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I refuse to go into more detail, but, I will no longer hold my tongue. my biggest gripe with this fandom is the way a majority of it erases Lo'ak's actual trauma and struggles (with his identity, his father/family, his clan, etc), and essentially gives him Spider's traumas/struggles in some idealized form (whether for over the top and oversimplified "hurt/comfort" scenarios, or max woobification), while absolutely dragging and/or ignoring Spider's entire character and the realistic depictions of those traumas and what that does to a kid.
like I can't exactly put words to it or go into a deep analytical post, but I've been thinking about it, and some other stuff I've seen online have been making me think about it.
stop doing a disservice to both of my boys. they both have such interesting and complex stories and you're ruining it!!!
#also. please stop acting like they hate each other deep down#idk why I keep seeing this. they are best friends and. more importantly. they're brothers.#they're dumb teenage boys and they get into squabbles and hold grudges and say the wrong thing sometimes. but they're brothers.#even if. *if*. they had moments of true anger or hatred or jealousy. they would be short-lived and come from a place of insecurity. and-#lead to insurmountable guilt immediately after.#and that bond. the understanding between them. even considering how distinctly different the circumstances of their daddy issues/identity-#issues are. is what makes them so interesting.#that bond then needs to be considered in conversations of the aftermath of Spider saving Q. cause Lo'ak will understand him best out of-#anyone in the Sully family. not to say that there will not be anger or fighting. but he will not immediately go to kill his *brother*#anywho. idk why I expect fandom spaces to be full of media literacy and understanding of complex characters. but I thought I'd throw this-#out there. feel free to build on this.#spider socorro#spider avatar#avatar spider#miles spider socorro#miles socorro#loak sully#avatar loak#atwow loak#lo'ak sully#lo'ak te suli tsyeyk'itan#lo'ak avatar#avatar 2#avatar the way of water
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Amity was... Odd
It always was even before the Fenton Portal, just more subtle, cold spots, newer electronics not working properly, older picking up things that weren't always there, things at the periphery that you can't see when you turn, shadows too dark, lights too dim.
Lake Eerie was named that for a reason. they knew to never swim alone, or at night without lights.
Then the portal happened and those who didn't adapt left. then the invasion and they thought they are going to just go back to new normal and...
The town refused to leave. Not the people the town itself, turned out Amity had a city spirit and she liked it in the Zone so they adapted, 'parkers always adapted if they didn't they left, this side of the veil or the other.
They managed to coax Amity to return and continued living, a little to the left, teeth a little too sharp, eyes a little too intense, hearing a little too good, but they adapted. They found out more ghost culture in the zone, some learned to fight, some decided not to. They weren't bothered by property damage anymore, the buildings would pull themselves back together and they would help.
Amity was always Odd it just wasn't subtle anymore.
#danny phantom#amity park#liminal amity park#Amity park returns to the zone for a few days/weeks at a time every year they build a new portal out of city boundaries for that#dpxdc#optional#feel free to use#i love this#ghosts bond by fighting#amity is it's own ecosystem now#it's normal to see people fighting(with weapons) on the street and then go on a date right after#ghosts are citizens too whether government likes it or not#Paulina WILL stab.#good fenton parents#they WERE scaring the hoes with cultural questions
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Nightwing's car guy
Dick was doing well to establish himself in Bludhaven. He had an apartment, it was shitty but it was his. He had a day job as police officer, half the people there were in the cartels Nightwing was trying to crack down on, and the other half were in the cartels Nightwing was still trying to trace. He had his suit, still bat-grade, blue instead of the red, yellow, and green Jason got to wear now.
He did't have a cave. Or maybe it should be a nest because the whole bird thing. Burrow? What was the thing owls lived in called? The point is he made due without it. He had his apartment, and he had his supplies stashed away. It wasn't as much as in the Cave, but he didn't have Cave-funding. He could make due.
He didn't have an Oracle in his ear. But that came with the added bonus of not having a Bat either. He could do his own research, find his own information. And it wasn't like he and Babs were totally cut off. It was just only a little weird, because she was technically his ex. Sure she would be in his corner, but she was still his ex. He needed to save some face. Especially since he knew that Bruce and Babs liked to... talk. He could make due.
The only thing Dick was maybe, sorta, just maybe having a little trouble was with his bike. Well it wasn't his bike, it was Nightwing's. Which was precisely the trouble. He'd found a place to stash it, but Dick had never been a car guy... or in this case a bike guy. He would chase his rouges, speeding through the streets, and sure the bike was made for the tight corners and quick turns and the high speeds, and sure it could take a hit or two. But what about three or four? Or five?
Point was Dick needed a car- a bike guy. One that was cheap (he was only a cop), and knew how to not ask questions and keep his mouth shut (again- Nightwing's bike). All that on top of knowing enough on how to fix his bike. (it wasn't exactly the type you could find in store).
But the solution seemed to find him. Which Dick was aware was not generally how it worked, but he would count his blessings. He had been out on patrol, the type that had involved his bike and high speeds. Unfortunately it did not involve the perp in handcuffs and on his way to jail. Dick had been on his tail, could've had him too, if the bike hadn't started sputtering. Dick had done as much as he could for it, but she really needed a pair of eyes that actually knew what they were looking at.
Mumbling curses to himself, Nightwing had been ready to head off to at least catch a dust trail of what operation he'd find himself in next. He could feel the eyes watching him. His hair stood in edge, and when Nightwing turned to look around he couldn't see anyone. Maybe he was being haunted. Trying to arrange his bearings, Nightwing turned back around to get on his bike. When there was suddenly a mop of choppy black hair couched down next to it.
Nightwing blinked at him. How had he managed to get there? "Uh, something you need, man?" Nightwing asked the boy, totally not freaked out.
The boy- teen, he was only a year or two younger than Dick- looked up, large blue eyes staring. As if it was odd for Nightwing to have addressed him. It took him a moment longer to realize that the bike was, in fact, Nightwing's. "You need to change your [important engine part]." He pointed lamely, standing up to his height of only a hair shorter than Dick.
"How do you know that?" Nightwing asked before he could think of the danger the unknown person might pose.
"That's why it was making that sound. It'll put too much pressure on the engine so it won't be able to go as fast it would be otherwise. Which, I take it, would cause you problems." he tipped his head in the direction the rouge had run off in.
Nightwing considered it for just a moment, not wanting the perfect opportunity to get away from him. "Do you know how to fix it?"
The guy looked almost offended, "Yeah."
"I'll pay you." Nightwing jumped at the opportunity, "If you fix it."
Any normal person would've said no to a guy dressed in bullet-proof spandex with a blue bird on his chest and a weird mask. "Sure." He shrugged easily, a glimmer of excitement in his eyes as he eyed the vehicle. After a moment, "Name's Danny, by the way. You'd probably need to know that." Danny eyes his suit, "Who are you, like, blue-jay?"
"Nightwing." He corrected easily, his name hadn't made the streets yet.
"The Robin reject?" Was Danny immediate response, eyebrow arched up in amusement.
"The what?"
Danny grimaced, the laugh never leaving his face, "Ooh, sorry. Touchy subject?"
"I am not a Robin reject." Dick couldn't tell this civilian that he was Robin. Had been.
Nightwing's bike ran better than it had since he had moved to Bludhaven after Danny had gotten his hands on it. And Danny's payment of ("i don't trust ur money, just buy me food") lunch had been a steal in return. Maybe next time they should go somewhere a little nicer.
Because the bike was doing so well, after Danny fixed it.
Not for any other reason.
#dpxdc#danny fenton#danny phantom#danny and dick#batfam#dick grayson#batpham#dick his trying to build his crew in bludhaven and danny was the first recruit#danny is currently homeless at 18#but he finally gets a job at an actual mechanic place and gets an apartment#happens to be the same one dick is living in#dick: hm i should greet my new neighbor#dick doesn't know how to feel abt danny (who he totally is not crushing on) moving so close#for work reasons#obviously#it's a uh- reads script- conflict of civilian safety#danny is kinda weirded out by civilian dick#who just keeps trying to find excuses to hang out#since danny's new to town and he's new to town#danny's like 18#and dick is 19#i've been on a danny and dick craze recently#if u couldn't tell from my dick-centric last posts lmao#even the one that was supposed to be abt konner ended up being abt dick#feel free to add
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Wwx is the only mxtx main protagonist who would not be a my little pony fan. But he does own a 20% cooler shirt
#Xie lian is an elder pegasister because he just likes shows about love and kindness#hes been in the collectors fandom for forever and runs an angelfire blog that barely works#whereas shen yuan is in the exact opposite camp as a brony who got into it via 4chan#he does serious lore analysis on the series in his free time and is constantly complaining about plot holes / poor#world building but he loves the brony pandering episodes#wwx doesnt fall into any of those camps so hes kind of just normie i fear. but Jiang cheng is a brony#so he bought the 20% cooler shirt to bond/make fun of him#i think he does like rainbow dash tho#oh favorite ponies#xie lians is fluttershy of course. sys is nightmare moon as we've established#but out of the main six his favorite/least favorite is twilight who he feels unfortunately drawn to bc he relates#to her. but he wont admit it. wwx only knows rainbow dashs name cause he sees her in memes#jiang cheng likes rarity. of course
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Still very wild to me when people try to gotcha Jason with the whole "if you can kill other people for being evil why can't they kill you" when jason is like. One of the most passively suicidal characters I've ever seen. What if man
#augh i dont want to cw this because im just talking about The Character and i feel bad when i do it for characters but i probably should#suicide mention#ask to tag#while im here i do absolutely believe hes been suicidal since jaybin times. maybe even before just in different ways. but like#going into that building with shelia? yeah#now. i DONT think he was aware of it and if youd ask him hed say no fully believing thats the truth#but like if a ghost jaybin had some introspection time i think he'd maybe eventually be like yeah#his outcomes to him were have a loving parent or die and hes a very big fan of ultimatums like that.#but he doesn't fully see it like that as jaybin because oh hes a hero and saving others when no one else can is what heros do :)#ramble. ivee been feeling it lately yknow how it is#ive once saw a post saying jason was planning to die after the joker was dead in utrh and yeagh i can see that#he puts A BOMB in his HELMET#suicidal characters in the context of hero stories are so fascinating to me. the self sacrifice.#the not caring about your own safety as long as you save someone else. the pushing yourself#the way itd be so easy to make it look like they just fell in battle. to be considered a hero in the end#anyway ive been glancing at suicidal jason todd fics. how bad is it that im still getting mad about characterization#because theyre not killing him right#AND ANOTHER THING. since im here and i try to avoid making posts about The Character like this so might as welk get it all out#think about suicidal jaybin as well as the fact 80s bruce very much considered suicidal people/people attempting like#weak and lazy? yells at them? i think thats about it. Very Much. je seems to straight up just hate them#again very much feel free to ask me to tag this one ^-^'#and i hope no one thinks im being callous here im very worried about that. i just its a very important part of his character to think about#and its fun to explore as someone who is passively suicidal myself#jason todd analysis#anyway no one look at me i am in my corner just rotating him#WAIT to clarify i dont think jaybin fully realized Just becauceof the heros sacrifice thing. i made it sound like that i believe#anyway. if you read him as suicidal since jaybin times and go to ditf with that lens like i did. well. the post death victim blaming..
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sexy himbo jock interpretations of James Tiberius Kirk are silly and do a disservice to the character for a lot of reasons, not least of which is that it fundamentally ignores all the times in canon when Kirk is faced with a scientific discovery or oddity and you can see the effort it takes for him not to clap and skip with excitement. like in āthe devil in the darkā when Spock posits that they might be dealing with a silicon based life form and McCoyās like ābut thatās impossible!ā and Kirk literally crosses the room to flirt talk excitedly with Spock about the prospect and how it could work! and what it would mean!
What Iām saying is, Kirkās gotta be smart and a huge dork because how else could he pull a bad autistic bitch like Spock?
#see also:#in arena when the aliens let the enterprise watch Kirkās fight with the Gorn on that fuckass asteroid#and Spock is like listing the elements present that Kirk could use to build a weapon or make an explosion or whatever#but Kirk canāt hear him! because heās on a fuckass asteroid#but he still turns around and does exactly what Spock was describing because heās ALSO SMART AND CAPABLE AND GOOD AT SCIENCE#and like! you just know Spock was likeā¦.barely containing his lust in that moment#like your bestie your life partner your other half is out there showing why youāre soooo drift compatible#while also being good at science (your favorite thing)???#I wouldnāt be normal about it either#(Iām very clearly not normal about it anyway)#like you know theyāre excitedly sharing science journal articles in their free time because theyāre dweebs!! theyāre dorks!!#the greatest trick this show pulls off is making you think Kirk and Spock are opposites#when in fact their whole thing is āhow differently can two people be raised and move through life and still be the epitome of#whatever souls are made of his and mine are the sameā#Iām sorry I had a smarter more coherent Star Trek post I was trying to write but Iām not feeling coherent at all#so you get this instead#Star Trek#star trek tos#tos#Iām still in season one so no one correct me if they swerve super hard and never let Kirk be smart ever again after that#let me have this
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Thistle & Falin
Just my narrative of Thistle & Falin, collection of shippy thoughts and dynamic analysis. Creating some imagery and threads, etc. What if we both made devotion to our loved ones our purpose, what if we both hadnāt lived for ourselves in a long, long time. Who are we? Beyond who we love and our powers, what are we?
Background info: a short Falin analysis touching on Faligon and Thistle + an old thistlin post, compiling most of their moments. Here I delve into further thoughts but for base analysis of what they have in canon and in potential those are good starts. If you want I also have a full Falin analysis.
Disclaimer: Beyond the nebulous 1000 years I place Thistle as a young adult, and though I agree Falin mothers him to some degree I donāt think itās unsimilar to the way that Marcille is a mom friend that sometimes mothers Falin and Izutsumi especially. Their relationship has layers like every other one in Dunmeshi, reducing it to being incestuously motherly or age discoursy to justify it being problematic is so funny to me, hello did you miss the mind control. Ah yes I love the 1090 yo with godlike powers being groomed by his chicken slave. You can have your own interpretation but canon is ambiguous enough, and dare I say intentionally ambiguous, that I have no qualms with not infantilizing Thistle, same with Yaad at the end of canon. I do ship Thistle and Falin, and although itās in a nebulous qpr-or-other third secret thing situationship instead of conventionally romantic way, like, I puke on anything giving them a parental framing so donāt come shitting on my doorstep, kid-Thistle truthers be warned. Only nuance enjoyers allowed on this post. Itās valid if youāre uncomfortable with the ship!! Donāt make your issue othersā problem.
I thankfully finished my Falin analysis before posting this, but besides that I also have an analysis coming on the whole Thistle age thing which I think is interesting, beyond the well being poisoned there are things to explore there, idk in how long thatāll be done though. Thatās all for plans that are relevant to this, now letās get into it.
Part 1
So my favorite Falin things are Faligon + her sense of being like a pawn/misplaced, going on autopilot to follow the wishes of others, a feeling of identity being a burden and sort of fleeing from that, and her not really caring in the way/with the intensity that sheās "supposed" to (as per the points I go over in my Falin analysis). Meanwhile, Thistle has a lot of shit going on already but then thereās also how being a dungeon lord is highly wearing on his mind. As Faligon and as dungeon lord Thistle, the way theyāre both so out of touch with reality in different ways holy shit?? They have power imbalance between them and it very much comes from mind control lol, but itās also not something Thistle is fully aware of himself, because the powers are driving him unstable and heās not even aware thereās someone in front of him really. Heās so out of it that he canāt even recognize that the dragon has been fused with a human and sheās so out of it we canāt even tell how conscious of her actions she is.
And then the interesting thing is that theyāre kind of in it togetherā¦ Mostly from Falinās standpoint. We see that he does rely on the dragon increasingly so, hanging out with it, being saved by it and embraced by her etc. When he lets them both fall after breaking the web they were hanging from, he automatically, fully and wordlessly trusts her to catch him, instead of relying on magic or anything, and she does. Falin devotes herself to him but heās devoted to The Cause which is just chasing ghosts at this point. But despite it all thereās a weird comfort here tooā¦ From the guy who in his last moment of lucidity reached out for someone, anyoneās hand, from the guy who hasnāt felt companionship in hundreds of years probably, hasnāt taken it slow and slept and eaten in who knows how long, from the girl who feels compelled to care after him like sheās always done with othersā¦ And the beast-ness allows her to have some freedom to figure herself out in a weird way, to simply enjoy being beside someone and doing anything her own whims tell her to.
Itās very destructive and weird and layered but likeā¦. I can see the sliver where it works out. Where her kindness reaches him and he has a moment of lucidity where he sees her and itās like, wait, who are you, youāre not the dragon?? Where finding someone else who feels just as messed up and devoted as them, like theyāre just trudging along life like itās a dream following their loved one, heals them a bit. Where caring for the other becomes a way to care for themselves too, a dark mirror of each other that shows you, oh, this is how bad it can get and I want to choose something else for myself actually. To grow to see the person standing in front of you, instead of only searching with your eyes in what way theyāll reflect on you. In helping each other, finding some companionship thatās weirdly vulnerable and self-healing. He gets her in touch with herself and her own needs again through the arc and conflict they have, and she gets him in touch with the world and his surroundings again. They have clashing ways to be selfless, very self-sacrificial from Falin meanwhike self-centered with Thistle (he āknows bestā, āeverything needs to be left to himā, etc etc, he needs the control, but he does it all for others, meanwhile Falin leaves that control to others and only grabs it for herself in exceptional cases like sacrificing herself to the dragon for Laios).
Like just let yourself be, damn!!! So then them being like, zombie mentally stunted babies kind of enhances that theme in a way too lol. The way they communicate together is veryā¦ Instinctive and basic, and Iād love to see how it could develop into a functional dynamic. Theyāre in ālearning to be your own personā kindergarten together to me. Thistle looking at her coloring wildly outside the lines and being like "youāre doing it wrong" and then you look at his and he colored everything a weird color. The precision is scary but then his crayon goes 1 mm out of the lines and he blows up into tears. Ok the metaphor has run its course
So yeah like the ship/brotp is very, them being isolated and against the world together and likeā¦ Slowly regaining their minds together. Getting their sense of identity grounded into them again. In my mind they have a 50k words adventure where they hang out and he slowly realizes thereās more to her than just dragon and she encourages him to dawdle around and eventually just play in water and shit and itās like, starting to see life again beyond the laser focus you limited yourself toā¦ And sheās allowed to just chill out and do whatever she wants besides the whole searching for Delgal thing. You canāt tie down a dragon! They are a duo they are an unitā¼ļø Heād have been fucked without her and at this point in time he sort of made her and heās her world. Traumabonded kittens do not separate but itās onesided in different ways haha. Honestly itās sort of reflavored mickuro wait fuckā¦
If nothing else, theyāre a very interesting dynamic to ponder. The depths of it allā¦ I want to use them as a social experiment. I want them to stop to smell at the flowers and learn to work togetherā¦ Theyāre master and servant theyāre owner and pet theyāre mothering and mothered (in a guardian hound way, in a mom friend way) theyāre both incredibly (emotionally and physically) vulnerable in different waysā¦ā¦ Master and monster if you will. Mostly I see them as guardian & leader. Like I said I ship them but itās not really romantic atp I think but itās not quite qpr either itās truly a weird secret third thingā¦ What if we were sort of coworkers but also ?!!!>??????! You should hate me but you fiercely protect me I should appreciate you but I only see you as a tool WHAT IS GOING ONNN IN THERE
He wants to be protected even if he canāt really admit it. Here the catalyst was emotional distress moreso than physical threat. Notice how he lays there under her wing for a bit as he (refuses to) processes what Mithrun told him about Delgal dying and betraying him. Sheās becoming his safety net, his comfort hound. Somehow, the both of them find theyāre soothed in each otherās presence.
It kills me. Them being so toxic at the start of it, then somehow ambiguously just hinting towards how things could have went on to be better, could have been headed somewhere nice and healing and healthier, she dies and he dies everyone fucking dies and they forget each other and it ends there they never speak of each other again. Canon wanted me dead specifically. Like remember too that I was there when the last chapters where being released, my ass really was like "Oh I wonder how Falin will react seeing Thistle after being revived!" š¤” But yess at least that means thereās a lot of Unsaid, a lot of space for speculation, and I want to see what could have been. I want to see it so so bad. Itās so interesting
Post-canon is also so interesting, where theyāre sort of recovered but not fully not really, them actually getting to know each otherā¦ And she doesnāt remember him but he doesnāt remember her either, in a way theyāve never met even though they have, even though she was the first one on his side since so long, the first hint of companionship heās had, companionship that heās so unused to getting that he canāt even recognize it for what it is. He couldnāt even recognize a human standing in front of him!! He is so disconnected from others and the world!! He spoke to ghosts like they had no worries in the world and everyone was ok!! Heās out of touch, tone-deaf af!! Has always been tone-deaf!! Being tone-deaf when he was younger, a stick in the mud, caused him to be more isolated than he already wasā¦ Autism4autism, anywaysā
Itās them not knowing why or how to express it but being drawn together, a bond forged together by the fire of circumstances and coincidencesā or is it only that? No one can know for certain but thereās a grip they have on each other there somehow. Weird distant caring thing. I dont know who you are but I feel like I should know you
Itās like my headcanon that she doesnāt know why, but on her travels she feels something when she comes across wild thistle flowersā¦ There are just faint remnants, whispers of feelings like ghosts.
They should be remnants in each otherās lives. A deja vu of a person in the way Falin hugs small dolls to her chest, or how Thistle reminisces of something when he sees bird feathers discarded on the ground. < This paragraph courtesy of @cabinetteās huge brain
He canonically writes poems btwā¦ Poems would be such a good way for him to get in touch with himself again post-canon, find desires in again and get creative fulfillment. He should make poems about her. To explore and vent and express all the vague feelings and memories he has, both those of during canon and after canon. He doesnāt remember her but he remembers her, slivers of kind eyes and warm gentle hands and healing magic like a blanketā¦
Yaad, an unlicensed therapist but the best you're gonna get in fantasy land: Maybe you should try journaling.
And too the thing is their relationship with each other in a way is ONLY about themselves, even when Falin is being self-sacrifical itās less about him and more about how she generally is, that sort of instinct to latch onto someone and just follow along with whatever they do and ask, meanwhile to Thistle sheās only ever been a factor in his plans. Idk idk them getting to that point where they see and know each other, stumbling into that through canon or actively working towards it post-canon, thereās weird beauty in that Like. Thistle cares about her because heāll take anyone as long as they fit the job description well enough, heās desperate to find Delgal and will grasp at straws to find him. In a similar way that heāll reach for someone, anyoneās hand on the verge of death, she seeks to protect someone, anyone. Thatās how she centers herself, makes someone her compass and her world. Falin wants to protect someone and Thistle would use anyone, pushed to the states they were in they would latch onto anyone for comfort (caring for him, grabbing Marcilleās hand).
Mirrors truly truly. And Thistle likes to shatter those, and silence anyone who tries to talk to him about reality, so then the option left is to be by him quietly and subtly gradually, gently (her specialty) nudge him in the right direction ā¦ Nooo but actually why did he shatter those mirrors. Very interesting to think about. Would seeing himself in others anger him?
I like to call him a ghost of who he was sometimes, a ghost of the past, heās so haunted, and I think thereās fun imagery there too. The care she offers Thistle somewhat reminds me of the one she offers ghosts. I wonder if part of it is that she sees herself in ghosts, that she wants to offer them freedom and peace of mind she canāt get for herself.
And of course meanwhile on her end, the thistlin arc is also about growing self-respect. I donāt want to see Thistle as a lost cause in saying that her efforts are wasted on him, but being so permissive and invested in him is obviously not healthy for her. She needs to learn when to put her foot down
Oooh, just realized that choosing to eat in this scene was a big character moment all things considered. By eating she faltered in her task, stood up for herself and her needs, was selfish for once (/positive go get your damn food girl). She chose to eat. Anyways
I bet heās the one who healed her wounds after the Shuro party fight. And on that noteā itās interesting he could change her form from Falin to Faligon without touching her isnāt it? Healing by everyone else like Marcille and Falin always required touch, physical contact between the healer and healee, which some like Chilchuck say is a negative, butā¦ The dungeon lord not needing to touch to heal makes a nice metaphor for how isolating the powers are I think. Truly clinical instead of warm. Theme of community and freely offering affection in Dungeon Meshi etc etc. Like I said, Thistle is out of touch.
The way that he has the powers to change her form and heal and like soo much magic power but he canāt even realize when heās hurting himself and sheās the one who has to heal him. Heās so fully devoted to the cause even when he acts selfishly that he neglects himself too, and she has to remind him to take care of himself, to eat, etc. That she feeds him. Eating is an act of love to yourself and to life. The berries, the curry, the soup that Thistle refuses to eatā
Do you see the vision. Do you see all the narrative relevance and themes and parallels of their dynamic. To chase ghosts, to cling onto them so they stay with you no matter how warped and ugly they get, and to soothe souls, purifying them and helping them depart for the afterlifeā¦ Both magic prodigies whose lives revolve around protecting and caring after their loved ones more than anything else. A family member who looks elsewhere while they are their whole world. They can flee their emotional issues together š¤ Who are we? Beyond who we love and our power, what are we? I think about the way she cradled him in her arms just before they fell down into the dungeon all the time idk idk
^ End notes from the one fic I wrote about them so far: Slivers, on AO3. For a moment, they were both slivers of themselves, bound together.
Thistle feverishly holding onto ghosts of the past and his source of power, meanwhile Falin cradles the people she can protect in the now with the powers that reside in herā¦ Him cradling his book, her cradling her masterā¦ā¦ā¦ Parallels
Interlude
And yess itās important to remember too, Thistle became a mage only after delgal askedā¦ He had innate talent, but moreso than Falin itās through studies that he learned to actually harness his magic etc. Idk I think itās an interesting parallel that could have interesting stuff be done on it. People often characterize him as predominantly bratty but. Heās smart and composed heās mainly smart and composedā¦ Heās unstable and everything during canon was happening all at once with the winged lion being freed and Laiosā party and the canaries and agh </3 He can have a meltdown as a treat heās smart and cool-headed if it wasnāt for the dungeon wearing on his mind okā¦ Obvi I love my chars with anger issues but saying heās overly childish is having tunnel vision I think
Ok so the elephant in the roomā¦ First of all how present is Falin in Falugon exactlyā¦ā¦ We have no clue. The end sequence does show her in purgatory with a dragon foot holding her down, which can easily be read as it suppressing her personality- with how itās shown though it feels like sheād be fully suppressed by that? And we know thatās not the case, since not only does she recognize Laios and calls out to him, she hesitates to hurt Kuro because of the dog association, sheās excessively kind towards Thistle, the latter which her Adventurerās Bible profile confirm to be "her kind nature remaining as the chimera". Maybe itās a dream-like state? Maybe the dragon is the driving force with the instincts, and itās only bits of Falin and her personality that show through? A state of mind very primal and not very think-y, even if Falin has enough brains to think of sharing the berries, gesturing and oh- of course, casting magic. No issues with controlling the human half of her body as well. To some degree, her and the dragon are working in tandem. My own preferred interpretation is the driven by instincts one, a state of mind like an actual dragonās, which in my Falin analysis I delve into the significance of it for other parts of Dunmeshi too. So yeah, dreamlike mindless autopilotā¦ I think exploring her pov as Faligon would go super hard. Aware of her surroundings but sort of disconnected with it, and disconnected from herself too, entirely living in the presentā¦ And like with her talking to Laiosā the only time she speaks in her chimera form, a simple observation, "Laios, brother", sometimes her human thoughts peek through more sharply, short moments of lucidityā¦ I think itād be interesting to see an arc where as the chimera, she learns to share the "brainspace" more with the dragon.
Itās also unclear if Thistle had a say in how much of āFalin the humanā is in control? He very well might have suppressed her somehow when he changed her form to be more dragonlike. That might also be due to just getting back the dragon meat thoughā and the dragon meat itself might be why/how the brainspace is shared. There is a lot less of Falinās body in the chimera than there is of the dragon, body mass wise. Dungeon Meshi is a lot about physicality so I wouldnāt be surprised with this reasoning. But thereās the whole mind control soul bond situation tooā¦
The mind bond is another thing thatās left mostly to interpretation when it comes to the details. She feels compelled to listen to the dungeon lordās orders as a monster created and owned by it, like the dragons Thistle summoned during the fight at his house, but again like we see with the dragons, if the monster has a "strong will" it can disobey to some level without being punished by the bind or anything. The eyes of the magician, the small wyverns, level-of-control wise canāt be accurate examples because theyāre sort of like familiars, Thistle can see through their eyes in real time no matter where they are but itās only this species as far as we know. So otherwise the mind bond is more subtleā¦ Thereās also the question of how much the control is shared between the dungeon lord and the demon, which again Thistleās situation is exceptional because he managed to seal his demon in a book, presumably all the power goes through Thistle without the intermediate of the winged lion, though we do see he has some reach since he reaches Laios through his dreams. ANYWAYS all that to say. I do really ponder about how a dungeon lord's monsters get their orders, like... For the fight on the first floor, did Falin just feel Thistle's agony in her bones and came clawing and barging her way in desperately and angrily to protect him because of his distress, or did he more directly demand she come, consciously or not?! Idk, since Falin is actively protective of him unlike the dragons who reluctantly listen to him, her being very fast and intense about it doesnāt have to be forcedā¦ Itād be interesting if she can sense his feelings, wants or thoughts, bc I donāt think itās as conscious as like, telepathically communicating "hey you, do this"ā¦? Pondering, pondering. Mind bond <3 Soulbound <3
Theyāre both very trapped in the pastā¦ I wonder if as Faligon a lot of her mind goes back to memories of Laios and such, if sheās in a dreamlike state and not just sort of absent, where would her mind retreat... I donāt think so like I said I think sheās mostly driven by dragonlike mindlessness, but stillā¦ Thistle stuck in the search of Delgal, thinking back to everything theyāve shared and where it all went wrong obsessively, and Falin, sort of larping that sheās still beside Laios, not unlike how Thistle treats having the corpses of the royal family at his house like them being safe. Delusions. Idk I just want more character studies.
The metaphors in this trulyā¦ Itās not literal, like def not something that happens during canon at no point are they or could be ever atop a mountain of frames and paintings of the Golden Kingdomās royal family and fine art lmaoo, so then like the meaning behind it allā¦ She offers him reprieve, an outsider from all the Golden Kingdom expectations and drama, just someone warm to lean on, someone whoāll stayā¦ā¦.. I love Faligon pushing him to rest and nap so much. Man has first nap in a thousand years. Feather duvet like a nice warm pillow. The peace she offers him manā¦ā¦. Live in the present bbygirl Unfortunately it doesn't help. Look at them eyebagsā¦ Man needs to sleep!!
Part 2
^ This panels drives me crazy Itās the possessivity. Itās the "my". Itās the "stealing".
What if you have fear of abandonment and think you have to prove your worth for people to stay by your side. What if belonging to someone makes you feel like you belong and you feel loved and soothed by it lowkey, feel like it makes things easy. What if I was bought as a slave and servant but I was adopted into a pretty loving family. What if ownership is what love looks like to me. What if thatās why I have no problem rationalizing keeping people against their will in a glorified kingdom-prison, because thatās just what someone with the power who Knows Better does, andā¦ Did he always call her his dragon hello? Feelings
He is not letting it go damn He hates when people mess with what's his. Or Delgalās.
But imagine. The dragon is like, the last thing he has. The Golden Kingdom has moved on from him, everything is shit, but his dragon is the last thing he still has some realm of like. Ownership over. But that ownership is kinda just his sense of belonging. His role, his duty.Ā Ā So itās like "Donāt steal the last thing I have" especially if post-canonā¦ Itās thinking from his time as a jester bought into a loving family that ownership is natural in love and care. Itās thinking thatās the way you get to belong beside someone, beside earning that through achievements and being useful and capable. Everything is being stolen away from him. Control and things and people and even the importance he has to the Golden Kingdom as he becomes part of the background & past history and the kingdom switches into new hands aka Laiosāā¦
My dragon, not the dragon. I do like to imagine especially after the berries heās starting to feel differently about her. He keeps being like "youāre acting odd, dragon". His dragon is special. Sheās not just another regular monster npc to easily replace, thereās human contact in there. His dragon just for him. <3
I do think Falin has some issues with like, asking to be with the people she loves, feeling safe in asking for that, that sheās worth that. She follows them and is quiet and just takes the crumbs of love that they offer, she doesnāt ask Marcille at the academy to spend lunches with her, doesnāt ask anything of her distant busy father and ill anxious motherā¦ The person she did ask things of, Laios, who she always asked to go travel the world with him and whatnot, left her behind. Like how Delgal left Thistle. Theme of leaving </3 theme of family and abandonment issues </3 So she just follows and cares after them and makes herself useful and is grateful she gets to be beside them at all. So yeah what Iām saying is being owned/belonging to someone might feel yeah like, belonging. Being One Person's. Heās seen her at her worst and most bloody and raw, and still wants her? Very comforting And especially post-canon he doesnāt need her to be witty or useful or such, he just needs her love and thatās what she has lots to give.
Do you think Falin wants to be neededā¦ Do you think sheās a little restless if she doesnāt feel like she is, like she thinks just like Laios people might leave you behind and you never see them again.Ā Itās also because of what she said, that she put others before herself, that she just followed/imprinted on her parents/Laios/Marcille. She avoided conflict, she wanted to be liked and live in peace. The only times she was selfish, she hurt people (left school for Laios, sacrificed herself for them, teleported them out despite possibly hurting people on the surface), so she chooses to be selfless instead. "One of the most selfish things i've ever done was barely even for the sake of myself" - Falin and Toshiro both hah Falin is often told she doesnāt care the right way or not enough, youāre cutting classes Falin, Iām upset you left me and you donāt even seem to think itās a big deal Falin, you shouldnāt have sacrificed yourself to save me (her not noticing her ostracization in her village wasnāt told to her but Iām including it also). And with Toshiro when considering her proposal, she was worried to accept because yeah itās have been convenient but she wouldnāt be reciprocating his feelings in the way he wants and expected her to with what he asked of herā¦ And sheās worried it wouldnāt be rightā¦ Bc she doesnāt care about the proposal on the same level he doesā¦.. I just think thatās neat I think that Falin caring both too little and too much, with laser focus on Laios & Marcille neglecting even herself, is a big part of her. She focuses on others and their emotional needs so so much always, babygirl be selfish for a whileā¦
Thistleās interaction with Laios is interesting too, especiaoly when Kaios heals him. How he looks at his shoulder, surprised and confusedā¦ Guy who's used to not having his personal needs met because he's so busy doing everything for the people he cares about receives care??? Woah thatās crazy Something something being so unused to human contact and affection that you donāt know how to process it and donāt recognize it when it happens/stares you right in the face. Thistle the Toudens are gonna make you open up ur heart to humans again on godā¦
What ifā¦ He doesnāt want to admit sheās not the dragon. If he admits itās not the dragon that means giving up some controlā¦ This was not in his plan, he doesnāt know how well he can control a chimera rather than a dragon, itās weakness itās vulnerability itās feeling like heās losing his grip on everything again and thus losing his place and purpose. Hmmā¦
Finding yourself through someone elseā¦ Because defining yourself through others is what youāve always doneā¦ Yeah. Yeah.
I do love it tying into Falinās arc of finding herself. Like, she doesnāt remember her time as a chimera, she just remembers this guy she has conflicted but fond feelings of for some reason, so say if they travel post-canon, traveling with him would also be a way to figure out more how sheās feeling, and then thereās how when looking at him she gets the feeling that itās been a long time he hasnāt lived for himself eitherā¦ And like for him traveling is about seeing the world a bit too. Seeing it not as something to control or always dangerous but something to explore, and just enjoy the little things instead of worrying about the court. And just. Aghhhh. He hasnāt had someone on his side for centuries. Sighs. Of course Yaad also becomes that largely but traveling post-canon with Falinā¦ Would love to see that in fancontent
Them growing to SEE each other, with the film in front of their eyes slowly fading away. Both of them coming out of it more genuine than theyād been even before meeting, before becoming warped,Ā growing more comfortable in their skin and with the thought of connecting with others. Itās the mutual care <33 itās having been on each otherās side at both your ugliest <3 Unconventional caring...
Toshiro saying "you canāt tie down a dragon" is always so goodā¦ Someone should so do stuff with that. "But you can tame it" / "I tried to once" / "but she chose to stay with me anyways"ā¦ Musical theme of How to Train your Dragon starts playing in the distance
When/after they get together, I feel like their relationship isnāt something they like to labelā¦ If anything itās like. Partner. Or calling each other by nameā¦ Him calling her my dragon, except now itās warm and personal would be so. Aughh <3 But then that just also makes the first time he calls her by name so huge.
Conclusion
They and their relationship is weird and unusual but thatās just how they are, and how they need to accept themselves (again: as they are) and roll with it! And make a place in the world for them anyways!
Magic forced them to be vulnerable in front of each other but itās them who have to likeā¦ Be pushed out of their passivity and do something with that vulnerability.
BROTHERSSS THEYāRE BOTH ALL ABOUT BROTHERS. LEAVING. OUT OF TOUCH WITH REALITY. OUT OF TOUCH WITH THEMSELVES AND THEIR OWN IDENTITY. In a twisted way only the other would understand what itās like.
Thistlin is so crazy, in humanizing you it humanizes me, in recognizing you for what you are I get more back in touch with the world again.
Flighted birds have hollow bones. With freedom there are risks and drawbacks. Thistle was Falinās.
Itās not everyday you can have a ship where both characters are out of touch with reality and others and themselves and have this weird almost innate bond of her being compelled to protect him and care for him and him holding onto that unknowinglyā¦ Even if he didnāt need to, keeping her by himself and sitting on her while he plans and has a panic attackā¦.. And also he owns her and robbed her of her freedom & body & full mind but she still wuvs him. Weird intimacy with the guy who horrifically changed you into something else, and yet is not even aware he has done it.
Falin loves nature and Thistle is named after a flowerā¦ Her post-canon coming across wild thistles and feeling a rush of fondness and she doesnāt know whyā¦ Thistles have thorns, but they taste sweet. Just gotta peel them off and enjoys the sweet taste of it once itās open <3 Eat it like them honeysuckles
Slice of life 40k words thistlin sitcom I need you. Donāt make me write it myself. Sob
You are so so close sweetieā¦
wutiwant
I don't know what I want But I know it's not this These words don't mean nothing Once they left my lips More awake inside of my dreams Was that really you, next to me? Give me what I want, who am I supposed to please? Who am I supposed to please? Who am I? Who am I? I? Give me what I want Give me what I want
Some links, since the pair is small enough that finding stuff for them can be hard: Falin & Thistle search on pixiv Falin & Thistle search on danbooru Ao3: Thistle x Falin, Thistle & Falin Ship names: ćć”ćŖć·ć¹ / ć·ć¹ćć”ćŖ. Thistlin
My own spotify playlists: Thistle & Falin, Thistle, Falin
source v
#Early thistle my beloved#Qpr or romo who knows Thistle has a job so he donāt really care about that rn#Theyāre only allowed to send each other mind waves and feed each otherās deep seated loneliness in ways neither can express#Like how do u even begin talking about these two damn. Sighhh. Looking wistfully out my window#Fumi rambles#Thistle#falin touden#thistlin#falisle#Maybe lol#thistle x falin#A buddy said theyāre like ghibli romance and then my mind got consumed by a spirited away au for them#Sissel#Dunmeshi rarepairs#Analysis#Like I often say I love to explore a character through a relationship and for Thistle thatās Falin to me#The arc of it allļæ½ļæ½ āare you even a dragon or whatā youāve been acting strange since you changed formsā progress omgā¦. You are so close#Making castles out of the building blocks canon gave us#Theyāre both devoted body and soul to their brothers like augh. They both drive themselves into the ground for them#This is really just a collection of thoughts and i repeat myself a lil. The structure of this is so shite feel free to just skim or whateve#Their lives are centered around otherssss i canāt get over it#Psspspsps thistlin fans come you are sweet now my sweet child. If anyone wants 5.5k words of thistlin meta here u go#Happy 1 year in the dunmeshi fandom to me. Going back to my roots#Spoilers
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eli moskowitz - "am i making you feel sick?"
#blu edits#cobra kai#eli hawk moskowitz#demetri alexopoulos#hawkmetri#binary boyfriends#binary brothers#sorry randomly got bonkers about their dynamic in my head again#i love when demetri is spiteful give him edge give him that streak of pettiness he's always been secretly proud of#hes 17 his only sources of true joy are schadenfreude and free food#he humiliated eli at that party and he enjoyed it and yea they make up but he gets his licks now bc he's owed and eli lets him bc he's owed#and eli's approach to redemption is all roll over puppy eyes im sorry i'll do anything 'just tell me im yours' like thatll make it better#like thats productive. but he cant build demetri a sparring deck out of this so if demetri says jump... if demetri says join my dojo...#and so demetri will run him through his paces ragged for penance but it doesnt make it better and he looks at hawk and still feels sick#(and yes he loves him ofc he loves eli but that just adds to his turning stomach every time he sees those eyes looking up at him like that)#(its worse bc its eli making him feel this. not hawk doing something evil but eli trying to do something good and demetri still feels sick)#(because who does that shit and then comes back belly up like letting demetri claw his guts out makes them even)#(because who can claim to love someone and still get a kick of satisfaction out of making eli bleed <- verbally emotionally metaphorically)#(not physically. never physically. obviously. that's eli's thing. and so demetri's a leg up on him.)#^ im promise im a fan of interpreting them where theyre happy too#this derailed from the edit#if ur for some reason reading this then however you first interpreted this is prolly correct. i went a little rogue here in the tags
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ā Some more OCs for Resonance
Malakai Rowan Izumi
ā» Keep up with the upcoming series here: R E S O N A N C E
#simblr#sims 4#sims 4 story#storytelling#sims4 pictures#sims 4 edit#sims 4 gameplay#sims#sims 4 screenshots#I made a moodboard for rowan#I havent for mal and Izu#but if you wanna check it out feel free to do so#I think im finally at the point of being ok with the look of my characters for resonance#now unto some world building#hehe#k bye
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gayboys in the apocalypse whatever will they do!! rudy (top) belongs to me and luca (bottom) belongs to @mojaves :]
taglist (opt in/out)
@shellibisshe, @florbelles, @ncytiri, @hibernationsuit, @stars-of-the-heart;
@lestatlioncunt, @katsigian, @radioactiveshitstorm, @estevnys, @adelaidedrubman;
@celticwoman, @rindemption, @carlosoliveiraa, @noirapocalypto, @dickytwister;
@killerspinal, @euryalex, @ri-a-rose, @velocitic, @thedeadthree;
@jacobseed, @swordcoasts
#7 days to die#art#art:rudy#art for others#nuclearocs#nuclearart#background painted from photo reference by yours truly as well ^_^#ok so listen. 7 days to die is one hell of a choice to make ocs for but hear me out. i got 600+ hours in that game and dragged red with me#it's finally releasing officially soon as well btw!! leaving alpha after a decade#red and i are busy building a big maze for zombies that keep spawning within the walls of our blood moon base#so naturally we decided to project that onto some guys from our brains. rudy has existed for longer already but i'm reworking him#anyway hi :] i'm gonna try and draw more ocs from my roster rather than just the same 4 guys over and over again#so if that's not what you're here for feel free to opt out of the taglist that's totally fine!!#and on the other side of things if there's a specific oc of mine you'd like to see drawn at some point do let me know ^_^
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The other researchers are also here! (magical edition!)
#neopets#neotag#neoart#eyrie#gelert#THE BOYS ARE HEREEE#vin doods#my beautiful magical boyssss#had some time to kill this weekend so might as well finish rendering some stuff i have lying around lmao#its ironic cause my oc stuff is the stuff that gets less views or reacts overall but is the ones im more interested in for the most part#its been a while since i've actually really loved an bunch of ocs and this 4 (technically 5) are going to be the death of me lol#just to be consistent with the other post#eyrie's name is Ozzi or Oz#and gelert's name i'm still unsure of but for now I'm going with Faeran#i'm so emotionally invested in these characters you have no idea LMFAOO#also I did base Faeran's looks in a lot of ālong dogsā like borzois and the ears just came naturally to me lol#I'm still working on a doc with all the info for those interested tho buuut if any are reading by this point feel free to ask about them!!#I'll just never shut up lol#the neopia i did put them in is a tad bit more.... ādarkā?? i guess??#its less abstractly magical and i did have to find out how to build a magic system for everything to work lol#and my dnd knowledge did filter a l o t into it so sorry bout that oops:;;#anyway this is too long and hardly anyone really reads this much but hey! finally my babies have faces so i don't feel so bad!!!#it doesnt help that i post this stuff at buttfuck hours LMFAOO
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in an attempt to stave off āØ election day anxiety āØ i would love to know a good song you've been jamming to or a nice thing that's happened to you recently
#gonna just build a lil collection of happy things to remind myself that The World Is Okay Actually while awaiting the news#feel free to reply or reblog or just put in tags#help a pal out#just yelling into the void
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_____ used Destiny Bond! _____ is hoping to take his attacker down with him!
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(Belatedly) celebrating the one-year anniversary of the 'Destiny Bond' comic with a rare, fully-illustrated piece. A bit of extra context and rambly thoughts under the cut š«¶šš
A little over a year ago, I posted the first part of the Destiny Bond comic, originally intended to be a one-off doodle exploring the consequences of Morty's prophetic abilities on his relationship with Eusine.
That sketchy doodle of mine ended up being a whole narrative project spanning across a few months, before I eventually took a pause on it to focus on my mental health (having reached a low earlier in the year).
It was a daring enough project in and of itself, especially with how I had spontaneously taken it on when I was still recovering from a years-long burnout with 2D art. Though (temporarily) stopping sooner than I had hoped, I can confidently say that this little comic project of mine had helped to rekindle my love for drawing as a whole, and had further lead me to meeting some of the most wonderful people and friends in this small corner of the PokƩmon fandom (whom also happen to be obsessed with these two silly guys from the GSC/HGSS games). It's a project I hold dearly to my heart, and one that I hope to revisit and continue once I feel ready to do so; as the story has yet to truly kick off (I'm not even joking we're still in the prologue technically I'm yelling /lh).
I hope to be able to share the rest of this story with you all one day, in whatever new form it'll take as. For now, I want to say thank you, from the deepest parts of my heart, for supporting this passion project of mine - and to assure you to tune in for the future of this title. šāØ
#surprise I'm still active actually . though more on twitter these days ASKJDAHSKJDHAS#ALSO SURPRISE ACTUAL RENDERED PIECE !!!!! š„š„š„š„š„š„š„š„#I fought for my life for this fr I haven't done full shading in Years but I'm honestly really really happy with how this turned out šššš#I'll go into more detail about the design/composition decisions here soon hehe I got really excited about including them#Though I'll save that for another time askjhdajsn for nowww I just wanted the main piece to be the focus of the post š«¶šš#also yes as of now the comic's up in the air as I decide how to move forward#I have A Few Ideas though I'll need to take into account my capabilities and schedule (especially with my freelancing work and college)#So stay tuned for that because I promise y'all it isn't stopping there - I have A Lot more planned for our doomed sillies šāāļøšāāļøšāāļø#I'll also be doing more studies and practice with my art in the meantime because making this opened my eyes to how much I have yet to learn#and that's like . quite terrifying SDKFJSDNFSDNS#but also really exciting !!!!! I wanna improve and build upon my skills and make even better works of these mystic sillies graaaAAAAHHHHHHH#though fr feel free to check out my twt since I'm more active there these days askjdhasnda š¶āāļøš¶āāļøš¶āāļø#Destiny Bond comic#pokemon#pokemon hgss#pokemon gsc#gym leader morty#morty pokemon#eusine#mystery man eusine#eusine pokemon#sacredshipping#morty x eusine#minamatsu#pokemon art#art
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Ooh what's barbarian Figs subclass
m flipfloppin between giant and totem (def reskinned) for her rn! giant would be Really funny for junior year and there's some thematic stuff for the transformation element I think would be interesting, but just purely on a character basis I think fig would love totem esp. as a barbie girl in freshman year. if I land on totem I kinda imagine it like a wuxia animal style thing tbh, mostly just because the idea of someone coming into a fight expecting typical movie shaolin choreography and getting Teenager That Mauls You To Death is entertaining to me
#not art#fh class quangle#the main appeal of the path of giants for fig is that it puts her So Tantalizingly Close to porter's grasp#but fundamentally he will never be able to convince her bc she just does not respect him lmao#barbarian!fig's junior year is about building new. thinking about the after of destruction. rebuilding her own self perception after#letting go of the thing that's motivated her through the last two years#(which is the ownership of things that the world refuses her due to who she is. like a certain kind of femininity or companionship#some of which grow to become limiting and ill-fitting for her but she's gone through a Lot of destruction to keep them so#she's unwilling to let go of them. that's sophomore year babeyy)#barbarian!fig almost zealously upholds self-determination AND she's hyperaware of her friends' business#coupled with cleric!gorgug being a high control group victim and being So sus of the shit porter's on. ohhh fig would Hate him#meanwhile the path of the totem warriors I mostly just hesitate on bc the language is. bad. lol#like barbarian as a class is already fraught with modern fantasy ahistorical bullshit. totem warrior is especially egregious#and idk if I can be bothered to like reskin it for this one thing and every time I mention it add on a tag that explains my reskin#like at a certain point it feels like stepping out of the ''playing with specifically a d20 property like dolls'' box and entering the#''doing labour for wotc for free'' box. and at that point it stops being fun for me#well. I simply must sit on it for a bit. we'll see how it turns out!
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I mean, its a lil bit dramatic xD But the one you guys say is loud and may have been insensitive before being the one to step up? I like (which also yes I wanna ask about that too its me I wanna know all the things)
-š
it's overdramatic, hehe.
and. gosh, kane. the way kane grows on them and, honestly, the way they grown on kane, is so precious to me. and it was a very rocky start, mind you! [2,8k ramble ahead <3]
as i said before, they actually first met months before the vex arc. back then, the vex party (kane included) were slightly interested in scar, and considered grian as a liability to him. that was the eclipse day, especially dangerous, and they were sure an avian like that was bound to not survive, anyway.
scar is invited to go with them. he refuses.
imagine their surprise when they run into them later, and grian's still there. it's still the two of them against the world.
the vex party is different nowāit's not the best warriors coming out into chaos and mayhem to get their claws bloody. they're less on guard, more curious and open. impressed, honestly, that these two are still alive.
they invite them again, this time the avian included, and... they say yes. (mostly lured by a prospect of sleeping in an actual bed.)
there's no real accommodation extended to grian as an avian. (except nadia does put in the effort to make the place safer for the birb guest.) (safe from what, you ask? hehe. dw about that <3)
everything continues feeling a bit precarious and uneasy, because even though the vexes have no interest in grian's wingsāthey themselves are hunted and actively fight hunters, after all; they have no dealings with themāit's still very uncomfortable, the way they are looking at him. the way their attention inevitably snags at him, his presence sticking out even with his wings tucked underneath his cloak.
honestly, for a while, the vexes really don't consider grian as a part of the group at all. he's just scar's plus-one, almost like a possession. he seems to belong to scar, in some way.
they'd still fight to protect him, if it came to that, but with a convoluted logic behind it, you know? they protect their own, and scar is one of themāa vex. and grian comes attached to that. that's all there is to it, in their eyes.
the vexes are loud and brash and violent. taunting and open. they're not used to someone who isn't like that. someone who might need more space, different boundaries. someone who doesn't have magic and claws and can't healāsomeone light and small, with bones that might break far too easily, and with bright but dishevelled feathers so fearfully and insistently tucked out of sight.
they have no idea how to treat this avian, and they're stubborn enough to not even really consider it at first. he is living with them, surely he can be the one to adjust?
---
this all sort of culminates into the bird incident.
consider this: one day the vex hunting party returns with a rare specialty: a bird.
grian hasn't really seen a living bird yet in this world. and now won't be an exception. the vex saw the bird and promptly shot it, looking forward to the meal. they come back to the village all boisterous and grinning, flaunting the feathery carcass.
it's not like they outright present it to the avianāeven they know that'd be wrongābut they're overjoyed and loud about it, wanting to show the others, not really being careful.
grian's ears ring. he's overcome with nausea, feeling dizzy, trying not to have a panic attack right then and there,.helplessly trying not to associate their howls and cheers with the elated, cruel cheers of hybrid hunters.
scar, of course, is pissed on grian's behalf.
but the others don't understand. it's not something they'd ever consider, a wholly new concept that refuses to sink fast enough to deescalate. birds are a rare delicacy! they're yummy and this is a triumph! this is meant to be good, c'mon! it has nothing to do with the avian!
kane says something along the lines of, ācome on scar itās food we donāt need to coddle himāāĀ
and Scar gets even more pissed off. āare you even thinking?? try to put yourself in our shoesāāĀ
this all leads to a fight breaking out between kane and scar. a vex fight, using vex forms! which is how they solve arguments here in the commune.
vex forms use vex magic that is rooted in emotions, and because of that, there's an unspoken understanding that whoever feels stronger about the issue at hand is bound to win. it's a convoluted way to say that the winner is the one with stronger conviction.
but kane has a much better control over his vex form than scar does, instantly putting scar at a disadvantage, no matter how fiercely he wants to have an upper hand here, to show them that they are wrong.
they fight with claws and teeth, feral and angry, andā this is normal! it's normal for vexes! their vex forms run on magic that will patch them up, and neither of them is really trying to genuinely harm the other.
still, it's scary to witness. blood is drawn. it's hard to tell whose it is. it's all a bit of a blur.
grian's mind is reeling. he moves on pure instinct, trying to get into the fray, to help scar.
nico takes place by grian's side and holds him back. "just let them fight it out." he's very calm about it. he knows his mate, he speaks with his claws sometimes, that's just how things are. "they'll be fine."
it would be placating, maybe, if grian's mind wasn't so violently spinning. maybe if he was used to people who aren't scar leaning close into his orbit. maybe if he was used to hands other than scar's touching him.
right now, grian is already haywire on unease, and he's being grabbed andā
he lets out a distressed chirp.
this effectively whips scar's attention away from his fight with kane, instantly searching for threats to his mate, and lunging at nico instead.
which in turn triggers kane's protectiveness of his mate, and he pounces on scar with much more force. the "petty" argument shifts into something worse, more fierce. things get a bit out of hand.
nico releases grian, realising they need to break this up and pull the two idiots (/aff) apart before they really hurt themselves.
grian's strategy is still to put himself between kane and scar, so that he can't hurt scar more. so he leaps in, wings flapping, desperate to shield his mate.
it's what he'd do with hunters, but kane is a clawed, angry vex.
nico is the only levelheaded one to see where this is going. the only one to instantly understand the consequences of this. because grian isn't a vex. he's an avian, made of brittle, hollow bones, and without a lick of magic in his body that'd help him heal.
grian gets so close to getting horribly injured. it's only nico that stops kane short of hurting him. snapping him out of it. scolding grian, too, like what were you thinking??
but this is a breaking point, a line drawn, where the vexes see that this bird is as fiercely protective as scar is. that he isn't a coward. that he is willing to put himself on the line. and, it gets grian some respect! a fearless little bird!
while nico checks grian over, still scolding him but no longer encroaching on his space or trying to touch him, kane walks over to scar, who is on the ground, mildly concussed but otherwise okay. kane extends his hand to pull him up.
because it's over now! they fought it out. (scar lost.) there's a mutual respect in the aftermath of vex fights, no sour feelingsāthere's nothing shameful in fighting for what you believe in, after all. and even if there's only one winner, it levels the ground they're standing on, inching towards mutual understanding. or something.
so he helps scar up, throwing out a remark as he grins: "your bird is crazy, scar. i like him."
scar is still dizzy when he responds with a dazed "i like him too."
in the aftermath of this, vexes start to pay more attention to grian. more openly letting him in, interacting with him (instead of just addressing scar), trying to include him.
tentatively, grian lets it happen. it still has its bumps, many mishaps. but none out of malice, you know?
like that time kane talked to grian about mating marks. he basically acknowledges that he doesn't get it, knowing nothing about the avian side of things, not realising what scar's earring means. after all, vexes mark their loved ones with teeth! that's the language kane understands!
it's a whole big deal, really stressing grian out, even if it wasn't meant maliciously. but it's just one more thing showing that these vexes don't really understand anything about aviansātheir instincts, communication, or ways of showing affection. they never really had to think about it!
so misunderstandings are bound to happen. but it's not all bad! it stops being so awfully rocky over time, with less steps on buried landmines. it tides into a collection of nicer moments as the vexes and grian learn to navigate each other and start being more accepting about their differences, learning about that gap between them. even start to try and bridge it!
the vexes celebrate often, using every little excuse to make a party out of their triumphs. they like being rowdy and dancing and just living, and they are eager to drag scar and grian into it.
it's these events that let scar and grian loosen a little bit more. they're silly with each other and unabashedly in love and, honestly, they're beginning to grow on everyone.
having scar there as a sort of middle ground between grian and the others really helps, too. because they get to see how scar interacts with grian, and how grian interacts with him. they start learning, quietly, just from that, about some subtleties. they also get to see a more open side of grian, one that's reserved for scar, allowing them a glimpse to who grian could be, if only he trusted his surroundings enough.
and maybe they find that they do want that trust.
they do want him to know he can rely on them. they'd fight for him, you know? he is now one of them, without question, they've taken him in and he's fought his way into being more than just "scar's bird". he can be fearless, ready to fight when it counts, a quality vexes hold in high regard! and they now know that there's definitely more to him than he's letting them see, and... they want to provide the space for him to unravel that. to show all of his potential. to allow him to live like they do. like the world isn't constantly about to end.
during this time, scar is often taken along on vex patrols, learning about vexes and being encouraged to develop more as a fighter (something he isn't really all that much into). this means he spends a lot of time with nico and kane, as they're two prominent warriors in this village, and they end up chatting a lot.
this then tips into them hanging out or approaching scar even outside of these patrols more often, feeling closer to him nowāand that means approaching grian, too, since him and scar come as a package deal. and eventually it stops feeling like grian is the extra here. he has his own value, his own presence, and they recognise it! they want to learn more about him too!
they get a chance to see a side of grian that they don't expect, when he builds a barn for the old goat that lives in the village. they don't even realise how big of a deal that isāthey're just stunned by his skills. because building with more than just bland function in mind is not something they can fathom. they wouldn't know where to start!
so here is where kane has to confront that fighting skills aren't everything. that other things can matter and be wonderful, too. and, actually, he'd really like it if grian kept building more. (imagine scar beaming with pride over his mate in the background of this all, yes.)
sometimes when scar and kane spar, grian climbs up a nearby roof (helps him settle, to be high up). sometimes, nico follows, sitting next to him and keeping him company.
throughout this all, scar and grian keep some layers of distance around them still. they don't go to sleepovers. they don't talk about things that hurt deep behind their ribs. they don't talk about where they're from or what they've been through. they keep their heartache to themselves, all the little moments that make their souls splinter and fray; whenever things catch them off guard and things become Too Much Too Fast, they just leave instead of talking it out and explaining. drawing a thick line behind them and that trigger, retreating back to their own space to put themselves back together in privacy.
(and it's great because they do have their own space!)
kane has a lot of that, you know, brashness about him. lots of thoughtless words. he's not great at being subtle or having tact. but he never means things badly. he never wants to upset them. and that's something he now finds himself wrangling with. asking nico what he's doing wrong whenever scar and grian retreat. (because through that rough exterior, he's a big softie deep down when it's about people he cares about.) (oh yeah turns out he profoundly cares about grian and scar. huh. when did that happen.)
more often than not, it's not even his fault. it takes very little to touch scar and grian's haphazard piles of trauma.
and, they know! they know he doesn't mean to set things off. they know they're not giving him enough to understand what to steer clear of (they themselves don't know, half the time, to be fair).
just like how kane is learning about scar and grian, they're also learning about him. about how he hides his emotions behind words, how he gets easily embarrassed and resorts to pride and teasing, how he sometimes says things in a different way than he means them.
and step by step, they're inching closer to common grounds. they start to rely on each other's presence.
and then The Night For Living comes around.
of course they're gonna go spend the celebrations and games together! they're so much closer now than they were at the start, fond of each other in ways that'd make kane's face burn red and stutter if he was forced to admit it.
they're friends.
and maybe they could be more than that.
cue found family trope
a lot of things happen during the Big Special Vex Celebration Night. the night when it's safe to be, unabashedly and fully. it's wilder than normal celebrations, longer, an event everyone looks forward to. including special homebrew alcohol and a huge bonfire! vex howling and laughter and banter everywhere. roughhousing and sparring and competing.
grian and scar fall under it's rough charm, too. with kane and nico by their side, making their way through the event, drinking and talking and laughing. playing games with each other, and in general having a good time.
this was said before, but this is the night when grian gets mr beak, a silly chicken plushie. and it's kane who gives the toy overākane, who before fought scar on insensitivity where birds were concerned. now, he is treading carefully, looking to scar for approval and guidance. not wanting to mess up.
equipped with mr beak, they move on, seeking out the next thrill. they decide to do the obstacle course, this time just kane and grian, 1v1! no flying allowed, but everything else (including gliding) is ok.
this is where something in grian sparks.
maybe it's the alcohol, the hints of safety and freedom, or them playing games, butā he gets really into it. he gets to utilise his wings as he navigates the obstacles, and he's laughing, running on a high, and... the finish line is a pile of blankets.
a nest-like thing.
i do have 6,7k words long self-indulgent RP tucked away of just this scene, if you'd like. but the gist of it is that kane is once again caught off guard, becauseā well, he's never seen grian like this. so bright and cheerful, wings in use.
and grian invites him into it. beckons him closer as him and scar giggle giddily about his victory in a pile of blankets.
the prize, this time, is a special cherry flavoured liquor bottle... that has a pink ribbon attached to it.
maybe grian isn't thinking things through. maybe he's tipsy and running on bird instincts. maybe this is impulsive.
but it feels right.
so he grabs kane's hand. and he ties that ribbon around kane's wrist.
and even if kane doesn't understand the severity of it, he knows it means something big. it's a gift. and it's not a bite, but in kane's heart, that suddenly doesn't seem to matter.
(and yet scar knows. he knows what grian is saying here.)
(he's saying: flock.)
there's more that happens on this night. scar and nico also end up getting ribbons, several mental spirals and breakdowns and games later (pff), and now they're a Ribbon Gang!! (family. flock.) ...but i'm going to leave this at that, as this was meant to be about grian and kane and... i just really wanted to tell you about the ribbon thing :3
as a bonus, have this discord screenshot that i find very funny in the most endearing way:
#ange answers#ribbon anon#hhau#cw dead animal#found family my beloved#i had basically a whole bit about that mating mark misunderstanding conversation between grian and kane written out#but decided to take it out#feel free to ask about it though! >:3c#something about kane not really understanding how anything but bites matters#and yet look at him with that ribbon :3#wipes tear. he grew so much#i can also tell you about the grian building bit#you know#if you're curious š#i promise to work on the eclipse rambles one of these days#that adds a lot of fun context to the vibes they had at the start#even though when grian and scar finally come to the commune it's under very different circumstances#(much less tense)#RIBBON GANG#i'm so hyped to tell you this#there's ribbons!#there's flock!!!#(dw about how this arc eNDS)
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So what if DC but Warriors-
(Have the Batfam)
(In order, left to right top to bottom: Bruce, Barbara, Dick, Jason, Cass, Steph, Tim, Duke, Damian)
Did Bat (Bruce) mean to create a Clan? No. He was a housecat before he was a stray (full-bred maine coon, he's big) and just trying to survive while also helping his elderly dad-of-sorts. Might've made an old basement bunker into his den, even if he doesn't know what it is.
But then he keeps finding kits. And the first couple he was like, oh this is temporary, I'm just going to teach them how to get around and hunt and such. And then Ginger (Barbara) & Night (Dick) just sort of never left.
Rust (Jason) ended up stealing one of Bat's prey and that's how he ended up with yet another kit. Then another just sort of appeared? Fox (Tim) is just kind of vibing after running away from his home. He's also a persian tortoiseshell. And Bat looks away for five seconds, and now there's another pair of kits too. He does not have an adoption problem. These street kittens just seem to think that he is dad material. Maybe that'll be enough- ope no, there's a kit who has visions of the future who is now here. And his cousin apparently heard about his sort-of clan and joined in with her own sort-of kit. And another pair of strays, Ivy & Bright (Harley) that he's fought with before have invited themselves in and okay, they know healing and herbs so... ... Why are there cats just joining him now??
And then another kitten shows up that's a mini him. Great-
------------------------------------------------------------------------- So far my idea for clan members' names are:
Bruce: Batshadow / Batstar Barbara: Gingersight Jim: Pinewhisker Alfred: Patches Kate: Redstripe Betty: Flamefur Dick: Nightfeather Jason: Rustwing Cass: Shadowflight Steph: Adderstrike Tim: Foxfang Duke: Sunheart Damian: Robin | Robinpaw | Robinwing Poison Ivy: Ivyfoot Harley: Brightear Selina: Badgerleap Lucious Fox: Beechpelt Lucas Fox: Ravenflight Tam Fox: Fawnstep Tiffany Fox: Hawkpaw | Hawkleg Jean-Paul: Fireclaw Minkhoa: Ghoststride Harper Row: Blueface Cullen Row: Leafpaw | Leafheart
Could add more but I barely managed to draw nine cats lol. I am very open to ideas and opinions as well lol.
#batman au#batman#my art#warriors#warriors au#warrior cats#batman crossover#shroudclan#rambles#dc crossover#Bruce and his 10+ kids lmao#dc#dcu#prompts?#prompts#feel free to use as inspiration#They did not start out using clan-esque names but they started building their own community y'know
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