#the parallels and similarities between them!!!

[epiphainie]

i literally cannot stop thinking about the similarities between adam and declan. like yes, there's the fact that they both present as high achievers ready to put in the work no matter what, even if that means putting a distance between themselves and the rest of the world and functioning with a streak of cunningness, but they are also two boys both of whom are so lost about what they think they want out of life and what they really desire deep down. the parallels between what love means to adam and what joy means to declan, how they both experience feelings of the kind as something tenacious and so fragile, unlikely to grow in the barren soil that's their lives. the parallels between them asking themselves again and again and again what it is they really truly desperately want and the answer for them both being to be known, to have their burden carried, to have the option to choose for themselves. liar boys, dauntless boys, thrifty boys who know the magic trick of becoming what's expected of them and looking the part, boys who never got to be kids or sons but who are afraid of the legacy of their fathers and how they carry that blood, boys who hide their smiles and imagine alternate versions of themselves who could stay and stand still and feel real for one moment in these smokes and mirrors lives they lead

[antianakin]

If they were going to have Bix leave Cassian instead of killing her off (which I do like by the way, I appreciate that she is just killed for convenience), they should've swapped her narrative with Cassian's in this season instead.

BIX should've been the one becoming less and less committed to the Rebellion because she just wants to be able to find peace where she can instead of giving what little she has left to this Cause.

CASSIAN should've been the one refusing to leave and becoming more and more committed the more of himself he's given to the Rebellion because who is he if he leaves now, what will it all have been for if he quits NOW.

For one, it fits in better with Cassian's entire arc in Rogue One. Cassian's speech to Jyn at the end when he brings the volunteers to her is that all of them have done awful things for the Rebellion and they don't regret that, but they WILL regret it if they stop fighting now and have to live with knowing it was all for nothing. He can't walk away anymore. Either they take down the Empire or Cassian dies working towards that goal. Those are the only two options for Cassian anymore and that's SO CENTRAL to his character.

For two, it would be an interesting foil to his earlier conversation with Maarva in season 1. People have pointed out that there's a clear PARALLEL between Cassian's two conversations with Maarva and Bix and, to me, what this shows is that Cassian hasn't really developed all that much between the two seasons even though multiple years have passed. He's still not committed to this really, he still somehow believes they can find a quiet place to just hide away from the Empire and have a normal life. But if you turn it around so that now someone else is asking Cassian to walk away from this and Cassian is now the person who refuses to do so and he has to parallel Maarva's "That's just love" line... oof that shit hits SO GOOD and shows how far he's come as a character at the same time.

For three, it allows BIX to develop more as a character. Yes, she's a fighter, and she's strong and competent and fierce. But throughout season 1 she also has so much she's still fighting FOR. She has Timm, she has Cassian, she has Brasso and Maarva and the Paaks and Ferrix in general. She's fighting for her home and her family and her loved ones. But one by one she loses them. Timm is killed, Cassian leaves, Salman Paak is killed, Maarva dies, Ferrix is occupied and then they riot and who knows how much of Ferrix and its people is even left in the aftermath of Rix Road but even if there IS something left Bix has to run from it with no real hope of being able to ever return.

And then we get to season 2 and she almost immediately loses Brasso and B2EMO. The home they'd started to make on Mina-Rau is also something they have to leave behind and the safehouse they're in on Coruscant is clearly not something Bix feels is really a home. She has SO LITTLE left to keep fighting for the way she did before. And it might've been interesting to see Bix, who had been the original rebel on Ferrix, the one who was actually Luthen's connection to the planet and to Cassian, be the one to start losing that conviction because so much of it had been connected to her love for her people and her home and a desire to save it.

Bix is a fighter, yes, but the whole reason she's with Timm at the beginning of season 1 is because she DOES want a more normal life, one that Cassian isn't able to give her even before he becomes a rebel. Bix wants to be able to build a home with her family that she can grow old in and build a life in. She WANTS that, but she also loves her family and her home enough to fight for it when necessary. But then it's all taken away and they keep expecting her to go out and fight and more and more she isn't quite sure WHY she's still doing this. Maybe she's doing similar things to Cassian, maybe she's also having to go out and be an assassin or a saboteur and it GRATES at her because this isn't the person she wants to be, it's not the life she ever thought she'd live, and she wants to take out the Empire and avenge Ferrix and Brasso and all the others who died on Rix Road, but she finally hits a point of no return where she just can't keep fighting like this and making these sacrifices, she CAN'T. And she tries to convince Cassian to come with her because she can see him chipping away at everything she'd loved about him, she can see the way it eats at him too, but Cassian is Maarva's son and now that he's committed himself to this, there's no looking back.

And so Bix leaves, because she knows she deserves more than this and refuses to lose who she is, and Cassian stays, because he knows he'll never forgive himself if he doesn't see this through. Bix finally learns to fight for herself, and Cassian learns to fight for everyone. Maybe it's even amicable. That could be another foil to the conversation with Maarva where he tells her he doesn't understand why she's staying. But this time, as Bix explains why she can't do this, he can understand, because he's BEEN there now. And Bix understands why Cassian can't leave with her, too. There's no animosity between them when they separate. They were on opposing paths and they met in the middle for a while, but now they're at different places in their lives again and they have to say goodbye. They've done this once already and survived, they can do it again.

[reddesires]

Bygones

Bucky Barnes x Former!Widow Reader

Synopsis: You knew him as the Winter Soldier - the asset who was the main tool to your constant torment while under the control of Hydra. Now you've met James Buchanan Barnes - a man who has similar scars that match your own. A conflict you find yourself having to face.

Word Count: 1234

Tags: angst, Canon-typical violence, hurt/comfort, mentions of torture, former widow reader, former Winter Soldier Bucky, emotional vulnerability, trauma,

A/n: Here's some hurt/comfort widow reader x bucky before I get to my soldier series + smut piece. I like to think that I did well with the parallels, I was kinda playing my hand at them, and I hope it paid off, lol. Anyway enjoy ❤️

You can still taste the sharp tang of iron on your tongue, the constricting hold on your throat as he held you down into submission. The icy frost of his eyes piercing, sinking viciously until it reached the deepest part of you, the core only he could make an impact on, and that fact proved only to further scare you.

The unrelenting force of metal on the delicate curve of your neck stirred those feelings of helplessness and terrifying inferiority. It accumulated in your chest like a sickness as you kicked your legs against him. It was no use. It never was.

The Winter Soldier was merciless, and you should’ve done better to avoid their wrath, try to impede this punishment of having to face off their best asset. Should’ve tried harder to avoid his unfaltering grasp, but you were..

“Sloppy. Again.”

An aggravated yell ripped from your lips, reaching behind his head and grasping his hair with an unforgiving rage, snapping his head back with the force.

He grunted, his grip on you faltering and giving you enough leeway to break away from him and driving your sharp elbow into his temple.

The edges of your vision pulsated with red hot furor, his voice and his cut-throat words left surgeon like cuts; practiced and irritatingly clinical, a constant reminder of the white-coats behind those imposing steel doors.

You hated him and his indecipherable countenance. He never gave anything away, and the moment when it seemed like he was, it was fleeting.

It only proved to fuel that ember into a fire, just dying to catch flame and burn against the coldness that hung spitefully within the barebone bunker.

The memories clung to you like a shadow. No matter how much you tried to wash it from your skin, it was a part of you.

It both built you up and destroyed you.

You wished the nicotine from your cigarette dissolved that acrid taste, but it stayed heavy, insistent. Just like him.

You felt his presence long before he stepped up next to you. He didn't bother to say anything, his body settling heavily against the rooftop railing.

The air is always thick with words unspoken, an electric current weaving between them - memories of the other almost overbearing like rapidly cooling adamantium settling oppressively in their bones.

He was nothing like the Winter Soldier, the man that stood before you carried his guilt and regret like an unwanted badge. He was much easier to read, his vulnerability draped over his weary shoulders.

It was a hard pill to swallow - hard to accept this new reality - hard to see past him when all you used to see was an empty space where his soul should have been. In its place was a soul, a broken and battered one but achingly, it was in view now.

This wasn't the Winter Soldier. This was James Buchanan Barnes.

How cruel.

It was cruel that your anger is now misplaced, lingers within your chest cavity like an ache that staggers your breath whenever you make eye contact with him. You don't miss the hitch of his when he looks back.

Your heart aches. It was all so confusing, and it was like static obscuring your senses when it came to him - what were the right responses?

His head hangs as he clutches his hands together tightly. That was one thing you could rely on; his silence. He was never one for words, and it seems that's the case even now.

You breathe out the leftover smoke lingering in your lungs, your lips pressing into a thin line. You've also never been one for words either, one in the same.

Having so much to say but not having the strength to, it was the bane of your existence.

You lightly nudge your shoulder against his, extending your cigarette towards him. You avoid his eyes as you offer your metaphorical olive branch. He falters before he accepts it, his touch both hesitant and docile.

So unlike his counterpart.

“You aren't him. Not anymore, James,” You speak softly. “There's no blame to place.”

The smoke curls from his mouth, a haze floating over his head. “We both know what I did. What I did to you,” his voice is above a whisper. “I see it every time I look at you.”

He's been looking at you with that look for months now, a festering wound of a look and it always sent an unfamiliar sensation throughout your body- your hair stood on end and your nose burned as if your body was gearing up to cry.

Your chest felt like it was constricting, and you instinctively turned your head away. “We both have a lot of red in our ledger, Barnes.” The words were almost bitter. “But I see a different man, one I don't know.”

The crack in your voice was unintentional, but you knew he caught it. The misery was breaking through, and you felt as if you were drowning in the moment.

You only knew the asset, the mindless machine, the cut-throat assassin that would pin you down into demeaning submission.

When he says your name, it sends a shiver throughout your body but it's nothing compared to the indescribable feeling that takes hold as gently turns your head back towards him, the warmth of his flesh hand seeping into your skin.

He wipes away the tears that you didn't even notice slipped out, and your lip trembled before you bit down on it.

“I'm so sorry.” His voice is rough with emotion, his watery eyes practically glowing under the streaming rays of the full moon.

You're weak, so damn vulnerable as you're met with sight of his soul again.

Your fingers tremble as you pluck the cigarette from his metal hand, doing little to prevent yourself from touching the very hand that pressed into your neck with domineering essence.

The nicotine coated your tongue, no trace of that acrid tang of iron to be found as you puff away the vulnerability, meeting his gaze.

The smile that pulls that at the corner of your lips isn't as heavy, not as hollow as it usually is as you find yourself mirroring his position, nodding.

“Thank you, James,” your voice drops into a whisper as you lean into him. “I needed that more than I thought.”

You feel him press his side against you as his head falls onto his arm. “I'll say as many times as I need to,” he doesn't bother to hide the vulnerability in his voice. “I'll say it every day, do anything you need me to.”

You're quick to correct him. “You're a free man now, James.” You needed to remind him that he's free to make amends on his own terms. He was no longer a vacant asset. “We're free. I'm glad that you're here.”

That fire that burned with hate for the Winter Soldier quelled in the presence of James Barnes.

It was a truth that you're willing to live with.

The man that stood before you, who was abused by the same hands that damaged you, he was akin to you in ways that mattered.

“I accept you.” You say honestly, deciding that he was one of your own now.

The breath he releases is deep as he nods, his hands shaking.

“Thank you,” he says breathlessly. “I needed that more than you think.”

[nenoname]

People tend to draw parallels between Ford and Dipper, and Stan and Mabel. So, what are some similarities you can find between Ford and Mabel, and Stan and Dipper?

i made a few posts about how the show kinda parallels dipper and stan, especially in the finales

but imo scaryoke is basically entirely about their similarities, and dipper's series goal was the same as stan's

and off the top of my head their other similarities is them being protective younger twins with trust and anger issues and that the line "who would sacrifice everything for their dumb sibling" is targeted at both of them

meanwhile ford seems to be the more (ironically) trusting like mabel, and they're both prone to tunnel vision

also the puppet funeral scene has ford musing on his similarities with her (but i demand more bonding moments between them dangit!!!)

ford unfortunately downplays his artistic/creative side (damn you stem being perceived as more respectable!!!!) but like mabel he has skills and interests in a bunch of fields (and for examples of mabel's many interests just take a peek at the intros of her shorts lol she's fascinated in so many things)

altho them both liking puppets really stuck out to me

of course they're the authors of the most important books in the show, the journals and scrapbook

and i always thought their grappling and magnet guns kinda felt similar

personally i feel like ford's obsession with his grand unified theory is like mabel's obsession with the fantasy of a summer love, aka something they both ultimately realise they never needed with mabel gaining self-love and her love of waddles, and ford still pursuing his love of weirdness but without needing the validation of others

"Dipper, Mabel, Stan and Ford, they’re all characters who need each other. Without Dipper, Mabel’s just in a fantasy land. Without Mabel, Dipper is just sort of just spiraling into misery, spiraling into his own neurosis and not being pulled into those social situations, not growing as a person."

overall, like mabel, ford needs someone to keep him grounded, while stan (like dipper) needs someone to help lift him up

+ sweater vs sweaty twins

[kradogsrats]

Allhaven and Evrkynd: An Aanya (and Ezran) Meta

So back before s7, I predicted that Aanya would play a significant role in returning Ezran to his chosen path of radical love after he's shaken from it by being unexpectedly confronted with an alive Runaan. Obviously, that wound up being hilariously incorrect... but I still think the analysis was, at the time, sound.

In arc 1, Aanya is set up as the model for Ezran in... basically every respect. Like, the number of ways Ezran in early s3 directly parallels Aanya at the Pentarchy Summit in s2 is anything but subtle:

They also both leave s3 in a very similar place, as young monarchs who refused to take their people to war, but stepped up to defend peace. Knowing that Ezran would struggle with Runaan's role in his father's death, it made perfect sense that Aanya could relate—Avizandum orphaned her, and while she wasn't interested in taking aggressive action for the sake of revenge (as opposed to Kasef), she probably still felt some kind of way about riding to the defense of Xadia and Zym. It made sense that she would continue in her narrative role as a sort of preview for Ezran's behavior, as far as putting aside personal grudges for the common good.

In fact, the Book Two: Sky novelization makes it explicit. The Pentarchy Summit sequence ends with a segment from Aanya's point of view, in which she privately displays a fair amount of contempt for the other human monarchs and (somewhat hilariously) labels Viren as "aging," but it ends with this:

As a young ruler, she had the opportunity to correct the course of violence that her parents had been a part of. And she hoped to do just that.

As in the series, the Pentarchy Summit in the novelization is intercut with Callum opening and reading Harrow's final letter, in which he urges Callum and Ezran to do the same: turn the story of the world from one of strength and violence to one of peace and love. (Well, less intercut than the series, because different media. But it comes between Callum sitting down to read the letter, and them him actually reading it.) Again, we are meant to see Aanya as strongly aligned with the main trio in the sense of being

We then didn't really get anything to contradict any of that in s6, where her appearance mostly just indicated that she was going to play a bigger role in s7. However, when s7 arrived? Well, she's still very much meant to be compared with and contextualize Ezran's decisions and actions, but as this series is so fond of doing, she herself is massively recontextualized as a character, in turn.

The Orphaned Queen

In s7, we see an Aanya that is different from—but not inconsistent with—what we saw in the first arc. The key is this:

Aanya has had a much different experience from Ezran's—she has had the people around her betray and attempt to manipulate her. Has Aanya ever been able to feel truly safe, outside of the measures she herself is able to take in her own defense?

Contrast this with Ezran, who is generally surrounded by people he can trust implicitly. He does get briefly conspiracy-ed off the throne, but his loyal allies immediately start working to restore him. In arc 2, we see that he is still close with those allies, and the untrustworthy actors have been removed from his immediate orbit. We don't know a ton about Harrow's High Council beyond Viren and Opeli—there was Saleer (untrustworthy), but there were also others, none of whom are present for Ezran's rule. Ezran's council is made up of Opeli, Barius, and Corvus—three people who supported him without reservation through Viren's coup—plus Soren, who displayed his loyalty to Ezran at the end of s3 by "killing" his father (and losing his sister), and then Callum, Ezran's own brother and staunchest protector until Corvus and Soren entered the scene. Unlike Aanya, who is both younger than Rayla and has a higher body count, Ezran appears to have never picked up a weapon for anything but play-fighting with Callum. Aanya simply does not have the luxury of safety and trust that he does.

(We have a single mention in a single interview indicating that Aanya has an adoptive older brother, which makes for another point of close comparison with Ezran in that they are both in the unusual situation of being young monarchs with living older siblings. Presumably, if Aanya truly trusts anyone, it would be him. While she comforts Ezran about his falling out with Callum without even mentioning that she has her own older brother, she does speaks in a way that could suggest personal experience—which would indicate that she and Grark may have had their own struggles. In a medium where time is so valuable that every shot and line of dialogue needs to be scrutinized for storytelling efficiency, exposition about Aanya's family situation may just not be a priority. Personally, I'm not really committed to believing that he actually exists and isn't some kind of large and protective pet, but I feel obligated to mention him in the context of "does Aanya trust anyone?")

So while Ezran, having grown up in relative security, is inherently very trusting (something also driven by the faith of his True Heart that people are good), and Aanya, despite being ostensibly aligned with him in nature and goals, is very much not.

Trust Me to Carry It

Reaching s7, Ezran and Aanya actually have an interesting pair of exchanges about trust, and specifically about trust between the two of them. During Ezran's first council meeting at the Banther Lodge, when Callum (their relationship already visibly fracturing) fails to support him at even the bare minimum level of paying attention, he turns to Aanya, instead. She initially demurs, citing that she is not a member of the council, but Ezran insists:

Aanya appears to not really know how to respond to that, though she takes it seriously and wants to recognize the gesture. She settles for reaffirming the debt owed to Katolis by Duren, and pledging to honor it:

We'll address the rest of this scene in a bit, but first I want to look at a later one—a very subtle moment, but one I think is important.

After the confrontation between Callum and Ezran (in which Aanya has a role, and believe me, I'll touch on that later), Ezran's emotions are running high—he's angry, he's distraught, and Aanya steps in to move him to a more private setting where he can feel his feelings. On the Banther Lodge bridge, there is this exchange:

Ezran cites a time he and Callum had (much lower-stakes) discord, specifically a time when Callum dismissed Ezran's (admittedly far-fetched) claims about his own experience and knowledge of the world, and in response, Aanya makes a gesture of the exact opposite. Callum didn't believe Ezran that the ducks preferred berries, but Aanya offers him berries to feed to the ducks.

We also don't really have a strong picture of how open Ezran is in arc 2 about his ability to understand animals—he seems to be more open about it than he was in arc 1, when he kept it concealed in large part because Callum didn't believe him. It makes sense that he would have grown in confidence after Callum's turnaround, along with both Rayla and Claudia believing him without reservation, but I still get the impression it's something he rarely talks about. He doesn't hide it, in that he will listen to animals and respond directly to them in front of even relative strangers, like Terry, but... maybe it's just the disconnect in how even Ezran treats animals vs. humans/elves, but there's really no evidence that anyone other than Callum and Rayla know, and everyone else just treats things like Bait's "seat" on the council as a child's adorable quirks. So while him indicating openly to Aanya that he can communicate with animals doesn't necessarily mean anything, it's still kind of surprising.

I'll circle back to Aanya display of trust in Ezran (eventually), but first: a quick(ish) look at what Ezran's trust in Aanya winds up meaning in s7 regarding her influence on him.

Your Angel or Your Devil

Aanya enters Ezran's circle of advisors at a time when he is in great turmoil, and vulnerable because of that. He's also struggling with traumatic growth of a kind his other advisors would prefer to shield him from, but that leaves him straining against their expectations. That he will need and want new voices among his advisors has always been an eventual reality, and Aanya is a very appropriate candidate. However, where things get interesting is that, despite her uniformly positive role in arc 1 and in s6, in s7 her influence on Ezran is frequently not framed as necessarily a positive.

In the first Banther Lodge council scene, as described above, Ezran explicitly places Aanya in a position of trust, and she returns with a pledge of support. In context, Ezran has just been encouraged by Opeli and Barius to focus on rebuilding Katolis and reassuring its people. He is conflicted, being deeply affected by Sol Regem's attack—in a way, a breach of his trust in Xadia and the world at large—and questions whether it's worth rebuilding without ensuring that everything will not be so easily destroyed again. To emphasize his point, he knocks over his goblet—the goblet that Aanya then picks up and offers back to him as part of her affirmation that Duren will aid Katolis in any way needed.

She then goes on to agree with his concerns about Katolis's vulnerability, something that visibly disturbs what was previously Ezran's core council:

This is a moment where Ezran takes a distinct step away from his childhood, even before his critical confrontation with Callum, in that he looks to and takes the advice of a peer, rather than a guardian. Previously, the closest thing Ezran had to a peer within his council was Callum, and Callum just demonstrated how unsuited he has always been for that role.

Opeli (and Barius, and Corvus, and Soren) has, from the very beginning, had an interest in protecting Ezran not just physically, but mentally and morally, as well. On Ezran's first full day as king, the adults in the room all suddenly act like they're under tiktok censorship and have to say "unalived" when learning and discussing the news that the four other human monarchs have been attacked, and three of them are dead or sufficiently incapacitated that they may as well be dead (Kasef is acting independently as Ahling's heir, not under Ahling's direction or advice). Ultimately, that might be a kind thing to do! Ezran's father was assassinated, and a coordinated attack on human kings and queens suggests that he may be in mortal danger—something potentially traumatic for a *checks watch* ten-year-old already under significant pressure. Aanya, however, never received that grace, so when Ezran's adult advisors are trying to direct him toward peaceful rebuilding and implicitly reassure him that everything will be okay, Aanya is frank in telling him that safety frequently has to be ensured, not assumed.

She's not wrong, particularly within the frame of her own trauma experience, which is a caveat she even makes explicit. (This is the girl who brings her magic explosive arrows to a wedding. Just in case.) However, as with the many, many people in this series who are not technically wrong, she's also not right—she is putting Ezran on a path that we as the audience immediately recognize as dangerous. So while Aanya in a lot of ways appears to be taking over Opeli's role in counseling Ezran both emotionally and practically, she does so in a way that is... interestingly reminiscent of Aaravos.

Project Ruby Fire

Now that I've made that insane claim, let's look briefly at the magical nuclear deterrence plan. Or rather, let's look at how it's proposed.

Aanya makes a pledge of support and service:

Confronts his enemies(?) aggressively in a way that escalates the situation:

and pushes him from a vague "the future of my people/humanity needs to be protected" toward a specific target:

Above all, she gives Ezran a secret, magical resource to be used for the benefit of humanity against those who would attack/oppress them, entirely changes the face of any conflict to a type of warfare never before seen, and that carries a spiraling moral risk—when you've got a bunch of nuclear warheads, every threat becomes something you may need to nuke. Ezran, after all, goes very quickly from "we're only building such powerful weapons so we'll never have to use them" to... well, using them.

Shitposts aside, I don't think Aanya is doing any of this maliciously—she's not love-bombing Ezran to manipulate him later, nor is she using him to push forward the fire ruby weapons development and exploit them for some kind of secret personal reasons. I think she is genuinely trying to help. What I think is actually going on here is that Aanya is representative of the rest of the Pentarchy and/or humanity—a group the principal characters visibly lose touch with more than once:

She's not following a pattern reminiscent of Aaravos because she's like Aaravos, but because that's what Aaravos's influence has made humanity over the centuries. It's an example of the insidious effect that not just dark magic, but the division of the continent and pitting humans and Xadia against each other has had.

Aanya may not hold any particular grudge against Xadia, but she isn't prepared to trust them, either—instead, she prepares for the worst. Her fire ruby arrows don't appear in the arc 1 final battle, a situation where you'd expect them to be used if they had been available, suggesting that they're something she oversaw the creation of during the two years after tentative peace with Xadia was established. She remains ready to defend herself, even against what are ostensibly allies. The soft threats are the worst.

A Bright Future for Humanity

Ultimately, Ezran is able to recover most, if not all, of his pre-s7 convictions regarding radical love and pursuit of peace—notably after taking himself to a place Aanya can/does not follow. Aanya obviously supports him in this, and it's not entirely clear whether Project Ruby Fire continues. Aaravos's return is on the horizon, and it proved effective against him once, already. (Though, as Aaravos himself warns, he does not fall for the same tricks twice.)

Going forward, a strong narrative role for Aanya given how she has already been used would be as a continued counterpart to Ezran—in that, as Ezran represents the reunification of humans and Xadia, she represents a united humanity within that. Throughout arc 2, we don't see anyone from any of the other human kingdoms—even though after two years, they ought to have worked out new rulers—only Katolis and Duren. There are models for Neolandian, Del Barian, and Evenerean soldiers from s3, but none appear in the Evrkynd scene—though there also aren't even any Durenian soldiers there, despite Aanya's presence, only Katolian soldiers and civilians. (To be fair, it's presumably still Katolian soil, since it's where Viren crossed with his armies and they were headed for the Breach before hearing it had been destroyed. But that just makes the need for a future united humanity more obvious.)

They could also, of course, be setting up an eventual romantic relationship between Aanya and Ezran. At twelve and thirteen years old, we can't exactly expect sparks to be flying, but there are a couple significant times when Aanya appears to be paralleling Sarai, not to mention their scene on what might as well be declared "Callum and Rayla Affirmations of Devotion" bridge.

Sarai is also presented as a warrior-queen, with a desire to improve the future world. I've written a bit about what Sarai might have seen in Harrow, and... even noted at the time (also prior to the s7 release) that she was likely similar to Aanya. Aanya and Ezran could have that same kind of dynamic—the pragmatist who grounds the idealist in reality, and the idealist who inspires the pragmatist to greater dreams.

Finally, I made the comparison up there between Aanya's pledge of service and Aaravos's, but there are others that could be made:

It's not a ship I have any investment in, but the foundations are admittedly sound.

FINALLY: A Shot in the Dark

I managed to write all of this without actually addressing the question that made me think about any of it in the first place, which is: would Aanya have shot Callum, if Ezran had given the order?

Short version: no, I don't think she would have.

To elaborate, the confrontation with Callum (and Rayla, and Runaan) comes right after Aanya has pledged Duren's (and her) support to Katolis (and Ezran)—whatever they need. Here, despite having no real personal stake in the conflict (though she probably has some strong feelings about assassins, in general), she lends Ezran her martial support, much in the way she did in s3 for the final battle. Aanya shoots two arrows, one of which is close enough to hitting Runaan that Rayla feels she has to deflect it, and the other of which grazes him—what she calls a warning shot.

What Aanya is actually giving Ezran in this scene is the appearance of strength and ruthlessness. As someone who grew up surrounded by people seeking to exploit what they saw as weaknesses—such as her young age—she's highly aware that a major factor in defensive strength is deterrence through intimidation. Ezran also knows this, on some level:

Ideally, she won't have to shoot Callum to get him to back down, only look like she will. As I noted earlier, her actions do escalate the conflict—but also may very well have worked to resolve it, had it been anyone other than Callum.

Ezran backing down is also crucial in setting up their next scene, which includes the ducks-berries sequence and Aanya declaring that she will extend her support to entrusting Ezran with the secret of the fire rubies. I think, because Ezran didn't give the order, she has seen that he's not going to foolishly escalate conflicts out of anger or pride. She placed herself in his hands as an indiscriminate weapon, and he chose not to use it.

If Ezran had ordered her to shoot Callum, I think she would have lost basically all respect for him. If she shot at all, she would be deliberately shooting to miss.

And that's what I think about Aanya.

[ficretus]

There are some parallels that can be drawn between Jaune and Oz in The Four Maidens story. You have older jaded version of a hero visited by four girls, who keep him a company and give him valuable life lessons.

Sequence makes sense since Oz was first visited by Winter and finally by Fall. Jaune was first encouraged and hugged by Weiss, followed by Yang and Blake. Reconciliation with Ruby happened at the end of the volume. And show is very on the nose that Jaune is suppose to be Oz parallel, even being point of Jaune's Beyond episode, so I don't think this is coincidental.

But sequence kind of exists in isolation, which made me wonder a bit about it. Then I started thinking about V8 ending sequence and Oz' original daughters, precursors to Maidens.

I think Atlas evacuation sequence was meant to be a parallel to Oz and his daughters attempting to leave the castle. In this case Cinder takes the role of Salem, role she consistently plays with Jaune's Ozma. So Oz took his daughters to run away from Salem who ultimately ended up finding them with fight ensuing. Meanwhile Jaune and RWBY tried to evacuate Atlas via Relic's portal only to be found by Cinder with fight ensuing.

In both cases said fight resulted in Salem/Cinder getting all five killed (or at least assumed dead in Cinder's case). At the end of Cinder's fight with Jaune you also have remarkably similar imagery as at the end of Ozma's fight with Salem.

In conclusion, I think there is a merit to Jaune/RWBY and Oz/his daughters/Maidens parallels. If that's the case I think parallel will continue with Jaune eventually playing the role of Wizard in the story and giving all his power to team RWBY (probably using evolved form of his Semblance), creating his own Maidens.

This parallel also positions RWBY members into more of a platonic relationship with Jaune, him symbolically playing their father figure. Which makes sense since Jaune does look both like Tai and Nicholas Schnee (when he is Rusted Knight) and he is 10-20 years older than them after V9. I'd say this excludes pairings like Lancaster or WK, but then again RWBY did go in relatively Oedipal direction with Bees.

[struggling-jpg]

Aventurine and Boothill as a duo is just so funny to me. Boothill and Dan Heng already gave us the impulsive shooter-stressed guy energy so I imagine that Boothill and Aventurine are the impulsive shooter-amused enabler dynamic.

They both have concerning "good" luck and a willingness to risk everything for their plans/goals so just imagine that Boothill would have this wild plan that involves a staged hostage situation with only vague details and an even more vague backup plan, and out of curiosity, amusement, and the means to get themselves out of there if need be, Aventurine would be like "Yeah, sure, all or nothing, friend!"

Just imagine all the shenanigans these two would start on their mission to get revenge on Oswaldo. I hope Star Rail makes it fun and has all the emotional payoff v-v

[corporalicent]

FRANCESCA & VIOLET BRIDGERTON

“I couldn’t imagine it, either,” Violet cut in. “Yet it happened. I thought I should die of the pain.” Daphne swallowed. “But I didn’t. And you wouldn’t. And the truth is, eventually it does become easier. And you think that perhaps you could find happiness with someone else.” “Francesca did,” Daphne murmured. “Yes, she did.” Violet closed her eyes for a moment, recalling how terribly worried she’d been for her third daughter during those years of her widowhood. She’d been so terribly alone, not shunning her family precisely, but not truly reaching out to them, either. And unlike Violet, she’d had no children to help her find her strength again. “She is proof that one can be happy twice,” Violet said, “with two different loves. But, you know, she’s not the same kind of happy with Michael as she was with John. I would not value one higher than the other; it’s not the sort of thing one can measure. But it’s different.” —Violet in Bloom: Novella

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

ISAT & Dungeon Meshi swap!

[addamvelaryon]

When you stand in front of me and look at me, what do you know of the griefs that are in me and what do I know of yours?

— Franz Kafka

Corlys, Addam & Laenor by Imperiat

[momentomori24]

Something something about the way Eva could only ever see herself as a victim even in situations where she wasn't, whereas Grace never allowed herself to be a victim even in situations where she was. Something about the way Eva plays the role of "the bullied" and "nerd" whereas Grace plays the role of "the bully" and "mean girl". Something about how Grace proudly flaunts her name and talent, demanding those around her to not forget it when Eva shamefully tries to hide her true title in any way she can, even when it comes to the detriment of herself and others. Something about Eva being a liar and someone clings to calmness and composure where Grace remains ever explosive and defensive yet utterly honest to a fault. Someone about how Eva clings to the idea of having no agency and how Grace fights for agency and keeps it tight within her stubborn grip. Something about how Eva aligned herself and submitted to the whims and wills of a man in a position of power over her, whereas Grace chose to punch him down in unrelenting defiance and reject his ideals all together from the start. Something about that subservience getting Eva killed, and something about that defiance allowing Grace to survive.

[loopyarts]

Young adult Robin Dick Grayson and his Umbreon partner.

[akkivee]

FOOLS GOLD TL IS LIVE!!!! ENJOY THE BAT FLAVOURED ANGST!!!!!!

[jynxedshapeshifter]

what if i said the parallels between nahyuta and simon are something i want to see discussion of. what then

[croudjay]

POV: You accidentally stumbled across two immortal warmongers who crave for blood

I know "drawing your two comfort characters in that steven universe meme" trend is old now but I wanted an excuse to draw them together. Like if they were in the same universe, they would've been besties.

Anyway here's a diff version // The original trend // The original picture for those who don't know

Trend by EGGNETS, Steven Meme by hausofdecline

[nexahexagon]

GGRGAGTGHVGGGGGRRAAAAHGGGGG

Lair of Scylla from Epic the Musical, But in the aftermath of The Realm’s Second Ball

“Row (run) for your lives” tr!Pangi running from tr!Sneeg after the ball, !Sneeg being practically untouchable from the flight of Nirvana makes it super difficult for !Pangi to even attack makes !Sneeg a good choice for Scylla here

The entire chorus just being !Sneeg chasing down !Pangi, and at the end of it being !Sneeg watching !Pangi rocket away with elytra

And the “we are the same you and I” !Sneeg and !Pangi are such parallels it’s not even funny. They both killed the ones they wanted to protect (!Pangi killing tr!Lukey, !Sneeg killing tr!Ros), their motivations are to protect the ones in their faction (!Pangi had said before that if tr!Bad were killed he wouldn’t let it slide at ALL and was on a hunt for revenge for tr!mocha, and a huge part of !Pangi’s hatred for yellow right now is the many kills/attempts on !Lukey’s life) (!Sneeg’s entire thing is getting strong enough to protect his faction. Others run as soon as he arrives despite him only killing having three (now four) kills, and he rarely initiates fights. !Pili had said that if he died to !pangi, !Sneeg has every right to kill on sight. !Sneeg has a lot of patience, but it’s running insanely thin on how yellow is seen very easily as a “punching bag”, the weaker members targeted from the very beginning (despite now only having !Pili and tr!sausage as active “weaker” members). He wants nothing more than to protect his faction, showing up when they call and arriving even when they don’t.)

Also it’d be funny if the “we are the same you and I” were just them killing !Lukey and !Ros as friendly fire, yk the people closest to them.