I always have a soft spot for characters who have a protective streak for another out of gratitude for their kindness towards them, but Charles’ protectiveness towards Edwin really hits a particular way because it’s so so apparent that it’s specifically about wanting Edwin to feel as safe and as comfortable around him as Edwin made Charles feel in his dying moments. I’m going to shatter like glass.
the way i had to pause my tv in shock when louis said “besides one incident it was a happy time” about his time in paris where his DAUGHTER WAS MURDERED???
so, we know that abuse and victim responses to abuse are very central to aftg, but what i find interesting is how other characters respond to the victim’s reactions, especially when it comes to mourning their abuser. there’s something about kevin mourning riko, aaron mourning tilda, neil mourning mary, andrew mourning cass, thats so important to me because it really truly highlights how even when people are united through similar traumas, the differences in their situations makes it impossible to fully understand the relationship a person has to their abuser. neil, aaron, and andrew are united through the abuse, neglect, or - what the fuck is the word i’m thinking of? permit? condone? i mean, knowingly allowing it to happen and not intervening - stemming from a maternal figure. but neil can’t understand why andrew would hold on to cass for so long - he refused to let her go until aaron came into the picture. and andrew can’t understand why aaron would mourn for tilda, potentially viewing aaron’s grief as a betrayal of their promise. and they all ridicule kevin for his reactions to riko. of course, neil and andrew are also abused by riko, but they still can’t understand the complicated relationship between kevin and riko because, at the end of the day, they just weren’t there.
i mean this is primarily an observation but i really love how trauma and trauma response is depicted as nuanced, complex and overall just difficult to understand from an outsider perspective in the books. it reads as really real, and though it can be frustrating when a character doesn’t understand a different character’s response, you have to understand that their perception of said character’s response is warped by their own experience of abuse.
andrew bounced from home to home, never had stability, so obviously he held tight on to the first mother-figure that didn’t outright hurt him. his self-worth was probably low enough that he thought living with drake was a fine price to pay to keep cass.
neil only ever had his mother, and he’d willingly accept her harsh hands because he believed she was just keeping him safe from the very real dangers that were closing in on them.
aaron was dealing with an addiction, and so was his mother; he was equally dependent on her to avoid withdrawal as he was scared of her anger.
i don’t really have a point anymore but you get what i’m saying
Will never stop thinking about how Leo, all alone in an endless void and being beaten again and again and again by the only other living thing around, still finds comfort in that space. The situation he was in was completely hopeless, and in any other circumstances he would not have escaped, at least not fast enough to save him from permanent (or even fatal) damage, be it physical or mental.
And yet, despite the bleakness of his situation, despite the agony and helplessness, all he needs is one glance at a crumbled photograph, one glance to remember his family, and that’s enough of a reason for him to smile.
Maybe that’s why his powers center around manipulating space - because no matter how much space is between them, no matter how dire his own situation may be, just the thought of his family, alive and okay, is enough to give Leo hope.
AU where after Glamrock Bonnie’s decommission/after he goes missing, Glamrock Freddy and the rest of the remaining animatronics end up being reprogrammed—or, basically, having their memories messed with.
The only change to the rest of the animatronics is that they don’t remember anything about Glamrock Bonnie. They’d know about Bonnie Bowl and small things like that—but have no idea that they all had a Bonnie.
As for Glamrock Bonnie himself, they end up having something wrong with the memories, too. Although it’s not because he was reprogrammed or anything—it’s because of the damage/the state they are in.
And with them, whether it’s a “Cassie finds them during Ruin and helps, then leaves with him” type of situation, or something different (like Gregory staying and finding him), Glam. Bon would eventually see Glam. Fred again.
Though, there’s that problem: Reprogramming for Glam Fred to literally not know who the bunny is, and Glam Bon having all of that damage.
But, despite that, both of them feel like there’s something—even just the tiniest bit—familiar about the other.
Long story short: Glam. Bon goes, the others are reprogrammed and forget them—Glam Bon’s damage causes him to forget. The two reunite, but have no idea who the other is.
i feel like im not making any sense but does anyone else feel like there are stories that let u run with them and ones that spell everything out for you