwashing. As someone who grew up in a cult, I've met Theas before. I am interested--very interested--in a potential redemption for her. That could be a mega-compelling story. But it would have to be the main focus of the story, and I honestly don't know what it would take to get me to root for her and Kevin to end up together, or if that's even possible. It's kind of too late?

Idk, I know that the author's talked about how things have changed and such from her original drafts, and we can see a few modifications to the material in the Extra Canon content in Jean's trilogy. I'm hoping she reconsiders Thea ending up with Kevin, because sometimes what you intend to write just doesn't work. And I don't know if this can work.

All that to say, I do think there's probably an element of misogyny and even racism in Thea's hate train, but she is also just a very poorly done character at this point. Even just having her in the background of Kevin's novel wouldn't work at this point, because the author's written herself into a corner with Thea. The only way to handle her is have a brutal, soul-searching redemption, and even then it might not be enough for people to accept a relationship.

[seleniclight]

[ALNST] Mizi and Luka Parallels

ok, as promised, here are the main parallels I noticed between mizi and luka.

other people's idolization of them.

through other people's eyes (mostly till and sua), mizi's often seen as some sort of saviour or salvation. to them, she represents everything that is good about the world.

on the other hand, luka kind of has the same thing going on for him. except, he represents the epitome of what is seen as a 'perfect' alnst participant to the humans and the aliens. the admiration held for him stems more from this image he (or rather heperu) crafted of himself rather than the genuineness (?) people see mizi with.

this is also what differs between mizi and luka. while people put mizi on a pedestal because of how seemingly 'good' and 'innocent' she is as a person, people put luka on a pedestal based off a false (but still kinda true ig cause of all his actual skill stemming from brutal training) image he created as this untouchable being.

the fate of their loved ones (sorry lol).

think about it though, what do these two have so painfully in common? the fact that both of them have genuinely no one left (ok technically mizi does have till at the end of karma but yk idk if mizi is even alive atp).

mizi - sua (dead in r1), till (it's complicated ig), ivan (dead in r6), hyuna (dead in wiege)

luka - hyunwoo (dead when they were kids), hyuna (dead in wiege)

like i mentioned in a previous post about 'karma', when mizi says not to act righteous cause neither of them deserve to live it's likely because in mizi's eyes, both of them are common factor/catalyst for their loved ones suffering/dying.

the ways they were raised.

this is one part where they distinctly contrast each other.

mizi was the case where shine loved her and cared for her, not actually wanting to have her participate in alnst.

while luka was the case where he was literally genetically engineered and trained to be the perfect alnst competitor (talk about the two extremes lol).

this also severely impacted the worldview that each of them held where mizi was a lot more sheltered (despite the new info we have on her backstory) while luka lacked the ability to communicate with others and see things beyond his gilded cage (and the siblings).

alright, there are probably more parallels but for now this is all i can think of. if i have more to add, i'll either edit this one or add another post. byeeeeee.

[ilikekidsshows]

This is mainly a rant but like. Whatever they're doing in the new season is so stupid and convoluted like why would you do that. Even beyond the fact that the writers are shit and can't even do one plot well, let alone all this other bullshit, having this many plots happening is just way too cluttered. Why was Lila even built up to be this big bad if you were going to introduce a bigger bad immediately after. "Oh she's actually extremely manipulative, she's tricking three separate women into thinking she's their daughter!" and then they do this? Why? Are they trying to capitalize on the fact that people liked the idea of The Supreme from the Paris special and they wanted to reel people in by bringing it into canon? Cause that's what it feels like. Wow repeat of Chloe and Hawkmoth. Lila's the shitty teenage girl they're trying to build up but there's adult villains so why waste time on the shitty teenage girl and you were claiming she was somehow worse than the adult villains or something? Also if they're adding an entire secret organization they're either gonna add to the cast bloating (high chance most of those symbols or whatever are never gonna be revealed or they're gonna be like Colt and will be DOA so the writers can just mention them once as someone's sad backstory and then never again) or they're gonna retcon older characters into being members of an evil organization and either way is just shitty writing.

Also why would you add this whole backstory of Ivan having basically a watered down version of the knowledge and support that Adrien should be getting if you weren't gonna use that to make Marinette regret everything she's done and tell Adrien immediately? Why are you having her say the shit she should be saying to Adrien to someone else? Ivan is a side character, why give him that backstory? It's not even gonna be relevant later in the show it's just a shitty one off to make Marinette see the same thing Adrien doesn't know he's going through and make her look sad at Adrien and the not have her come clean? Oh, right. Because her own discomfort at dealing with Adrien's feelings is more important. She wasn't actually sad for Adrien. She was upsette that she was being guilt tripped. She also showed Nathalie Gabriel's letter for fucks sake and like ignoring all the shit they're doing with making Nathalie still actually evil (which is stupid!!!!!!!), this is a yet another major disrespect of Adrien's autonomy. I don't even like Gabe and I think reading his shitty will and showing it to other people is just absolutely disgusting controlfreak behavior.

And yes, I did also think that this was the writer's way of passing the blame from Marinette, cause we all know they're reactive like that. TA hates that people still like Chloe? Makes her an idiot and deports her from the country to be abused. Hates that people are critical of his show? Makes a "meta" episode in retaliation. Etc. etc. Like I can believe he got sick of everyone rightfully shitting on Marinette for the absolutely shitty way she's been treating people and so they're gonna make Nathalie manipulate her so they can't blame her anymore. But like everything else with the show, it's badly done and not only are they not gonna land this one (do they ever?), my prediction is they're gonna try to have their cake and eat it too like with everything else. "oh Nathalie wasn't actually evil. She was just being manipulated by her shitty evil organization dad. she was actually trained as a child to be the perfect henchperson but it was done against her will so she's actually abused so you have to forgive her like you forgive felix and not chloe. Nathalie's actually a good person and you're stupid for ever thinking she was evil. after all, she had good intentions, she had to be manipulative. as you see in this ep, she's a double agent and she's gonna help Marinette (only Marinette, be prepared for another BugNoir appearance) bring the organization down. also, Marinette isn't to blame for lying to Adrien because Nathalie manipulated her but Nathalie also isn't to blame because she had to do what she had to do to fight against the organization and they """won""" in the end so it's fine! we planned this from the very beginning!!"

And the worst thing is that they're probably gonna drag this arc on for another 10 years and basically every single little they're starting with or inevitably introduce is gonna be abandoned or brushed off. There's gonna be no pay off to this. Marinette's gonna lose the miraculouses like several more times and somehow it won't actually be her fault. There's twelve sections or whatever in that organization. One for each of the Zodiac. Bets now on the side character heroes getting their miraculouses swiped and given to those twelve members. And then that plot point will also die out because the writers can't be bothered to stick to one thing and make it good. They gotta do a lot of different things and do all of them badly.

---

Yeah, like, that's exactly it. The evil organization is just an obvious combined scapegoat and social media hype engine. It's so transparent what they're doing here and I just can't be bothered to be interested even in how they’ll fuck it up, because I already know exactly how they'll fuck it up. They're gonna do the same thing all lazy writers do with evil cabals, they're gonna pretend everything that's happened in the series has been part of their masterful evil plan all along, all villains are either working for or being manipulated by them and everything the heroes do has been predicted by them. Instead of making the story and world more interesting, it's gonna suck what little interest there is right out. Dragon Age Veilguard did it, Young Justice did it, Evil Within did it, Neon Genesis Evangelion did it and that's where Astruc most likely plagiarized it from.

Never mind that the writers have a long history of losing interest in any concept that takes them too long to implement. We still don't know what two of the power-up potions do and only the flight one keeps getting utilized. We got two additional heroes whose character arcs were improved by getting a Miraculous in Alya and Chloé with everyone else just happening to have a problem that thematically corresponds with the Miraculous they get in the episode without it really impacting the episode more than giving them more confidence or something else they could do even without a Miraculous. Or they just get slapped with a Miraculous because the writers needed to fill up the roster, especially when the last four were just handed out like free candy in a single episode because the writers lost interest.

The writers will introduce an element of mystery that the fandom can make guesses about, like what power-ups the different potions give and what Miraculous and powers which classmate will get, and then they'll lose interest partway through. We’ll get maybe two interesting reveals out of this council, with the rest either adding nothing to the story or getting unceremoniously dropped. Like, I wonder when Ray's gonna be interesting? He was introduced in 'Daddycop' but we most likely won't see him again until Zoé's spotlight episode because there isn't enough time or focus to build him up because the writers are just throwing everything at you to try to get you engaged again.

[alltheothercoolnamesaretake-blog]

Why I think Till will be rescued before Round 7 (and why Ivan might survive)

Till WILL NOT compete against Luka. At this point, he's too weak of an opponent to even stand against him.

INSTEAD, Hyuna will be the one to compete against Luka. First of all, Hyuna and Luka are one of the main partnerships in Alien Stage. Sua and Mizi have already competed against each other, and now Ivan and Till.

Having Till compete against Luka has nothing inherently interesting in it. Luka with Mizi had ties together because of their longing for their respective partners-Hyuna and Sua. Luka was also established there to be extremely dangerous and manipulative, making him a genuine threat.

What would a Till and Luka matchup do, except be a miserable beat down that would end in Till's death?

At this point, Till has already lost all of his fire, and it's doubtful he'd be able to get it back. If the matchup happened, I feel like it would be too easy of a win for Luka.

HOWEVER, we can see that Hyuna and the gang are once again at Alien Stage. (or at least I think they are) Hyuna is already injured, and it seems like they've been found out. I think that Hyuna will tell the others to leave her behind and have Mizi lead the mission to save Till. This would be a great moment for Mizi's character arc, showing that she has fully come into her own.

Judging by the fact that there also seems to be time between each round (based on the Karaoke scene where Till is being forced to sing My Clematis), it lends more credence to the idea that they would want to do the rescue now instead of later even though Hyuna is hurt.

((This could allow for Ivan to possibly be rescued too, since it doesn't seem like he was hit anywhere vital. All the gunshots are mostly at his back. It's the future, there's probably good medicine))

Also, Round 7 is the final round of the entire show. What other chance would there be for a Hyuna and Luka matchup?

I think that in the next video, we will see the rescue scene play out and in the end see Hyuna's picture replacing Till on the scoreboard. They are forced to leave her behind, and Hyuna will finally be able to confront Luka over what he did.

Edit:

NOT ONLY THAT, WE CAN ALSO SEE HER IN WHAT IS MEANT TO BE THE TRAILER FOR ALIEN STAGE!!!

She’s handcuffed and in some sort of alien compound. Her clothes also look very similar to what she’s wearing in Round 6.

Some of the most damming evidence is that we also see a shot of her in a special performing outfit holding a microphone! She’s also right next to Luka, showing how she will be his opponent.

Ultimately, she’s the best opponent because Luka will be unwilling to hurt her. It’s also a great way to further explore their shared backstories as well.

Can’t wait for Round 7!!!