#or would they be considered canon because i make the story? XD

[tizeline]

Happy pride month and all!

I figured now was a good time to ask, but do you have any thoughts about the sexuality of the characters in your Sep AU?

Sorry if you’ve been asked already, and the answer can definitely be no, I’m just curious :)

Happy pride!! ✨

Here's the thing about headcanons about queer identities, I personally prefer to not get too stuck on specific labels. While there are exceptions, I generally try to remain flexible if that makes sense? As in I like having multiple different interpritation about characters' identities so deciding on One Particular Label can feel limiting to me.

I mentioned it before, but I do plan on making Capril an established relationship in the AU sooner or later, so April and Casey are definitely sapphic. But more specific than that? Are they lesbian or bi or pan or whatever?? I dunno!! It's not really relevant to the story so I might as well leave that up to interpretation.

My approach to creating stories is that I'll usually only decide on specific labels if it is plot relevant, Schrödingers Identity if you will, lol, it can be anything if you don't decide on it beforehand. Again, there are exceptions, Leo is gay 100% like duh I can't interpret him any other way XD. Splinter is a Bi-Icon and I will STAND BY THAT!

Raph, Donnie and Mikey? Man who knows, canon Donnie seems to be into girls at least so it's the same in the AU, but more specific than that I dunno, I'm not planning on the story really focusing on romance (aside from a little capril because every story needs sapphics that's like the law)

Actually, you know what I find fun? World building! I honestly tend to be more interested in how queer identities are viewed and treated in a story's world as a whole as opposed to induvidual character's identities. Human society in rottmnt seems to be mostly the same as our IRL society, but what about Yōkai society!? With how diverse yōkai are I think it'd be fun if people in The Hidden City just... didn't care about who you loved or what you identified as. As a result of that, I don't think yōkai would care that much about terminology and labels, you just kinda loved whoever you loved.

It'd be honestly be kinda interesting if Donnie and April used terminology that related to queer stuff and Raph, Leo and Mikey are just really confused. Like for example, April is complaining about one of her classmates who's homophobic and the The Drax Bros are just like "Home-phobic??? They're afraid of homes??" cuz the concept of discriminating against someone based on which gender they're attracted to is completely foreign to them. Actually, Leo might be more knowledgable about human queer culture considering he's interested in human cultures in general. He calls himself gay at one point and Draxum is all like "you're happy? good for you?" and he'd just be wondering why Leo is using such an old-timey word considering Leo doesn't exactly have the most advanced vocabulary.

[purpleenma]

This is not my typical art or meme post but a doubt surfaced in the Mcspirk Discord server about TarsusIV and if Kirk was on the list to die or to survive. So I made a kind of shallow dive in the net to see if I was able to find an answer, and I could say I did, but boy did I also find something I was absolutely NOT expecting.

For the record canon or alpha canon in Star Trek is what we see in the shows themselves.

(Some people may include here scriptwriters or directors publications/comments and interviews relating their work on the show and their intentions while making it, in general any of the key people that contributed to the canon we see in the shows. For others this is considered beta canon so it's a kind of grey area.)

Beta canon is all the rest under the Star Trek brand; novels, videogames, manuals, comics, etc.

Having established that more or less, here we go:

In alpha canon the answer to if Kirk was in the list to die or survive is; "it's tricky" xD

Memory Alpha in all accounts points to him being one of the other 4000 people that survived the mass execution, although it is not exactly specified that he was on any list to survive. There were previous scripts where Jim says he was, but it was scrapped among other things. Still, if Kodos executed the 4000 colonists all together in the antimatter chamber, and we haven't heard of any escapees or switches between people, I think it's safe to say he was on the list of survivors. However, I think it's important to note that we don't know if later Kodos just chilled, ordered more people killed or there were more deaths due to his ruling the more the situation became dire. And we also don't know how long he lasted in charge, since I couldn't find an exact time when help arrived either; it just states it arrived earlier than expected but too late to save the 4000 killed. So we can't be certain how much time elapsed from the mass execution till help finally got there.

Kirk is listed as a survivor of the TarsusIV Massacre, that encompasses all the struggle since what would be the uprise of Kodos and ordering those executions, till the unknown time later when help finally arrived. But we seem to be left to wonder if he could have been sought for later executions or persued in any way. In fact when we think back at what happened to his friend Tom Leighton, who was also a survivor and one of the nine witnesses, it is understood the damage to the side of his face either was caused by Kodos himself or took place during the massacre at least, maybe caused by Kodos enforcers.

Since we don't know exactly what happened and for how long after the mass execution, we can't be sure what or who was the cause. Like most of it, it's left to interpretation. But when you get into account that him, along with Jim and Kevin Riley, who were all rather young then, are from the few people who could identify Kodos because they saw his face, added to his wounds, makes you think that at least there was some big turmoil and, be it on purpose or not, these kids ended either in Kodos presence himself when most didn't even know his face, or could retrieve that photo we see in the TOS episode from Kodos' headquarters or some other important place that may store such data. As one ST Discovery novel (beta canon) suggests and also tells us more of what transpired after the execution.

So yes, alpha canon, or "the" canon left it ambiguous on purpose, since any intent to specify was scrapped before the TOS episode Conscience of the King was produced.

But here is where it gets juicy; beta canon (specifically Memory Beta) tells a very different story, one that made me have to read the paragraph twice and fact check because wtf xD

Two novels you'll see listed in the screenshot detail that Kirk was, in fact, on the list to die, but he escaped, saving Kevin Riley while he was at it. And not only that, but that Kirk was saved by SAREK who MELDED with him to erase the memory, because he also saved KODOS and gave him his new identity (wtf Sarek? You did that because you thought it was the logical thing to do or how come?? This could have tremendous implications...)

I don't know if any of you guys knew this but I sure didn't and the fic potential for this is unimaginable xD Maybe many of those that made Tarsus fics including Spock and/or Sarek there are based on this piece of beta canon but yeah, shocking.

I'm aware that Shatner touches on more about what happened in TarsusIV in some of the ST novels he wrote, like "Star Trek: Academy #1 Collision Course" and the "Autobiography of James T Kirk". For the latter I believe I read an excerpt some time ago that talked about riots and the situation getting really violent, but I couldn't find any information in this small search and I don't have the spoons to read the book right now, so take it with a grain of salt.

In the end it is all up for interpretation and you can go either way, but you sure get some interesting details in the various levels of canon xD

[shycroissanti]

Kishin could have both Human/demon future. What if whatever turns him into a human? instead of giving him a way to shapeshift into a human. He already can shift into a bean and teach other demons. So this progression of shapeshifting skill could seamlessly turn him human -mainly just his appearance-. He can already walk in the sunlight. this form could let him eat basic human food again. and not scare normal humans. when he's in this form even demons might mistake him for one. But he could shift back into his demon appearance. the demon that tried to attack him the upper moon 2 or Irina would regret it. He would be slightly weaker in this Human form but strong enough to punch a weaker demon out. ( I love Kishin alternative future AU Upper Moon 2 and if you do make it the canonical future. I would love it. but if you want a form of "Human" Kishin this is my idea.)

I'M LOVING THESE IDEAS!!! ((o(^∇^)o))✨️💖

So, I don't know if this makes much sense with the KNY universe, because initially the idea was for Kishin to return to being fully human after the final battle🤔

But like this, Takahiro no longer makes any sense in the anime's canon story, so I'm already considering these ideas for my original story xD

In the future:

Kishin has become the upper 2, Takahiro, Yudi and Zenshin who are the biggest threats (because they are the strongest demons) are now more friendly with others and don't cause as many problems as before.

Now everything is more peaceful (of course there are still several threats and dangers in the world, but the main characters had some time to rest/train). Kishin spent some time training and meditating to improve his abilities, until he reached a point where he can kind of transform into a human again.

(This is also likely because Kishin has a completely clear conscience, as he has never attacked any human)

Now a small drawing that I made imagining his design:

(I did it digitally so it would be easier to color X3)

The marks on his body remain, so he only hides the upper moon mark.

His hair changes color with each transformation.

His eyes return to white in his human form.

So, just one additional piece of information: Takahiro can very well disguise himself as a human with ease, but in his case it is by pure luck, since he barely has any demonic appearance (like horns or claws) the only thing he is able to do is change the color of his eyes✨️

And since this is in a slightly more distant future, Irina is already in her black hole phase, so Kishin and Irina changed almost simultaneously :3

Now Kishin can change form whenever it is more convenient, I imagine this can make him a bit tired at first, that's why he spends most of his time in his new human form and transforms into a demon again when he needs to fight.

Le tags💖

@c00kietin @larz-barz @knyinfinity @demonslayerdoodles @night-mince10001 @scaredyfurry2 @pinkwisteria @giyubabe @pulim-v @nothingtoseehere1-2-3 @tor-the-tortilla @zenitsustherapist @ayunakatsukiwolfhashira @sunbrokenswords

[teecupangel]

So I watched the trailer of Assassin's Creed Shadows and I thought I'd give my preliminary thoughts

History-wise

Okay... so Yasuke was Oda Nobunaga's vassal from 1581 to 1582. Historically, he was captured by Akechi's forces after Mitsuhide betrayed Nobunaga which led to Nobunaga's death. Instead of killing him, Mitsuhide ordered he be shipped to the Christians (whether he did it to save Yasuke's life or because he was being racist is still unsure) where he was treated and they sailed out of Japan later on.

Naoe being an Iga shinobi... I have nothing XD Nobunaga did destroy the shinobi clans in Iga (that was a whole 'nother thing) and her last name, Fujibayashi, was one of the ruling families of Iga province. Other than that... uuuhhh... the kanji of her name 名緒絵 sorta gives the impression of an honorable, kind and talented person. 名 is usually seen in words that translate to 'name' or 'distinguished', the first thing I thought of when I saw 緒 was 'beginning' but it can also mean 'strap' or 'cord' and 絵 is a kanji that appears in words that is connected to art and painting.

Possible Storyline

Oda Nobunaga is not a Templar. He was, for a time, an ally of the Brotherhood until he got his hands on a Sword of Eden and everything went downhill from there. So I see 2 possible storylines:

This is set before Oda Nobunaga's death in Honnouji and Yasuke has a redemption arc with Naoe guiding him to the ways of the Brotherhood. They probably act independently from Akechi's forces and the end game is to take away the Sword of Eden from Nobunaga. Yamauchi Taka (who kills Nobunaga in AC canon) would appear as a support character of some capacity. (He might even be Naoe's mentor)

This is set after Oda Nobunaga's death and Yasuke is on a path of vengeance against those who conspired against Oda. He and Naoe would have a more hostile relationship first before it developed into Yasuke finally letting go of his need for vengeance and becoming a blade to save the weak from this endless bloodshed.

Regardless, we'll probably see Hattori Hanzo since he's part of the Japanese Brotherhood.

Plot 1 would end in Honnouji and the retrieval of the Sword of Eden... or the Sword of Eden apparently gets into Akechi's hands and we get to have plot 1 AND 2 where the sword becomes 'pass the baton' kind of deal (this will fight with the current AC canon though)

Plot 2 could end anywhere from Akechi's death during the Battle of Yamazaki OR we get as far as the Battle of Sekigahara which is always fun (I mean... not fun because so many people died there but fun in a video game-y kind of way).

Plot 2 is more broad which could lead to 'too many characters, not enough limelight' while Plot 1 is more centered and could serve to make the character development shine.

(If this Oda Nobunaga gets a laser sword as well, at least we can say Isu bullshit on that one XD)

Gameplay

As far as I know, Assassin's Creed Shadows will follow the open world rpg setup of the Layla trilogy. Considering how Mirage made use of Valhalla's engine, that might be Naoe's gameplay as well. I would suggest to wait for an actual gameplay as Ubisoft sometimes make fancy 'moves' in cinematic trailers that you can't actually do in-game.

I also want to know how they would handle the two main characters setup. Considering we see them together in the trailer, this might be a case of "same missions but who you pick decide how you approach it" kind of deal instead of AC Syndicate's "Jacob and Evie do their own thing most of the time". Same missions also means there's a good chance of wanting to replay it as a different character for a different experience and also... it means they'd be reusing the same assets during development XD

teecup Rambles

Okay, here we go.

I really want to see Assassin's Creed version of Nobunaga Oichi because she's my favorite character in these kinds of stories. She's usually portrayed as the kind beautiful younger sister of Oda Nobunaga that he once said could have been a fine warrior if she had been born a man. Also, her daughters would later marry (or become a concubine) to prominent historical figures. Her relationship with Nobunaga after the death of her first husband is also vague so she can support Yasuke regardless if he's trying to avenge Nobunaga's death or if he betrayed him.

Other than that, I think the final battle being Sekigahara would be epic. Just waves and waves of enemies to fight as Yasuke while Naoe stealth her way to the big battlefield to assassinate their actual target. Although, historically, it would make sense for the story to end with Nobunaga's death or Akechi's death since that's around the last time we hear of Yasuke.

... then again, he would just return after being shipped off and that starts the main game too.

Yeah, that's about it. I really just wanted to talk about Ichi but I couldn't add it elsewhere.

Oh and Yasuke is in Samurai Warriors 5 if you want to have an idea of how Ubisoft can handle him... also in Nobunaga's Ambition. It would be awesome if his Isu armor's helmet would look something like Nagoriyuki's (who is inspired by the historical figure Yasuke) from Guilty Gear as a reference to a reference but I highly doubt it.

[labyrinthofsphinx]

Not sure if this has been asked before, but Vox in located in NY, they have the shack that Drift is in and Alastor has his place. But where do they spend most of their time? And is it hard juggling locations like that?

OOOOOO, a location question. I can't answer in full yet because not all the locations have been revealed....butttt I will mention a few that have been shown in the story, referenced in asks, and whatnot:

So, Alastor has a few locations associated with him and two homes. The first is the flat in New Orleans proper, over by the French Quarter. It is briefly seen from the outside in the epilogue to (Never) Let Me Go. Mimzy frequently stays here, and Al has given her a spare key to the upstairs just for herself. This is also the place Al lived after moving out of his childhood home, just as he was starting up his radio show and really digging into his, ahem, 'extracurricular' activities.

It was also around this time that the shack was built because, well, he needed a place for all his prep work. The shack is much, much further into the bayou and beyond where any normal person would dare to go. It's a very wild, almost haunting kind of place. The kid has only been here. I know it seems like it's been long time because all the asks...but most of them are non-canon to the story. They haven't actually had to leave the kid alone for much more than getting groceries. Thankfully, both have been able to push off having to jump right back to work in person. Ah, the days before people always knew where you were!

Al's other home, which he basically gave to his mother until her passing, is usually called the 'estate', and can be seen in the background of some asks, like this one. It originally belong to his father....buuttt for, ahem, reasons, he grew up basically owning the house and everything in it. We'll be seeing this more shortly, but it's kinda the base of operations for most of the going ons that shall be shown...unless said otherwise. You'll see why ;)

The bar location that shows up most often, and always when Husk is around, is the Black Cat casino and bar. Husk originally owned the joint until Al came and won it, and Husk, in a game of cards. We haven't seen it from the outside yet because it's something a little special that I'm saving for later ;))

We haven't seen too much of the Vox centered locations, but just be aware that he's got a house in almost every state, and a secret place in South America that he got after he realized just what kind of, um, 'tab' him and Al were drawing up, in case they ever needed a place to get away to.

He has a penthouse in NYC proper, with a view out to Central Park. The poolside was shown very, very briefly in a early funny one off, non-canon ask here. If he's got a long busy week, he'll usually stay there just for convenience.

His business building is also in NYC, and one of the offices was shown in (Never) Let Me Go Part I . It's also sometimes featured in asks, but is almost always shown from the view of the offices or his station set. His studio building is in Hollywood proper, and we'll see more of that further along the line.

Otherwise, the two other locations to keep in mind for now are the big, Gatsby-styled mansion on Long Island, shown briefly here, and the private island he owns with a small fortress on it, seen here.

Also, because it's kinda a location in of itself, especially where Vox is concerned, consider his yacht as another 'home' of his. It has enough bedrooms to count XD.

Whew! I think that's the short summary of all the ones shown or teased so far. But to get back to the original question:

Vox almost always visits Alastor, unless explicitly stated. Between Vel and his own obsession with work, he makes time for the things he really wants, like traveling down south to be with Al. After Alastor's mom passed, they're almost always at the estate whenever it's their usual downtime. Al doesn't have any real neighbors for miles and they can kinda do whatever they want there. Also, now that his mother is gone, Al doesn't mind using the place when getting his hands dirty...so long as his mother's things aren't disturbed. Again, we're going to see more of the interior shortly.

The shack is supposed to be just for their prep work and maybe the occasional sleepover that gets called a hunting trip. It's not really meant to serve as a home but...well, with the kid there, they haven't had much choice in the matter. That's why at the end of Something Wicked, when Al realizes Vox is attached now...yeah, probably time to bring the kid to a proper house (which is going to be Al's estate).

So, yeah, it's hard, but they make it work.

Thanks for the ask!

[crossovershipsandedits]

Please consider looking to see if characters have a canon orientation (like lesbian or gay man) before posting ships of them.

Hello! I hope you're having a wonderful day~

To address this ask, I first pose a question myself; Why?

The point of shipping, or really any fan creation, is to show your love and support for media/a character by expressing yourself, your thoughts and your theories/headcanon's through your work. The reason a lot of characters are loveable and popular is because they are fully capable of allowing fans to see themselves in them and see their versions without destroying the canon.

For example; If we look at Zoro from One Piece. As far as we're aware, bro has little to no romantic inclination. And yet his top ship is with another man on the crew, who happens to be woman loving Sanji. But it isn't something that feels wrong or out of place, because the ambiguity is there and their relationship is prebuilt, fans just need to figure out how it moves to romantic. The ability to see past the initial "Oh, Sanji loves women" and see the potential branches for this path. Yes, it's probably canon he legit loves women like that, but it could also be a trauma reaction based on his back story. Or it could ALSO be possible that he's bi/pan/etc

In short; Just because someone is shown a certain way, doesn't mean that's the only option. As fans we have the freedom to conjure up theories and beliefs based on the information presented to us.

Another good example would be Naruto. He's married to a woman, and yet it's still VERY much suggested that he loves Sasuke the same way. There is no "definite" answer. Assuming there is purely because of the canon relationships is a little closed minded in my opinion.

AND, even if it is stated, people change. We weren't born thinking "Oh heck yeah, dong". We develop our tastes as we grow and learn and experience new things. A great example would be Deadpool for this. He starts off in love with a woman (I'm speaking film wise by the way) and continues to love her, but very much over the course of their relationship begins to experiment and opens up that door for himself. Some people need to find the right person that makes them question themselves before they can confirm anything. Or, on the flip side, they need to see a lot of potential and not react lovingly/sexually to them in order to put the pieces together for aro/ace.

Life is a mystery bag of tags and labels that we as humans made to understand things better, and that's ok. Be who you are and love what/who you love. Be YOU

Anyway, I think I went a bit off tangent haha XD All I'm trying to say is, doors aren't entirely shut because of one thing or another. Fans can and will continue to express themselves and their thoughts through their loved characters, and that's ok. It's healthy even! I know people who use characters to test the waters for themselves because it can't hurt the people around them. It's harmless. A bit of fun, if you will.

I will always say this to these kinds of comments, ones where you should ask yourself "why am I bothering to send this?".

It is easier to keep scrolling past something you don't like, then drawing attention to it, and yourself, by commenting something that could hurt or upset an innocent person, and honestly makes you look like a silly grumpy guts :)

Keep sailing guys, gals and non-binary pals!!

[factual-fantasy]

25 ASKS! THANK YOU!! :DD 🚲

Thank you! And welcome back!! :DD Though what a poor time to come back around to the dumpster fire that is Tumblr--

If you haven't heard the news, we got a bunch of A.I. crap goin on. You'd best go into all your blogs settings individually to "opt out of 3rd party something something". Gotta protect your artwork and reblogs from being A.I. data scraped!

@fnaf-smilingcritters0

Thank you!! :DD

That, and also I think they would get more brittle as they age.. :(

Oh yeah for sure! :D Though Seafoam's beard/hair is made of actual seafoam. So its not that tasty- <XDD

That sounds deliciously dangerous! XDD 😋

I do know that Jam is their blood at least! :0 ..at least I think so-

@tallchest13-blog

XDD I give you an E for effort!

@astaherussy (Referencing this post)

XDD I can almost see him doing that as a social experiment of sorts. Just to see that everyone else would say.

Its all fun and games until everyone starts responding with "Oh absolutely" "Everyday matey.." "Oh yeah, all the time!" Peso would be shocked- XDD

He does not handle the separation well <XD

Well "ship" usually refers to head-cannoning/wanting two characters to be romantically involved. Even if they are not in canon. Blue and Seafoam aren't a ship, they just are.. well, together. Its written into the canon that they are together. So its not a ship and its feels a lot different than a ship would..

As for Peach and Mario, a quick google search says they are canonically mutually romantically interested in each other. Same with Luigi and Daisy. I only tagged my posts as "Mario x Peach" and "Luigi x Daisy".. because that's what people search for when they wanted to see romantic content of those characters-

And even if google straight up lied/is wrong and it turns out not to be confirmed? Those two pairings are so strongly suggested/implied in canon, that I don't get any of negative feelings I associate with ships.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, I just don't like ships. It really isn't my thing for a lot of reasons. There's a loooot of not great feelings associated with them. None of my own characters make me feel that way becuase I created them. And their relationships are written into the story..

And the Mario pairings are canon. Or at the very least, they are soooo strongly implied, that I don't get any of the negative feelings associate with ships even if they weren't canonically a thing.. I hope that made sense..?

@citrusfruitman

DUDE THAT SOUNDS LIKE A NIGHTMARE- IM TERRIFIED OF SPIDERS-- <XDD

Huh, the more you know! :0

(Link in question)

XDD Oh yeah absolutely

She will flatten that cake in under 5 minutes. And suffer absolutely no consequences what so ever. Lucky gal <XD

THESE ARE ALL SO GOOD! :DD Rainbow cobbler sounds like it would fit the best considering the ships colors.. But I want the name to relate to coral in some way.. hmm..

@blackcatzcandraw

Uhg.. yeah, I'm aware.. its a good thing I don't plan to post Octonauts content much anymore-

I don't like to think of my OCs as drinkers.. but if anyone did drink, it would be Louis. He's a jolly character that just likes to have a good time with his crew. :)

I do intend for them to raid other ships. :0 But they usually go for ships that can defend themselves to some extent and have loot. You're not gonna see them raid a ship full of orphans and steal their biscuits and pennies-

@yourstrulylightstar283

Sorry, I don't take requests!.. Also considering how tough my DK is, and the fact that he's the alpha- I don't think he would ever get bloody and bruised-

If I remember correctly, the cookie run version of cake creatures are dogs..?

XDD wait doesn't mild dissolve cookies though?-

Hmm.. I'm not sure. I know that there are other cookies in the game that work with metal and stuff. So an electronic toy wouldn't be impossible. If it was small they'd probably assume it was a toy. If it was huge..? Mayyybe they'd think its some kind of malicious machine..? <:0

ALWKNS XDD OH YEAH!

I think Spidercrab is the smart cookie and Louis is the tough cookie XDD

@beryl-shade

Going off of the games.. I thiiiink an "oven" would be like a birthplace..?

[scribz-ag24]

your grovyle and dusknoir pieces matter so much to me because you capture the very essence of how much the green gecko bastard and his 7.11ft tall ass ghost-guy-that-was-sent-to-kill-him-but-whoops-something-happened matter to each other and just how they change the other while still being all awkward at certain times because they are in a situation that involves feelings in which they are both not used to (grovyles emotional tendencies where he pushed down things and thoughts that would otherwise doom the mission he was on and dusknoir just being completely foreign to them because he strives from a world where kindness and love is seen as a vulnerability so he just strayed far from things that will inevitably stab him in the back) and how they try to navigate it while having to bear the annoyances of the other but still viewing them in high regard nonetheless. i dont go here too much but i figured i may as well say it because i think you're cool and because you draw those two annoying little studs so well. have a good day scribz

Waaaa thank you!! I appreciate you stop by here to be so lovely! This made my entire week 🥹🥹 I always love to see you when you tag, youre so thorough in everh post you reblog, it's a delight to see ^^

They are sooo important to each other, I don't think we appreciate enough how pivotal they are to each other's development, especially grovyle to dusknoir's. Still cant believe the ghost's parting word and thought was a a most thankful message to his old enemy, thanking him for giving his life meaning, for helping him not regret having truly *lived*, not just survived. I wish Dusknoir got some more dialogue after coming back to life, but those being his last words, in addition to him constantly referencing grovyle's speech, just goes to show how far he's internalized grovyle's words.

And the way Grovyle genuinely sees and reaches towards Dusknoir's inner goodness, *while* he's actively being betrayed, is beyond words. Grovyle loves his friends deeply and by this point he's clearly gone far enough to consider Dusknoir close to that status. Maybe Dusknoir protecting him from a blow hit too close to home and changed the dynamic in his eyes from "temporal ally" to just "ally". It can't be a coincidence that Grovyle opens up and explains his motives and ideas after Dusknoir takes the attack for him.

You just can't get one without the other in my mind, it's how they contrast and mirror each other, it's how the game switches the tables and flips their alignment so seamlessly. The thief-captor dynamic turning on its head once you see their true colors. How dusknoir appears more mature and put together thanks to his charm and social skills, only for him to end up learning and looking up to Grovyle, whose more developed life philosophy and selfless objective end up convincing Dusknoie to fight for something beyond himself.

Special Episode 5 is one of rhe best pmd chapters/story out there, and it's the most basic premise of Grovyle and Dusknoir working together. The writers developed them so well in conjuction that they can't be separated in my head.

But even then their contrasting personalities makes them so fun to put them into situations, despite the ares wjere they might overlap. they're both great but they belong together. And celebi just adds even more flavour to the mix by adding someone so radically different from them in her view and approach to things (seeing as shes one of the onlu characters explicitly in love, maybe even in priorities outside world-ending cataclysms xD). Future trio in post-canon is simply too rich, even the crumbs from PSMD links them together and that's enough for me.

(And also just in general the vibes are so good, we make fun of dusknoie for the "looking nervous having your back exposed to me" but grovyle's "you cling to me beyond expectation" and "i surrender, do with me as you will". BESIDES ALREADY THINKING ABOUR DUSKNOIR WAY MOEE THAN ANYONE ELSE.

he goes up to partner during the sunrise and goes "thinking about dusknoir?" whilw it turns out partner is thinking of how much they love the beach and their friend 😭😭 and then grovyle says in his letter "hey watch out for dusknoir bc he WILL BE BACK I KNOW HIM" and hero and partner jusr go "oh yeah that guy. remember that guy??" like THEY DONT REMEMBER WHO TRIED TO KILL THEM A DAY AGO?? 😭😭 why they dgaf lmao)

So yeah. I care about them a normal amount xD.

[lucdoodle]

1, 2, 4, 7, 12, 23 foe Adam!

1. Why do you like or dislike this character? Oh man! Where to begin!! I like his personality, design, concept, and the implications of what his story was/is off-screen and how it plays with the relationship he has with other characters that know him for a long time (read here: Lucifer, Lilith, Eve, Lute, Sera, and older angel in general.) As well as the implications of how his life in Heaven is like and how other angels sees him. All the implications who derives from the mere concept of his character are- !!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! a lot of fun to think about!!

2. Favorite canon thing about this character? 1- His relationship with Lute! 2- How he's genuinely an asshole lol (im very much not in the "adam did nothing wrong" group.) This dude is an apathetic asshole and an incredibly interesting character!

4. If you could put this character in any other media, be it a book, a movie, anything, what would you put them in? Oh boi, a series of shorts like the "Helluva shorts", except that they'd be about Adam's life in Heaven pre-canon!

7. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like? Exploring the implications!!! Taking the crumbs of informations we know about him and making whole cakes with it!! Also im a big fan of any fanfics that explores (even if briefly!) the relationship between Adam and Sera (in a platonic way, i mean.) I particularly love both the interpretations of 1- Sera thinking about the lost potential, and how Adam evolved and changed, did he changed or was he always like that? Was it the apple and thus Lucifer's fault? Or was he always like that? Since we know Sera was in heaven before Adam died, do you think she's the one that taught him how to fly? Do you think she's the one that taught him how to live in Heaven? Do you think she's the one that was put in charge of taking care of the first human soul? And what does Sera means to Adam? (stuff like that!) And interpretation 2- Sera thinking smt like "Oh not this guy again..." as Adam kicks the doors opens with a loud "WASSUP BITCHES, Adam the man himself is here!! NOW we can start the meeting or whatever" like a "that one coworker you hate" relationship XD Both are good XD auihznkjiuhgernikjulko

12. What's a headcanon you have for this character? OHOHOH!!! Lemme pull out my list! * a comically long - seemingly endless scroll proceed to fall on the ground and gets all over the place * (Erm, but huh, more seriously i actually have a list of my headcanons for Adam so, uh, ANYWAY, here!) XD 1- his favorite food (that is not meat) is apple pie! (and he hates that it's apple pie of all things, so he doesn't eat it often at all) 2- he considers Lute "one of the boys" 3- Adam and Lute have movie nights 4- when he's in a really weird mood/feeling weird he eats apples 5- adam and lucifer were friends back in Eden 6- he's very unconfortable showing skin (which is why he wears a mask and clothes that don't show any skin) 7- his mask was originally a gift from Sera as she notived Adam didn't like being the only human in heaven in the early days where there was nothing else but angels up there 8- lucifer taught adam swear words, and told him to blame michael if Sera asked who taught him. Lucifer did it because he wanted to see the look on sera's face as he thought it'd be a funny prank 9- adam feels most comfortable sleeping on sand and dust and such since he was created from The Dust 10- emily genuinely thinks adam's mask is his face, this is a extremely popular misconception among angels 11- extremely few persons have seen adam without his mask 12- it took adam A LOT of time before he managed to eat another apple after what happened in Eden 13- he has an extremely good memory, but he only use it for things he likes or that involve him directly 14- he hates being alone 15- he adored being with and hanging out with Lucifer back in Eden, they were good friends and Lucifer taught Adam about a lot of things 16- lucifer taught adam what music was 17- adam is a very "monkey see monkey do" kind of person 18- when confused he makes a head tilt like animals do when they're confused, and he picked the way he hold his wings from watching birds 19- sera is the one that was put in charge of kicking adam and eve out of eden 20- sera will never forget the cries and begs from them and it still haunts her, meanwhile adam completely forgot that it was Sera that kicked him out of Eden

23. Favorite picture of this character? This one! simply because it shows how utterly TOL Adam is XD

But also this whole bit! For a character so self-centred, it was so cool to see him taking a support role!

[marumafan]

Hi, I have a thought. From Yuuri’s perspective, also Earth’s, Wolf is incredibly impressive pretty. I wonder how people in his own world perceive him?

Hello, sorry for taking a while to answer. I needed to do some research for it.

TL;DR: In his country, Wolf's probably just average, but his status as son of a maou and fiance of another maou helps him . Since we see him from Yuuri's POV, this might be the reason why everyone thinks him so beautiful… but he might simply be Yuu's type XD

Novel 1, chapter 3

"Apparently, this group's aesthetic sense was unfathomable to Japanese people. "

Welcome to my TED talk once again, it's great to see you all:

I'm mostly going to contradict everything people say about Wolfie's beauty with quotes and sources, so if you're interested, keep reading.

Wolfie's looks on Earth: (canon? unlikely)

When it comes to novel canon, it's impossible to know how he would be perceived, as Wolfram has never been to earth, unless we're talking about the future. In the future- stories, Wolfram's beauty isn't really addressed. (other than from Yuuri's point of view)

As for the drama cd you mention here (Everyone looking at him):

"The Mazokus Casual Trip to Earth - Yuuri and Wolfram", yes, he's perceived as beautiful on earth in that cd. This story was written by GEG and maybe even with sensei's input, but it's following anime lore, so we can't really call it novel canon.

Until I have clear information about this being sensei's… I will doubt this info. She's always said (till 2011) that her characters had never been to earth. Remember that 'going to earth' was how she planned to 'end' the series, along with it being a dream. So how pretty Wolfram would be considered on earth is unknown (also where? In Japan? Maybe he would stand out more there, sure.)

---------------------------------

Who is the most beautiful in Shin Makoku: (canon)

As for the other world, Gunter is number one.

In novel 2, chapter one we get this info:

"…Is that Lord Günter?"

(…)

"Kyaah! His Majesty is adorable, but Lord Günter is so dreamy! That's the first beauty of Shinma Kingdom for you—he's even more beautiful when he's wet!"

"Gyaaaaaaah!"

So Gunter's traits: purple hair and eyes, tall and older.

---------------------------------

Wolfram paying with smiles: (canon? unknown)

People usually like to point out the "Wolfram paying with smiles" info from that one drama cd "A great day with a wonderful Ma-friend -Yuuri and Wolfram"; which ,again, I'm not sure Takabayashi-sensei participated in . (We know the 'visiting rooms drama cds were penned by her, but the 'wonderful day ones, we have no info on' ).

Therefore I can't confirm that Wolf is so beautiful that he 'pays with smiles' as stated in that cd.

Also, it may simply be Yuuri's interpretation of the situation. Wolfram is the son of the previous maou, and is the fiance of the current maou, so people may just find any requests he makes part of their jobs.

Quote here:

Yuuri: I'm trying to ask you what kind of reward they get for providing you that information.

Wolfram: I don't give them anything.

Yuuri: Eh?! Why?

Wolfram: Even if you ask me why, I don't know what to say. Because I just thank them with a smile, and everybody diligently brings me the information.

Yuuri: So, what Wolf? You just thank them with a smile and that's it?!

Wolfram: Yes. Is that strange?

Yuuri: No, rather than strange I'd say… whispers I see… so those guys in order to see him like that, they keep bringing him information.

---------------------------

Wolfram reviving people with his beauty: (canon? unclear)

In the novels Novel 2, chapter 8:

"Why does this hospital have such an unusually high survival rate? Well, you see, it's a good thing for the patients' families, isn't it? It's a good thing."

I can't bring myself to actually hasten their deaths, and not a single person has died since we arrived this morning. It's a three-star hospital. The old man, who had lost consciousness a moment ago, grabbed Wolfram's hand as he tried to check his heartbeat, opened his eyes wide and called out the woman's name. The daughter and grandson were overjoyed, crying that their grandfather had spoken for the first time in four years.

Wolfram was the one who had suffered the most damage, with cold sweat breaking out on his forehead and him clutching his wrist as he muttered something. It seemed like a charm against evil. It was a bit strange for a demon to use a charm against evil, though." (…)

"We've had gratitude heaped on us, and people have even started calling Wolfram the Angel of Love. "

Ok, so it is never clarified that it's because of Wolfram's beauty. Also, we know that Wolf has that healing power where when one encourages others to feel better he can heal them and take some of the damage.

It may be his power that was healing everyone in the hospital. Could also be his beauty.

-------------------------

From Cherie's point of view: (canon? unreliable narrator)

In "Cäcilie's Love Love Maternity Book", Cherie says Wolfram is 'so beautiful it's a sin', and that 'he looks just like her' XD so she might be a bit biased.

She usually says he's gorgeous, because he looks like her so idk.

---------------------------

From Yuu's point of view: (canon? for Yuu)

Now obviously Yuuri find him attractive. The very first time he sees him he calls Wolf's an 'angel'.

Chp3, novel 1 - He's an angel How can he be this beautiful! Because of them, his face emits an aura. Although it’s likely to seem that way because of his dazzling blond hair. His looks and voice are like an older Vienna chorus boy. His white skin seems transparent, and his irises are an emerald green that make me think of the bottom of a lake, and furthermore he doesn’t have a split chin. He’s an angel, definitely an angry angel. However, being in this place, he’s also probably a beautiful Mazoku.

Novel 2, Chp 1 - God's greatest masterpiece Lord Wolfram von Bielefelt, on the other hand, is my twin in stature and physique, but angelically handsome. If you didn’t know he was Mazoku, you’d think he was God’s greatest masterpiece. Glittering gold hair, white skin, long eyelashes, and emerald-green eyes. But that damn arrogance of his makes him sound like a yapping Pomeranian.

Novel 3, chapter 1 -jumped straight out of a shoujo manga Wolfram was a rival-less super bishounen, like a Vienna choir boy who had jumped straight out of a shoujo manga. He had inherited his mother’s shiny golden hair and her emerald green eyes. While his build was no better or worse than mine, the difference between our looks was as wide as the gap between heaven and earth. I imagined all artists in the world would fight over the chance to paint his portrait. If he had appeared in someone’s dream, the dreamer might even be moved to tears thinking they had seen an angel.

Novel 3 chapter 10 - makes my heart to skip a few beats Even though I perfectly knew that we were both guys, being pursued by such a beautiful boy like him still caused my heart to skip a few beats. At times like this, the most effective solution was to avoid looking at his face and keep chanting “He is 82 years old” like a mantra.

There's many other instances where he describes Wolfram as ultra-beautiful... but this is Yuuri.

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Common physical features in the other world: (canon)

In novel 1 we get a description of the 'human-shaped' mazoku

" The color of each person's hair and skin was truly variegated and unreal. Like I've heard, there's certainly no one with black hair. Blond hair, brown hair, silver hair, white hair, red hair, chestnut, orange (I wonder if it's dyed), purple (I wonder if it's a trendy hair dye), green (probably chlorophyll)… green?! "

So of course, we know black eyes and hair are the most uncommon, one could say exotic? Just like Wolf would be in Japan. But whenever we hear descriptions, most people that interact with Yuu are blond.

Yuu describing the first person he meets (Novel 1)

"The length of the long skirt that seemed to be dragging on the ground. The old-fashioned triangular straps tied at her chin. Those blue eyes and dull blonde hair…a foreigner! "

All of the human villages also had a bunch of blond people. So it seems like blond with blue eyes are common features in both mazoku and the humans around them.

Yuu describing some guards: (Novel 1) " The nice middle aged men rush over. I've already gotten used to beautiful forms, so I don't mind these men's outwards appearances. Hnn, umm, oh, beautiful for their fifties, older men with dull blond hair and blue eyes. However, in their vicious military training they were taught to conceal the hidden door inside their eyes. "

Yuu describing Adalbert (Novel 1) "American football, this man absolutely must play American football. His arms and chest seemed that way. With dazzling hair and turquoise blue eyes, a fine, long hooked nose even though it inclined to the left a little, he seemed to be a beautiful Caucasian macho man with a split chin. Foreigner-loving Japanese girls would probably form a line asking for photographs in this place, and if necessary they would probably put money in his bikini pants. "

Yuu describing Gunter: (Novel 1) The moment I saw his face I gave up on saying anything. He was handsome, more handsome, super handsome, and ultra some hand, I mean, handsome. I would say his graceful expression makes his cleverness felt. What a smart-looking incredibly beautiful person! But such a dull expression.

In addition to being beautiful, his voice was a baritone that vibrated in your stomach. Adalbert from awhile ago was also fairly handsome but this person was so perfect that girls would faint as soon as they laid eyes on him. It wouldn't only be girls in their late twenties who would faint. Mature women, and older women…well, ladies in general.

------------------------- In summary: Wolfram has pretty 'average beauty' for the other world. Yuuri and Wolf's mom think he's gorgeous, other people don't really comment on Wolf's looks. There may also be a difference between the way he's perceived in Shin Makoku and the way he's perceived outside of it. He's probably average, maybe slightly above average if we consider the 'Angel of Love' thing (on human territory) as being caused by his beauty and not his healing powers.

There's a lot of info here , if you find mistakes or sources I haven't added, let me know!

[self-indulgent-paw-patrol]

Can you give some headcanons for the series?

SURE! Let's see, I got a bunch of 'em.

Friendly reminder to whoever will read this, THESE ARE JUST HEADCANONS, don't take them as facts, omg, this is just my personal creativity and imagination playing around here

1- The dogs live a lot longer than what it would be "usual" considering the difference between human and dog ages. If we'd take actual dog age into account in this show, both Rubble and Zuma would be the first ones to die of old age in like, 4 years at least. I refuse that. For me, the dogs in this universe not only are able to speak and learn stuff that animals normally don't, but also will live up to like, 30 or 40 years old. Mixed breeds with more resistance to diseases and stuff might reach the 50s.

2- Marshall has bad genetics due to being result from extreme in-breeding at an illegal facility (y'know like what they call a puppy mill). He was born without any strength on his rear body, plus the blue eyes which are ACTUALLY a gene that's related to making Dalmatians have less spots and hearing loss, which can happen from birth or gradually lose their hearing as they grow up. The facility was busted in by police and the dogs were rescued, treated, and put up for adoption. Ryder saw how that clumsy puppy still persisted on getting up and trying to keep up with the others and chose him. It took them some long time of physiotherapy but Marshall's attitude and optimism, along with the support from Ryder and the other pups, got him where he is nowadays: Able to walk, run, jump and perform his rescue duties almost perfectly, to the point he's one of the fastest (if not the fastest) pups (ok this part about his speed is canon, he IS one of the fastest pups), even if he still trips sometimes - it's just how he is and they all love and support him.

3- Skye hates being the smallest pup because she knows she won't grow as much as the others anyway. She's a mix of two naturally small breeds. So whenever they notice one of them is growing a bit more and it's "taking longer" for her, it's just because she grows so much slower and just a bit, to the point it's nearly impossible to notice.

4- Zuma descends from a breed of Merpups who have long ago left the underwater to live on land. They've mixed with Labradors who lived around and the story of their origins has been lost to time, as their descendants think it's just a legend. Zuma always believed it to be real and that's why he waited to see a Merpup that first time. To become a Merpup for one night was literally a dream come true, not only for him loving water but also for it felt like "coming home" for him.

5- Mr. Porter is secretly tasked with watching out for Ryder, that's why he's always helping with providing things for the pups, like bringing/preparing food and snacks for them.

That's what I'll get out for now XD Hope you like these!

[moonspirit]

Do you have any unpopular opinions about aot? If so...I would enjoy hearing them!

Hi anon!

Ehhhh, I don't really have any unpopular opinions as much as I have a few gripes(?) about the story in general. And they are pretty minor things, so much that I honestly forget about them until someone brings it up lmao xD

One is (and this will be familiar, maybe) that I wish we had more information on Armin's parents. What kind of parents they were, how they spent time with him, what they taught him, what he thought about them, how he dealt with the news of their deaths etc. I admit that not having canon-details on these things means we're free to imagine anything we want and that creates a lot of space to expand upon this in any direction we like. Still, sometimes I get a bit salty about how Eren's and Mikasa's relationship with their parents were given more time and Armin almost none. It's because I'm big on the hc that their loss affected him very badly, giving rise to/ballooning many of the issues he suffers from throughout the story.

(But, well, it's only a small complaint haha xD doesn't bother me too much cuz the hcs I make up satisfy me so that's that).

Another is that I wish we got more fun-stuff on their cadet years. The entirety of the show considered, the screentime dedicated to their shenanigans is too less xD We need to watch them being silly, playing around and doing dumb shit before Trost fell. Lots and lots of ema! Lots and lots of 104th! Lots and lots of everyone being kids!!!

[shycroissanti]

Kishin -alternative future AU Upper Moon 2- This Kishin I imagine he secretly went tournament mode with all the moon's upper and lower. To see how strong he is. and feel more confident that he can protect Irina. (maybe the two thought of having kids and Kishin felt that he needed to step up and be protective.) So he did the tournament secretly. He probably told Irina that he was in a tournament but never with the moon's. He is certain that Irina might fight alongside him or maybe stop him. Imagine his shock that he's strong enough to be the Upper Moon 2. Now he wouldn't know what to do. He has a big mark/tattoo on his shoulder and hiding it would make it obvious. And he doesn't know how to break it to Irina he's almost the strongest demon second to the demon king. So Irina sees this demon love of her life shuffling around her obviously hiding something. IDK how Irina would react to Kishin's new rank besides shocked. How do you think Irina would react?

OMG, AN UPPER MOONS TOURNAMENT WOULD BE SO AWESOME!!!!! NOW I CAN'T GET THIS IDEA OUT OF MY HEAD!!!!

I'm almost considering Kishin as Upper Moon 2, a canonical future in my story xD

But well, let's start with the moment Kishin discovered that he had become an Upper Moon. So, it was by sheer coincidence, his shoulder was bandaged because he had injured it in one of the battles. Then he found the Upper Moon mark when he went to check his shoulder

Then Kishin goes crazy, with joy and confusion at the same time xD

Yuina belongs to @larz-barz

Initially he didn't know how to tell Irina, so while he was thinking, he kept his shoulder bandaged for a while longer, until Irina came to check on him, and then he couldn't hide it anymore.

Irina will ask him a million questions✨️✨️

And she is happy for him, since they were younger, Irina has always been extremely happy to see Kishin becoming stronger and stronger.

Now about the Upper Moons tournament.

Kishin would definitely do this tournament with the Moons, Yudi totally supports him and would love to fight too!! As for Irina, Kishin wouldn't be able to hide it from her, he would tell her everything about this tournament at some point. Of course Irina would want to participate, but she accepts Kishin fighting alone, as long as she can watch (and intervene, in case someone tries to hurt Kishin too seriously, she doesn't want anything bad to happen to her hubby ùwú)

Thanks for the ask!!! :D💖✨️

Le tags💖

@c00kietin @larz-barz @knyinfinity @demonslayerdoodles @night-mince10001 @scaredyfurry2 @pinkwisteria @giyubabe @pulim-v @nothingtoseehere1-2-3 @tor-the-tortilla @zenitsustherapist @ayunakatsukiwolfhashira @sunbrokenswords

[teecupangel]

First off, I wanna say, ever since I discovered your work while scrolling down Ezio's tag randomly, I have been thoroughly hooked to everything you have written. Your work is simply amazing!

With that, I hope you don't mind me sharing an idea that's been haunting me for quite a while now.

What if Desmond reincarnated as La Volpe's son? Not biologically his son (or maybe he is but no one knew?), merely, he was found by Gilberto when Desmond was a little kid on the streets and took him in and taught him everything he knows despite Desmond clearly being a young prodigy in multiple skills as is. The man grew rather fond of Desmond, to say the least- and rather protective

(Desmond with eyes glowing purple instead of gold when using Eagle Vision anyone?)

The Thieves Guild knows Desmond (many having seen him grow up as well and befriended him) and are the ones to consider/acknowledge him as La Volpe's heir (Cub or Kit? Idk much Italian for the proper word/term for Little/Baby Fox and I don't trust Google Translate ngl) in this.

While we don't have a confirmation of La Volpe's age (doesn't help his model didn't change between AC2 and Brotherhood), I like to imagine Desmond is only a few years younger than Machiavelli when the two meet. And Machiavelli (a sort of friend despite La Volpe not liking him initially-) is trying to persuade Desmond to try his hand in some sort of apprenticeship or get him into politics even cause it's such a waste for him to remain amongst the Thieves when clearly his skills means he's destined for a better lifestyle- though, of course, Desmond's already quite an asset for the Assassin's regardless.

Would be even more interesting/amusing if Shaun reincarnated with Desmond somehow. A fellow thief (or maybe a son of a noble that Desmond tends to target- and if Desmond knows its Shaun, welll, who knows. In the end, he's still messing with him regardless) perhaps that believes he's being haunted by a familiar ghost from the past life- but that's impossible! The only ghosts (well, they're real- he long since came to terms that this isn't a dream anywas- is it hell, though? He's yet to decide) he'd had to deal with should've been the Auditores and the Templars- but then... Why does he keep seeing Desmond? (And why does he associate him with purple and even orange instead of Gold, White, and Red?)

(I apologize for the amount of parentheses in this)

(Considering how liberal I am in using parentheses myself, you don’t have to apologize for anything XD)

If you’re alright with messing up canon character’s personalities… we can make Shaun be reborn as Machiavelli instead?

And if Desmond and Machiavelli!Shaun are both around the same age, they’d be younger than Petruccio (at least 6 years for Machiavelli) which means we have the opportunity to mess with both Shaun and Desmond with this.

Because they would realize if someone was changing history if the Auditores live. By making them too young to do anything to stop it, we’re giving them the false sense of confidence that they are the only reincarnators in this story.

By the time they would both have the power and influence to change the plot, they would come to believe that the changes are butterfly effects of their own actions, not because another reincarnator is changing some things under their noses.

For this one, we’ll have Shaun try to push Desmond into going to politics because he believes that La Volpe’s son is meant to die young. That’s the only reason he could think of to why Ezio never saw him in his memories. Any antics or reactions that reminds Shaun of Desmond is simply Shaun’s mind trying to keep him from grieving Desmond’s death too much. Ezio was a constant reminder of his ‘impending death’. La Volpe’s son reminds him of what Desmond could have been had circumstances been different.

In Desmond’s eyes, Machiavelli was simply being Machiavelli. Any discrepancies between the Machiavelli his Bleed remembers and the Machiavelli in front of him is because Machiavelli isn’t treating him like he treats Ezio. Another important thing is that Desmond uses the name La Volpe gives him (your call what it is and if he has a different nickname that’s connected to foxes or a similar animal) because he knows calling himself Desmond would just make Ezio look for him.

And he was trying to stay away from Ezio because, as much as he wanted to help him, he feels guilty because the tragedy in Ezio’s life was all his fault.

To ensure he was born.

So this story now becomes two reincarnators (Shaun and Desmond) trying to change Ezio’s life, all the while not realizing each other’s true identity.

Ezio has no idea that he has two ‘guardian angels’ and is just doing his best with what he’s given XD

[evenmoreofadisaster]

A question about Two, I know his "weapon training" is different than One's, since while One was "trained" to be a "leader or a soldier" Two was trained to be "a tool or a support" (Which required deconstructing his individuality more than One), plus all that toxic environment where bad behavior was fostered, there were never any consequences for amoral acts, and basically they were continually compared to each other, One being the "golden child", making Two have a continuous fight with himself for not being "enough", especially about his emotions and passion for science (All this is a summary of my impressions and a little psychoanalysis of Two, and I'm aware that I could be wrong).

But rereading the fic, I got the impression that Two really took a "liking" to Raph, Mikey, and Splinter; I mean, I know perfectly well that his main reason is Draxum, completing the mission, taking the opportunity to be better than One for once at something, and many more mental messes.

But it's clear to me that he really enjoyed the company, the validation (especially from Splinter), and having brothers or "companions" that he didn't have to compete with them or that they were his "superiors", and I got the impression that he secretly wanted to complete the mission because he wanted Mikey and Raph to be in his life, in his project, all together (including One).

Although I admit that it's harder to analyze him because Two is very emotional, but it's RAW emotion and he kicks himself every time he feels something with passion and he shelters himself in logic and the set of rules that Draxum gave him, which doesn't allow him to process his emotions or know himself.

What do you say about this? (If I'm wrong, I'm sorry XD)

for the most part you're spot on! Two considers every outburst of emotion a sort of unforgivable slip, because it just proves that Draxum is right about his impulsivity. So it's a constant conflict between his anger issues and emotional outbursts and his need to remain cool and collected. What's worse is that One tends to do the latter better than he does. His anger issues are a part of him that I really like to explore, since an interesting addition to his canon character, and a cool way to connect him with Raph. So I'm really glad you caught on! Saying he feels a lot of raw emotion is super accurate. A lot of the times he's not sure what to do with it, so he just lashes out.

The point about Two secretly feeling connected with and fond of Raph Mikey and Splinter is an interesting point that I think a lot of readers agree with. I was giggling a little looking at all the comments making similar observations. I think it's a great and interesting observation that would maybe be an emotion deep deep deep DEEP down inside Two. Of course you're welcome to interpret the story how you want but I do have my own thoughts on it :)

(This is a LONG one so im gonna put it under the cut lol)

It got to a point where I started to worry that people were completely misinterpreting what was happening, but in hindsight I think there's some merit to the idea that Two was growing fond of Raph and Mikey.

That being said, I think that what people were seeing as fondness was MOSTLY just fear. Every time Two protected Raph and Mikey or spared them was because Two literally cannot let them die. Two's primary motivation in the story is to be successful for Draxum. First, he did this by trying to alter his and One's DNA (which cost them their arm and heart), and then he did this by trying to capture Raph and Mikey. If their team was complete, they would be more useful, and Draxum would be successful. Draxum made it very clear that they're at limited capability with just One and Two. Two wants more than anything to make Draxum's plan come to fruition, both because he wants to impress Draxum, and because he needs to in order to live; he can't afford to be a liability.

In season 1, Two is convinced that if they dont deliver Raph and Mikey, or worse, they die on his watch, Draxum will scrap Alpha 9 for good and he'll be as good as dead (stripped of his purpose, tossed to the curb and left to fend for himself at best). Yes, Two doesn't have a strong sense of personhood, and regards himself as just an experiment. If the experiment fails, he's done for. So I think the times where it seemed like Two was showing a softer side for Mikey and Raph (i.e. when he jumped off the Nexus roof to save Mikey), was just him doing whatever it takes to preserve the Alpha 9 project. The times he went along with One's antics playing family were only done for the sake of his mission. And he barely did that successfully lol

That lack of a sense of personhood also means he never really saw Raph and Mikey as brothers, and he won't until after the beginning of season 2. This shift in mindset is a really hard one, and is something that takes a really long time for him to come to terms with. Before he can accept his family, he must first change the way he sees himself. I think in a way, this sense of self, while mostly being a response to Draxum's training and home environment, was a sort of shield for Two when One, Draxum, and Two's relationship transitioned from a sort-of family while they were on the run to a scientist--subject relationship when they began to work on the mission. Two understood more than One that they wouldn't get that sense of family again, and adapted accordingly. It was easier to let go of the idea completely instead of try to find shards of it in their new life, like what One does. We can see in season 1 how that goes for him lol. But Two's emotions don't fall in line as easily as his brain, which creates internal conflict and helps fuels his constant anger.

But all of that is to say that Two doesn't really see anyone as family, because he doesn't see himself as a person. I doubt he really saw them as people either, more as runaway experiments living in a game. So when he would keep Raph and Mikey out of harm's way it wasn't because he liked them, it was because they were useful tools he couldn't afford to lose. His existence depended on their return. He didn't have the time or desire to care about them beyond their utility.

I think if Two did take the time to see that he didn't have to compete with Raph and Mikey like he does with One, he may have seen it as a relief, and maybe then he could bond with them, but he was so worried about getting the job done that I don't think he really noticed. If they did succeed in bringing Raph and Mikey back, he would probably get along with them better than he did with One. But I also don't think he'd get any emotional gratification by having them all reunited. He'd just be pleased that they have more warriors.

But I also think that even in season 1, he felt isolated from the others. One had an easier time playing family than Two did. I think they may or may not have had some soft moments where they bonded (I honestly can't remember) , and maybe Two does care for them a little bit, but definitely not more than he cares about his overall purpose. I think he sees their potential and sees value in them that way. But if it came down to leaving with them or Draxum at the end of season 1, he probably would have picked Draxum.

I WILL say that Two definitely got more wrapped up in validation than fondness. There's a fun turn in season 1 where Splinter compliments Two in front of One, and they start to compete for his attention. I don't think either One or Two are FOND of Splinter at this point, but he gave them the thing that they both rarely get, and desperately want. Being a father figure definitely helped the extremity of their reaction, since they'd specifically want such a compliment from Draxum (which is very rare). Any time that Raph or Mikey show them kindness makes them pause, but doesn't garner the same response as approval from Splinter. And even then, they were still pretty suspicious of him. I think they both are the type to receive positive interaction before they return it.

I also want to mention the way Two sees Mikey. While he doesn't particularly feel super fond of Mikey right away, he does sort of admire him and envy him in a way he won't dwell on until after s1. Mikey represents everything that Two isn't; he manages his emotions well, he can express himself artistically with ease, has a glowing personality he is confident in, and freely shows love for his family. Two doesn't even think of himself as a person, and has a very weak self-esteem. There's a scene in Mind Meld where Two gets distracted by Mikey's artwork. It throws him off his mission for a moment as he observes how easily and freely Mikey can express himself and his passions, while Two has to painstakingly manage every outburst to avoid being set aside and scowled at.

I'm rambling a lot sorry LOL

But TLDR, while I think the interpretation that Two was beginning to care for Raph and Mikey isn't wrong (I think the effect was the same in the long run, despite the interpretation), the intention we had while writing it was that he was more worried about saving his own skin and serving the mission than caring for his 'brothers.' The risks he took for Raph and Mikey in season 1 were mostly included to show how he'd sacrifice himself for the mission and contrast his actions with One's.

But in all, I don't want to police anybody's interpretations of what happened because everyone has their own unique thoughts about a story and I think that's wonderful :)

Thanks for the question!

[tiredassmage]

I always find it so FASCINATING how you play through the same story (IA of course) with multiple characters and see how each new dynamic plays out, because I just don’t work that way xD I put one lil guy into one situation and then nobody else gets to be there, it’s been claimed. So it’s very neat to see a more varied approach and watch each new take and how they add to your relationship with the story!

THAMK you!!!! I also find it really fascinating, which I guess is my fuel for doing it. xD It's admittedly one of the several things I have done in playing SWTOR that I never would have guessed I'd do when I started playing - and, to be fair, there are certain stories that I'm sorta that way about! And perhaps if everyone will indulge me, I'm gonna take this as an excuse to ramble about what I enjoy both about this particular class, and SWTOR as a whole, really.

but first I'll take an excuse to post my main 3 (so far) agent boys :3

from left to right then: tyr, alucren, and nikihlus!

Part of the agent storyline being so attractive to me personally is I'm sure, for better or worse, that I'm admittedly a sucker for a spy action flick, and since it's kind of my exact cup of tea, there feels to be a level of variance in how it plays out and how a character can interpret their experiences within it that's delightful for me to dive into and tear apart like a dog with new stuffed toy, lol.

I've played all eight class stories I think at least twice now, and several of them, clearly, far more than that, so I think one of the overall continuously endearing things about the game is that any of those eight can be someone's Thing. Everyone's got their favorites and I really, truly, after several spins through them all, don't think there's really a single bad class story. Finding the right character to pick apart what really makes a story tick for you, personally, I think is where... some of the challenge can occur.

I, for example, enjoy, conceptually, Consular, Inquisitor, and Trooper, but the first two of those I outright don't have a canon character "filling" that role, and Trooper I only have halfsies because my favorite run of that is actually Tyr's AU where I dropped him in the Trooper story for kicks and it changed my entire outlook on what I'd previously considered one of the more lacking class stories to the point where I think I might owe Aric Jorgan a personal apology letter and I'd even consider advocating for the story now. All of these stories I still think are good, fun, and interesting, but I haven't found a character whom I enjoy seeing in the role they play, if that makes sense.

What I at least enjoy about any of the characters I keep bringing back up here that I've played is that their viewpoints and experiences are pretty distinct to me. Even within my agents - and maybe especially with them, they all come at the role of Cipher with very different backgrounds and perspectives. Pretty much all three of them I've learned a lot more about since creating them, as you do when characters change over the course of a story and you point them at things that challenge their thinking, but their... fundamental, pre-Intelligence backgrounds greatly inform how they handle the rest of... everything. And only one of them is my canonical Cipher Nine; that honor remains with Tyr; Alucren's designation is Cipher Eleven, and Nikihlus's is Cipher Seven, respectively, but they've also... both kinda run away from me and since I have such a feel for who they are, it's also incredibly interesting to tackle the story as if they do belong there, in that particular role - because it tells me something about them that's not just applicable there.

And also, it's just... really fun for me to compare them like yardsticks against each other, lol. And it's a fun little exercise in appreciating the why of how different their playthroughs and experiences are. The short of them is that Tyr's the most idealistic of the three, the agent of change - a double agent for the SIS because he believes in something bigger and greater and ideals are enough to motivate him. Alucren's a loyalist - to the Empire, and to the Sith beyond that. Born and raised Imperial just like Tyr, but where Tyr came from some of the cracks in that society as an orphan (according to official records, at least) raised in a not-quite-family resulting from a marital alignment between a Sith and a naval officer, Alucren is relatively silver spoon-born - from a fairly prominent and historically loyal family. Those two have very different ideas of what Imperial Intelligence is, even, to great effect on how they respond to the pressures of the story and what's done to them in the titular role. Nikihlus is an outsider; in much the way that Kaliyo is using Intelligence as the next opportunity, so too, to an extent, is Nikihlus. He's there not exactly of his own will - it was cooperate or die, so his loyalty to Intelligence is only as far as they'll pay him, and that the Empire remains a more sound employer. Sith politics and even the larger conflict of Republic vs. Empire interest him no further than how to stay alive as someone who is painfully aware (sometimes, or perhaps even often, to a degree of paranoia) that neither side is interested in having a place for an "ex-"underworld assassin and enforcer like himself. His main motivator, at the end of the day, is always to stay alive.

Sometimes the three of them have overlap in their choices made along the story. Sometimes they're polar opposites. Sometimes, they do the same things for vastly different reasons. And that is almost more fun than seeing the outcomes themselves. At the very least, it's definitely at least equally as fun as seeing the outcomes!

But there are also those stories that I've done a certain way and I don't think, at the moment, at least, I'll do them as well again. Savosta and Rhyst, for example, are sort of... the definitive version of my Wrath and Jedi Knight. The Sith Warrior is one of my other favorite stories on some of that variance aspect that's so appealing in Imperial Agent for me, but I just... haven't done it like I did it with Savosta before or since because I'm so satisfied with how he came together. And it's a similar thing with Rhyst and Jedi Knight, although Knight is also... one of the ones that took me the longest to figure out the kind of character I wanted in that role - the kind of character that made me feel really engaged with the story.

And Rhyst is probably also the character I've changed the most about, over the course of his existence - from physical appearance to actually getting a grasp on his motivations and what's stuck with him about his experiences.

And especially since I've worked a lot mentally on how those two develop a relationship with each other, I feel like I'd be missing something that's become a huge part of how I enjoy the full picture between the Knight & Warrior without having a pair of them.

Anyway... Part of this response is maybe for a takeaway of this game is so fucking good when it gets you, and I think part of it's 'goodness,' if you will is how individual the different stories can become when you lean into the 'roleplay' part of it for the characters made, at least in my experience, and... yeah, I'll take the platform to be excited about the many different experiences of all of these characters I have, lol! Part of what I've loved so dearly about this game as a community around it and enjoying the characters I've created for it is how passionate people are with their characters; I think I've used... something of the phrase for trying to discuss Tyr's experiences that... something something, all of that is true, for him, in his eyes, how he sees the world [for whichever character you'd like to apply this to]. His views and actions are justifiable, if you will, from his perspective, just as Alucren's are from his, even though those two I created to be nearly complete opposites to see paths of the Agent campaign I never would just replaying Tyr over and over (though I still do that, clearly), lol.

And... I also meant to touch on and didn't earlier, but... I also distinctly recall saying when I was closer to starting to play this game that I wasn't sure I'd ever quite get why to play the same character in different stories, and now I've got a version of Tyr for each of the tech class stories that were all really fun to explore, and some of them are even... pretty distinct 'versions' of him from the others, if you will. Which does always make me think about that post that goes something about... not "he wouldn't fucking say that" but... what would it take for this character to act or feel this certain way? What aspects of environment and circumstance and who they met, etc etc, form who they are, what their opinions are? What would it take for a Jedi Knight to "fall" to the Sith I think is a bit of a fairly obvious one in Star Wars media, and I, admittedly, sort of avoided that one for a while because I wasn't sure I'd get anything out of the pondering that I'd enjoy with Rhyst, but I've played with it a bit here and there since and it's actually revealed some very interesting insights - things like some of his insecurities that better inform me about the kind of presentations he makes as a Jedi, and better inform his later-in-life complicated feelings with the Order and the Republic in general, even better insight into what he'd like to do maybe after he hangs up his lightsaber, or what kind of life he might've led if he hadn't grown up with the Jedi Order.

I dunno. Honestly, maybe at the end of the day, I love getting this and getting to share this because creating fictional little characters is just fucking cool and fascinating by itself and it's an experience or hobby even, if you will, that's been so much fun for me throughout life that I really hope everyone gets to experience something that engages them this much. They're a really cool vehicle for exploration - and that can mean as much or as little as you want it to. And that's so fucking cool that they can do that.

Anyway pt 2, lol, I love, again as I said, comparing my agents like yardsticks, love yapping about how their differences play out in the story, I am almost always down to talk about Imperial Agents. And Rhyst, stars I need to talk about him more. Which I always say and then I don't without prompting, but genuinely they have almost a whole story together in my head and I'm just not a longfic person so it'll probably never come out that way, but I think about it. Trust that I think about it, lol. And honestly, it's really cool what I learn about them when I talk about them and talk with others. Rhyst is a good example for that; a lot of what I've learned and developed with him and Knight in particular is from yapping with friends and mutuals and hearing some of what others have done; the beauty of having a buddy is that they'll ask about or talk about aspects of the story or characters you might never have considered on your own. Some of my favorite little character facts or insights have honestly come from discussion with friends.

OCs are so fucking cool. Thanks for coming to my TED talk about it, I guess? xD