#the way she clearly respected and cared more for him than her other allies

[mysticcollectionbee]

Just a random thought I had: I would really like to see Carmilla and Alastor interact more in the future seasons. I don't think people realize how weird it is that Carmilla put Alastor on the Board of Overlords and how interesting their business dynamic could be. Carmilla, lady of order and professionalism...Put ALASTOR in a meeting room. I get inviting him to join because respect (and probable fear of this mysterious guy who has been killing your associates deciding to kill YOU out of disrespect), but...After you realize he doesn't take anything about being an Overlord that serious why do you keep inviting him??? He'll keep coming because he might get entertainment and useful info out of it but what does Carmilla get out of him being there?

My best idea is that maybe he kinda works as a fail-safe in case somebody tries to start a physical fight or something. Alastor clearly enjoys any excuse to kill and eat people so that could work for that. And everyone in that room knows he's capable of killing them but doesn't. So they might use that evidence as to why they should respect the rules of the meeting and Carmilla, because the Radio Demon respects it.

But the last part is 90% a bluff. Alastor doesn't respect nor care about the board of Overlords whatsoever. He might have mild respect for Carmilla, because he seems to like women more than men and atleast pretends to respect her position among the overlords. But they probably dislike interacting with each other. Carmilla has to deal with him not taking anything she cares about when it comes to their profession and title seriously, his enjoyment of chaos probably getting in the way of their meeting occasionally (She probably saw or atleast later on heard from Zestial about Alastor bringing an Egg boi to the meeting), and the biggest issue for her: Deal with a person who constantly has or had KILLED YOUR ASSOCIATES and broadcasts it. Add to the fact that Alastor is probably a bit hard to predict because he can switch from goofy and charismatic radio show host to The sadistic and calculating Radio Demon very quickly.

On Alastor's side: Here's a person who thinks they're wiser than him and believes there should be order to owning souls and territory when all he seems to care about is doing what HE wants and HIS version of control on things. She's passive aggressive or atleast snarky to him as retaliation for his unprofessionalism and to keep his ego in his check. And overall, Alastor probably sees her as a stick in the mud trying to ruin his sadistic fun.

But they still respect each other while disliking each other (Kinda like how you might have a coworker who gets his work done and is useful to the group...But whose personality you can't stand) . Carmilla probably respects Alastor's power and his role in keeping the Overlords in check (I don't think she would be able to make an Board of Overlords if there were so many of them and some of them might've wanted to kill her for trying to "boss them around"). Alastor probably respects how much of a smart professional she is, her ability to lead and try to control the group she made, and her being a dutiful mother (Remember Al is canonically a mama's boy and according to old canon feels like a surrogate father or atleast responsible for Niffty in a similar way despite her age). So yeah, I need to see them interact more. I want to see their first interaction (How did Carmilla react to finding out the mysterious voice on the radio was some red deer guy who makes cannibal puns?). Has Carmilla ever tried to subtly suggest certain Overlords Alastor should target next? Would Alastor hear her out or just ignore it?

Anyways, that's my thought about it. Both of them are now kinda allies to the hotel (specifically Vaggie) so it would be nice to see them interact more.

[le-corbeau]

What I say: I'm fine

What I mean:

It exists a version of TBOSAS where Mizzen had to see Coral die and a version of TBOSAS where Coral had to see Mizzen die

[milk-ly]

Do you ever think about how Kotoko was pretty much Fuuta’s ideal self.

They both wanted to be the same thing, a long-awaited hero, but Kotoko actually “succeeded” while Fuuta “failed.” And that’s also how we judged them in t1. The fanbase thought of Kotoko as the strong, cool vigilante who took down a bad guy, but Fuuta was viewed as a brutish coward who hid behind a screen and killed an innocent teenager.

You could partially link that to the fact that in the end, their convictions were very different. Kotoko has supposed strong convictions but Fuuta seems to parrot things he probably heard on twitter to reinforce himself that he DOES have "strong convictions" like a hero/vigilante (like kotoko) does. Yet, his actual goal was never really Justice at all. Rather, it was all just to gain acceptance and connection. You can especially see that with how Fuuta stands firm in his ideals like he does with others but then immediately jumps to try and connect with Kotoko and impress her by parroting her words and opinions because he craves acceptance from someone whom he respects in some way.

Fuuta: "Ahh, yeah, Norway! The famous thing they have there!" This man clearly had absolutely never heard of it before until Kotoko brought it up. And he immediately pretended like he knew what she was talking about.

Another aspect is Fuuta's insecurities about how he doesn’t measure up to his ideals of being a strong, independent and responsible man. Like his want to protect others despite his cowardice. Or like how his ideal self in bring it on is seemingly taller and more confident.

Yet, Kotoko has constant traits and connections to masculinity (here's a great post about it by purgemarchlockdown) such as being tall, possessing fighting ability, not wearing more traditionally feminine clothes, and possessing traditionally masculine traits like strength and stoicism. Even stories about werewolves were traditionally more about men. While witch hunts, which Fuuta is connected to, mainly convicted women.

There's also the fact that Fuuta craves ally ship and Kotoko seems to be more well-liked than Fuuta even though they’re both rather standoffish. In fact, you actually see Fuuta going out of his way to interact with others (in his own way) more than Kotoko is throughout t1. (I believe he's the first character to give someone else a physical gift, even if it's just a tomato. And insists on giving Shidou his spinach in return when Shidou wants to give him his natto)

Here, Fuuta is the one who actually approached Mikoto to check on him. Fuuta cares and makes SOME effort to have a good relationship with others he's just uh. He's trying, okay.

Yet, in t1 at least, a good portion of the others generally disliked him or looked down on him in some way. Kotoko on the other hand was in pretty good terms with everyone until t2. (Aside from Mikoto, but that's because Kotoko doesn't like him, not the other way around) And considering the fact that Fuuta wants that acceptance so bad, Kotoko has that ideal.

And side note, do you ever think about how their murders frame both Kotoko and Fuuta’s ideal self as fallen heroes tainted by blood?

Or how these two saw each other as pretty similar at first before their true differences hit them both in the face?

And also how Fuuta starts t1 by seeing Es (and you) as the enemy but then draws a direct parallel between him and Es (and you) in t2? But Kotoko does the exact opposite, starting out in T1 and T2 trying to team up because of your similarities, and then ends up seeing you as weak by the end?

Ohhh 03 + 10 character foils…

[tavertianmindscape]

unfocused rambling thoughts about Lars ig??

The difference between Lars vs the other Mishimas is so fun to think about.

Despite the blood relation Lars is just. Not a Mishima. Biologically sure, but not really in any other way. He's got the hair and the lightning to show he's got the Mishima blood, but Lars is also just everything the Mishimas aren't.

He cares about others unprompted (unlike Jin who's an edgy loner, Kazuya who somehow bagged Jun, and Heihachi who's willing to throw away anybody he deems useless like his own father and Lee after the events of T2 ((altho we also still subscribe to our theory that Heihachi genuinely loved/loves Kazumi but her betrayal thanks to her devil gene fucked him up irrepairably)), he's always friendly unless he's up against an enemy (like how his T8 intro with Lee has them engaging in banter before their friendly but still no-holds-barred match), in T6 he's even willing to put aside his anger/hatred of Heihachi when he finds out his allies need help. Hell, he took like half of the entire Tekken Force with him when he defected because he was so beloved.

And we can believe it.

Lars is very focused on his overall goals but he's also willing to do what he can to protect civilians like when he refused Lee's help in T6 but was still more than happy to help Julia when Lee told him that she was in trouble. He's friendly and presonable, but he's also no pushover (he did knock a guy out by punching his sorry ass through a wall in the opening of T6, among many Many other things). And then when Victor shows up in T8 and is immediately respectful towards him. With how Victor has a bit of an "old-fashioned gentleman" thing about him (what with the way he talks to Reina and is constantly insulting and demeaning Claudio's bs without actually using any outright "vulgar" language), Lars is clearly someone Victor respects when it comes to his leadership and fighting capabilities. And Victor Chevalier has been around the block enough times to be able to tell if someone is worth respecting/trusting. (except maybe Reina, but he's still a French boomer so there's definitely gonna be some blind spots regarding women.)

Anyways, Lars is great and we love him lots even if Dragunov is still the number one Babygirl in our heart. UwU

[hrshlandfunkypics]

As much as Koisenu Futari is a show about love, or the lack thereof, it also does show how it can show up in many ways.

The focus is aromanticism and asexuality, yes, but also, we see the different points of view of the people around and how they relate to those types of love.

We have the junior, who thought that there was a spark between them and instead of dealing with the rejection and misunderstanding like a man he just... took some time off work and asked to change departments.

We have Minori (the sister) who seems to live the perfect romantic life and is following what society (and her parents) ask of her, and at the end, despite her love and her dutiful follow of those rules, she's being cheated on and breaks from what society demands (the divorce).

We have Kazu, who sees romantic love in a very weird lense (in my opinion) but slowly, while still holding his ideals, he understands that others are not necessarily like him and not only he ends up by respecting them and more or less understanding them, but he also is a (somewhat) good ally.

We have Chizuru, who does love but is lesbian. She is bound (through her love for Sakuko) to suffer because of a love that cannot be reciprocated. We see her deeply love and feel, and yet we do not see this love being satisfied.

A good point here is that the blame is not brought to Sakuko. Chizuru clearly says that she, herself, is the one to love and the one to get away because she rather have a friend live her life without having to worry about something she doesn't care about than forcing an unwanted love on her (Sakuko).

We have Sakuko's parents too, who seem to live the perfect traditional life. The mother doesn't seem too old, which would suggest that she followed the advice she gave to her daughters: marry and have children young. And through the series, she shows rejection, because aromanticism doesn't fit her understanding of life, then a slight acceptation: she still doesn't get it and wishes for Sakuko to marry and have children, but she also understands that cutting ties with her daughter for not accepting her making her own choices is stupid at worse, foolish at best, especially since at the end she just wants her daughter to be happy.

Last but not least, we have Takahashi. He is the textbook of "older queer" as in he knows where he stands, he understands how he feels about what, he has a way to show and share his experience to others (the blog), he clearly is used (and bored/annoyed) by the world's romanticism etc and he had cut ties with his parents. We don't have much on the parents' thing, but, or he left them because he couldn't be bothered with them being such a pain, or his parents rejected him because he's aroace. Either way, he is a pillar for Sakuko while she goes through her own aroace journey.

So at the end, we not only have a show about aromanticism and asexuality, but we also see how this pressure, this allocisheteronormativity of society, makes it hard on everyone and not just those who do not fit/do not follow those invisible rules.

The aroace narrative is wholesome and very well done, but it would be foolish to turn a blind eye on those other details (and growth) of the characters, which makes this series punch you in the gut so hard.

[hello-nichya-here]

Did these two new episodes finally change your mind about Team Black or do you still think Aegon is a usurper?

1 - Once again, Rhaenyra could have been the worst person who has ever lived and the entire series based on Saint Aegon fighting for the throne for the good of the people, it'd STILL make him an usurper. The king named her heir and everyone swore to her. We literally see the greens plotting to dethrone her long before Viserys supposedly told Alicent he "changed his mind", and Otto, Aemond and even Aegon himself have said they don't believe Viserys ever stopped supporting Rhaenyra. It doesn't matter if I, you, or anyone else thinks they're justified in stealing her throne, that is still what it is: stealing it.

2 - Fuck off with that "finally." Disagreeing with my interpretation is one thing, being all condescendent about it is another. I like the Greens as characters even if I'm not rooting for them, but bullshit like this is why I cannot stand most of the fans. You guys are entitled as fuck.

3 - What exactly was I supposed to see in these episodes that would make me hate Team Black? Daemon being reckless, impulsive and violent in pursue of glory/proof his misguided loyalty, and thus undermining (accidentally and intentionally) the ruler he supports and cares for in his own fucked up way? I saw that in episode one when he was maiming and killing people for crimes he HEARD they commited, without checking, knowing damn well Viserys, aka his brother and King, would not approve of it.

Rhaenyra being morally dubious, and potentialy putting herself in danger by keeping that guy around? Again, I've seen that from the start of the show. Corlys and Rhaenys being more allied to them for convenience because they'll put themselves first instead of any king/queen, even one they respect? Once again, stablished early on in the previous season.

The only new informations I got were about the GREENS.

Aemond clearly having some Mommy Issues that he indulges in with his lover/whore (probably because we canonically saw that his mom is the kind to turn around and go fuck a guard after seeing her son crying because his baby boy was murdered). Aegon showing some hints of compassion/love for other people. Alicent and Cole being even MORE hypocritical than they were before (which is saying a lot).

And, of course, Otto Hightower hearing that his great-grandson was murdered in quite a brutal, cowardly way, and reacting to the news by saying they'll blame Rhaenyra for it anyway, even if they discover she was not behind it - and he'll do it by PARADING THE CHILD'S CORPSE AROUND, with the (clearly neurodivergent/mentally unwell) mother and grandmother weeping. Even though this a disgusting thing to do and, like Aegon himself said, basically dragging this murdered child through the mud like a dog. Even though this is exploting and adding to the pain of his family, that he pretends to care about.

I gotta say, I knew this guy was a piece of shit since he sold his own daughter to a creepy old man, but DAMN, I did not see that one coming. It did make Aegon firing him from being Hand of The King all the more satisfying though, even if I know this will backfire on him.

[vampirehizzies]

you know i love that the fact that we don't know anything about canon!clato pre-games gives us the freedom to give them whichever backstories we want and have them in fanfiction as wholesome childhood besties/training buddies to crazy messed up lovers but... to me the idea that they didn't even know one another before volunteering is so interesting. i go to a school of like 4000 kids so i don't know everyone there, and it's entirely plausible that cato & clove didn't know each other/hadn't crossed paths before 74th.

and that kind of makes "cato kneels beside clove" all the more intense. katniss (with her limited first person Main Character narrator worldview) sees him as this insane brutal monstrous person that gleefully kills children. and maybe she's not far off, but like. from his pov clove is just this random kid from home turned fellow competitor. he's spent the majority of his life making it a goal to murder 23 other children and is clearly extremely violent and has a lethal temper. he's not above making weaker children suffer, because that's what he's taught is the ticket to a successful life of wealth and honor, and clove is just an obstacle to that.

but then they have to spend every day in that arena watching each other's backs, and becoming a team, and while killing people is a messed up way to bond they would begin to become something close to friends and tentatively trust each other. even have affection and respect for one another. there are several canonical examples of tributes from the same district bonding that way (mizzen & coral / jessup & lucy gray -10th hunger games, haymitch & maysilee - 50th hunger games, and then most obviously everlark.)

so clove goes from random stranger/competitor, and thus enemy, to ally and partner and probably friend. and they get so excited about the rule change because they can benefit from it, their district can get 2 victors, and they let their guards down and begin to care and look out for each other's safety. they had no reason not to believe the capitol's new rule because children from district 2 grow up believing that loyalty to the capitol will favor them.

they clearly let themselves get much closer than they should have, and had hope to get out alive together and faith in each other. cato was her last hope when she was dying and afraid. seeing clove lying on the ground literally pained cato (so much that katniss, who thinks of them as vile and horrible murderers, who had no reason to care about any of this and was running away from all of it, who doesn't really read other people's emotions well, noticed). and this brutal and monstrous and apparently manic killer got down on his knees to beg a girl that he didn't know a few weeks ago to stay with him. someone he never would have cared about ordinarily, whose death he at one point viewed as a perfectly acceptable outcome. in just a few short weeks, she went from random girl that lives in his district to someone he would get down on his knees on live television for.

[dualcastimpact]

dawntrail impressions pt. v

In this installment: the Feat of Pots, pathetic wet meow meow Wuk Lamat, and a mysterious summons...

Spoilers under the cut, as always:

Sareel Ja: "If this power truly exists, then I humbly beg a fair share of it."

Sareel Ja: "Time is passing, and I would put my plans in motion without delay. The useless tool is cast aside, after all."

Sareel Ja: "And just so there is no misunderstanding... You consent to this course no matter who is made to suffer?"

Oh my GOD, it's just red flags everywhere with this guy. They really could not be more heavy-handed with the foreshadowing, truly.

Foreshadowing aside, this scene shows exactly why Zoraal Ja is unfit to rule, aside from the whole warmongering expansionist thing. It speaks volumes of Zoraal Ja's character: that he's working with this shady-ass royal advisor of some sort (I forgot his exact position, but I know he's part of the royal court), going along with his plans like sheep and disregarding any and all harm it could incur just to achieve their respective goals. Wuk Lamat and Koana rely on their allies not to tell them what to do, but to guide them throughout this contest. They make their own choices. This is not the case with Zoraal Ja; he's clearly under Sareel Ja's thumb and goes along with his plans, and he's willing to risk everything — even the lives of those he may or may not care for, as hinted here — for his aims.

Those traits do not a good ruler make.

———

Wuk Lamat: "If there's one thing I've learned on this journey, it's how practiced you are at aiding those in need."

Wuk Lamat: "And I mean to make the most of having such an incredible mentor at my side!"

Obvious jab at the Warrior of Light's saviour tendencies and nod to the player aside — that is meant as a nod to the player, right, with her looking right at the camera as she says that? Does she look down if you play a Lalafell or something? — the way Wuk Lamat refers to the Warrior of Light as her mentor encapsulates everything I just said about Zoraal Ja.

———

Koana: "Surely, it would be more effective to engage a uniformly trained collective. I cannot understand their fixation on individual contracts..."

Again, the game's being extremely heavy-handed with how they're showing each claimants' flaws and all that so I can't say too much about this. I just think after a certain point it gets a bit grating, is all.

———

Koana: "Even Sharlayan goldsmiths could not easily replicate such exquisite artistry."

One thing that personally irritates me about Koana is the way he keeps acting like Sharlayan's this absolute pinnacle of excellence, from technology to science to craftsmanship — to everything! — when he hasn't even seen what the rest of the world has to offer. He's like those people who've only gone overseas maybe once or twice and then never shut up about their trip, ever. "Even Sharlayan goldsmiths could not easily replicate such exquisite artistry" has he been to Ul'dah, the literal home of the Eorzea-renowned Goldsmiths' Guild? Has he seen the delicate metalworks of the Ala Mhigan Ananta? Does he know there are other goldsmiths than Sharlayan ones? Does he know that Sharlayan is not the greatest nation on Hydaelyn?

I get that he's mostly well-meaning and this stupid, blatant idolisation of everything Sharlayan is more to highlight the flaws in his character but good god this specifically pisses me off so bad.

———

The Feat of Pots required the claimants to bring one (1) craftsman back to Earthenshire to become a contracted potsworn; presumably the goal was to get the claimants to understand the importance of the collective's system of contracts in facilitating trade and commerce across Tuliyollal. This is where Fonjeantaine comes into play — he agrees to go to Earthenshire to hone his craft and become their contracted potsworn as thanks for Wuk Lamat's earlier encouragement of him.

This required us to travel back to Tuliyollal and discuss things with Fonjeantaine, however, which led us to...

Landsguard Messenger: "Oh, and one more thing: you are not to mention this visit to Wuk Lamat."

What's with the secrecy? Hello?? Without even giving me a chance to take a break after two riverboat rides, a whole-ass dungeon run, running errands all around Earthenshire and hunting down that damn Elezen in Tuliyollal??? Do you people not understand the concept of rest????

———

Sunperch Guard: "The Dawnservant awaits you within. While I was not informed of the reason for your audience, in terms of attire, I would suggest full battle regalia."

OH, COME ON!!!

———

Vow of Resolve Gulool Ja Ja: "Judging by the sailors' gossip, you are a warrior of renown in your homeland."

Lowkey cackling at the absolute neutrality of Raginmar's expression here, like he is not bothered at all (laughs)

Vow of Resolve Gulool Ja Ja: "Yet I wonder—with all your deeds done and victories won..."

Vow of Resolve Gulool Ja Ja: "Are you warrior enough to stand against me?"

He's so dramatic, did he really need three scene changes just for that one piece of dialogue??? Also if Raginmar can take down the literal embodiment of despair, he can absolutely take Gulool Ja Ja down. I know the game makes it so that the Warrior of Light is constantly challenging stronger and stronger enemies and I'm not saying Gulool Ja Ja wouldn't pose a challenge, but he wouldn't make Raginmar resort to his summoning abilities or go all out in his Lightwarden form, is what I'm saying.

———

What will you say? > Why don't we find out? > So long as neither of us gets too carried away. > I'm not interested in fighting you...

Because accidentally killing the ruler of a nation would be bad, yes.

———

Vow of Resolve Gulool Ja Ja: "The battle rage is upon me! I'll stop short of killing you, of course...but expect no other mercies!"

Good for you, Gulool Ja Ja! I've mentioned it before but it bears repeating again: Raginmar doesn't know how to spar. If you challenge him to a duel, he will fight as if his life is on the line. He will fight you to the death. He literally doesn't know how else to fight, so if you're challenging him to a 'spar' then you'd best not hold back.

———

Vow of Resolve Gulool Ja Ja: "I've brought my full strength to bear against opponents before, but you are the first to withstand it."

(jazz hands at Raginmar and his whole deal)

Like, what part of battled the literal manifestation of despair and then 1v1'd Zenos Viator Galvus in a fight to the death right afterwards and won do you not get? Granted the whole ordeal was bad enough that it killed him, but that's neither here nor there.

Jokes aside, the solo duty instance against Gulool Ja Ja was actually really fun! It was a good fight and I enjoyed it a lot.

———

Vow of Resolve Gulool Ja Ja: "Now, a confession. I said I craved a challenge, and that was no lie...but I had another reason for calling you here."

Oh of course you had an ulterior motive, I don't know what I was expecting.

———

Vow of Resolve Gulool Ja Ja: "I had to judge for myself if you were fit to attend my beloved daughter."

I prefer the term 'mentor' to 'attendant', thanks.

Also, I just want y'all to know that in the JP dub, he calls Wuk Lamat his "cute daughter" — かわいいなむすめ — which had me bursting into laughter. Doting father, much?

———

Vow of Resolve Gulool Ja Ja: "But one with your talents could easily dispatch the threats that bar Lamaty'i's way.

Overprotective father detected! The whole point of this was for Wuk Lamat to grow and learn to fend for herself. She doesn't need Raginmar clearing the road for her, although I suppose just the knowledge that he can if she ever needed him to is comforting.

———

Vow of Resolve Gulool Ja Ja: "Will you hear my question and answer me plainly? Address me not as the ruler of Tuliyollal, but a concerned father."

Just so you know, Gulool Ja Ja, this is what we commonly call a death flag. Good fathers who also happen to be kings don't tend to survive for very long in JRPGs.

———

Vow of Resolve Gulool Ja Ja: "Then tell me, given your journey together thus far, what is your impression of Lamaty'i?

What will you say? > She is young, but has potential. > She is not ready to rule.

You wanted an honest answer, that's what you'll get with Raginmar (laughs). None of them are ready to rule, which is actually pretty concerning when you think about it. Gulool Ja Ja outright says that if none of the claimants impress him enough during the rite of succession, he simply won't give the throne to them and will remain Dawnservant himself. He's been ruling for around 80 years, how many more years does he even have in him?

My bet is none. The death flag is way too strong with this guy.

———

Vow of Resolve Gulool Ja Ja: "Lamaty'i thinks she understands our many peoples—their histories, their cultures, their beliefs. But she knows only what she's seen in the capital."

Vow of Resolve Gulool Ja Ja: "With outsiders dragged into my game, I am also hopeful that the different perspectives you and your companions have to offer will inspire them to grow."

I get where he's coming from but, uh, with the exception of Raginmar literally every single one of these 'outsiders' are Sharlayans. That's not really what you'd call a diverse range of perspectives, truth be told.

———

Vow of Resolve Gulool Ja Ja: "I imagine you in particular have traveled many lands. Known many peoples and cultures—loved them and been loved in return."

He is absolutely correct and even echoed what I literally just said, but also his wording drove me to tears, what do you mean you're telling me that Raginmar's loved and been loved throughout his journey in those exact words, you can't just say that. This one throwaway line makes me so emotional, gah.

———

Vow of Resolve Gulool Ja Ja: "Guide Lamaty'i as you think best. Walk at her side and, when needed, push her to walk ahead."

Gulool Ja Ja asks us to keep this whole discussion a secret from Wuk Lamat and like, now I have an inkling of what Urianger felt back in Shadowbringers (laughs). Granted it's not as a heavy a secret as help me enact this suicide plan to save the star and the Warrior of Light without letting anyone know, especially the Warrior of Light, and the Warrior of Light has had plenty of people confide to them throughout the game, but I think this might be one of the rare few times that they're explicitly implored to keep a secret.

I wonder how the Mamool Ja age in comparison to Hyurs — are they like the Viera who live for hundreds of years, or like Elezens who live around 100+ or so? Gulool Ja Ja sounds like he might be in his 50s or 60s in human terms, honestly, which I think reminds Raginmar of his own father.

It's worth noting that he's already went through this sort of thing, albeit from a different perspective — Gulool Ja Ja is a father looking out for his daughter, while Raginmar was a brother looking out for his sister. A father's and a brother's protectiveness are not the same. Even if the age gap between them is more like father and daughter (20 years), Raginmar saw Hyllizirn as his sister and treated her accordingly, which meant that he was a lot less worried about letting her get into and out of trouble by herself. He trusts that Hyllizirn would be able to take care of herself and learn her lessons along the way, and so leaves her alone to it and won't interfere unless she asks him to; so does Gulool Ja Ja believe in Wuk Lamat, but the way he's imploring the Warrior of Light to protect and guide her shows that that faith is not 100%.

———

Vow of Resolve Gulool Ja Ja: "You needn't worry, Daughter. I took care not to inflict lasting injuries."

I like to think this line is him downplaying how fighting Raginmar took the wind out of him and he's just acting tough in front of her (laughs).

———

Vow of Resolve Gulool Ja Ja: "Koana's recruits are no less sharp—as one might expect of Galuf's countrymen. They saw the flaws in our claimants from the outset."

Now I'm wondering if he'd summoned Thancred and Urianger as well, like he did Raginmar. But if that's the case, why didn't he summon the twins and Krile as well?

———

Vow of Resolve Gulool Ja Ja: "The other two, though... They dismiss comrades willing to point out their shortcomings, and no good can come of it..."

It's beyond that — Bakool Ja Ja and Zoraal Ja are both Mamool Ja; they both have that added pressure of being the 'rightful' kind to inherit the throne. There's the issue of bloodlines and inheritance coming into play. And was it intentional on the devs' part, to have the two stubborn claimants who refuse to engage with outsiders to be Mamool Ja? To be from a race that's historically been enemies in Eorzea, and arguably more bestial and non-human than the X'braal and the Hhetsarro?

———

I'm going to stop saying what's coming up next (laughs) I feel like there should be a concluding paragraph or something summing up what I feel for this post, but really I'm just doing my best to fit as many screenshots into a post as I can while keeping the commentary flowing cohesively. I took about 400+ screenshots and I just hit level 95 in the MSQ, so there're a lot of screenshots to comment on and a lot of posts to make, and I think summarising my thoughts at the end of every post is an exercise in futility.

I'm mainly writing up these impressions? commentaries? for my own enjoyment but if you've been reading along and have comments of your own, I'm more than happy to hear from you!

[pico-digital-studios]

Into, Across and Beyond! Cast: Benjamin's Funkin' Allies

Gracie: We called you guys together not just to save Salty, but to preserve the very fabric of reality itself. Benjamin: As it stands, the multiverse needs us to keep it safe, and we can't let some nasty society try to disrupt us doing the right thing. Gracie: So, our goal is simple. Save our friend, safeguard every universe... and never back down!

This post is for documenting info about the allies by Benjamin's side after he fended off Cam Malicious/Agent Blueballs in a prior post. Discounting Grace, Pico and Sky, alongside Benjamin's new boyfriend, he has a variety of allies working alongside him from across the Funkinverse (yes, the same concept by @robovoidfrog).

ErroRhythmic Beats Softie / Benjamin Fairest

Origin: FNF Soft (original concept); ErroRhythmic Beats (my expanded take on the guy) Home universe: Earth-111723 Age: 11

"What those creeps did is really unjust, other Toughie, and I'm willing to do my best to help get your Softie back home. That I can promise!"

The counterpart of Benjamin Fairest in the ErroRhythmic Beats universe, and at present the adoptive younger brother of Benjamin Miku.

The whole situation he went through wasn't all that different to what the original Softie had to face; he was an aspiring painter who wanted to make his own way in life. The issue was his parents, Frank and Marilyn Fairest, being outright abusive towards him and trying to force him into the life of a musician. The kid suffered physical AND mental abuse in the parents' bid to try and make him comply with their fabricated reality.

Eventually, he had enough and, alongside his boyfriend, Piyan N. Griffiths (the EB counterpart to Soft Pico), departed into the streets to get away from them, leading them to search day and night for their son to force him back home. Piyan himself was a wanted fugitive for the big school shooting Pico himself had to defuse, so he had to keep a low cover whilst dating Softie in shadows.

During their time out and about, Piyan did his best to sort out the cigarette burns on Ben's neck as a result of his father's abuse, and respected the kid's decision (which was forced upon him) to consistently dye his hair blue. Their time on the streets also gave Ben time to practice his art skills. Of course, he has a habit of drinking the paint water instead of his proper water, so Piyan tends to swap water cups when necessary to keep Ben from getting ill.

Of course, Piyan himself has a habit of spraying himself and Ben in the face with his spray can whenever he's doing spray art, and is notorious for not checking what end the spray nozzle is at before squirting away. Despite the odd fight they get into, the two guys still love each other to death, and Piyan's more than willing to keep Ben safe from his abusive parents.

Speaking of that, around the same time as the events Benjamin, Grace and Pico got caught up in, that's when Frank caught up to them and tried to force Ben to come back home by force, clearly not caring for what his son actually wanted. Fortunately, Piyan sprayed Frank in the face, temporarily blinding him whilst he and Softie bolted it to the train station.

There, they were met by Benji's childhood friend, Gracelyn Dent (Soft GF). In their youth, they used to hang out a lot together (mainly as a way to get away from the former's abusive parents for a bit), and it was clear she was ashamed of her body shape a lot, hence why she had her oversized sweater dress to try and hide her physique. Seeing this, Ben would often draw sweet pictures of her to help her feel better.

In addition, they always loved getting the latest Pokémon games together, and would always opt for whichever version of the game the other didn't have. Through this bond, Gracelyn developed feelings for Ben, but had difficulty spitting it out after Ben ran away from home. She believed the lies spread about Piyan at first, though after Ben had to reaffirm his identity, she felt heartbroken, though a hug between the friends at least helped her feel a bit better and ready to accept them being better as friends.

Unfortunately, the sweetness wasn't to last, since Marilyn Mearest showed up, hoisting the gay couple on her limousine to try and "persuade" (sic: force) him to come back home. Even with all the lies she said, Piyan stood up for Ben, and Ben in turn affirmed that he was going to live the life he wanted, whether she and Frank wanted him to or not.

And when she was getting especially pissed off with them, they both made a dive for it to escape, and it took them a month to recover from the injuries they sustained, thanks to a lack of funds for hospital treatment. But at least they had each other for the time being. Of course, the culmination of their efforts would come around that same Christmas, where Ben finally snapped at his parents and exposed their nature in public, shattering their goodwill in the public eye and moving past his trauma once and for all.

That's when he and Benjamin Miku met for the first time when he and his family were also celebrating Christmas, when Softie's parents were trying to get after him. Immediately, Oliver and Alice scooped the kid up in their arms and warned the Fairests to back off, with Benjamin himself also warning them to stay away from their "son". It got especially ugly for the Fairests when Daniel Dearest, who was making amends in that year, got involved and called them out for their heartless abuse.

Fortunately, the Fairests were both arrested on the grounds of covering up child abuse, and Piyan was glad they got their just desserts. The charges put on him were cleared thanks to him proving his innocence, and Softie was ultimately adopted into the Miku family. Safe to say, he really enjoys being around his new family a lot more than the Fairests, and even better is that they respected the career he wanted to pursue.

After this, he continued pursuing art with Piyan by his side, the duo bonding closely as the loving couple they were. They even adopted a street cat they found out and about, taking good care of it and nursing it back to good health. And each Sunday, they also tend to accompany Skid and Pump to get some extra funds, and have aimed to go trick-or-treating with them too.

After hearing about the mess Cam tried to rope Benjamin into, Softie willingly tagged along with the guy to help put a stop to The X and defy "fate". In fact, he was the one that ultimately convinced the original Soft Pico to tag along, his natural blond hair on his forehead being the best way to tell the versions apart (and there as a keepsake thanks to the Mikus not minding his natural hair colour) and knowing what it was like to lose someone close to you.

Barbara

Origin: Arrow Funk Home universe: Earth-22512 Age: 18

"Whatever that werewolf lady wanted with Bidu, I'm taggin' along to put a stop to it! Just gimme enough treats to last the trip, and I'll be your forever ally!"

Barbara is the adoptive daughter of the famed Grape Sago in her universe, and thus the Girlfriend to Bidu's Boyfriend. You'll find she has quite the appreciation for sweet treats, especially ice lollies, and she's rarely ever seen without one.

In her dimension, Bidu was framed by his boss, Kevin, for apparently having a drug addiction, which the dude denied, though the rumour was clearly there to encourage people to get at the guy so that Kevin could get more customers from the club brawls. Luckily, Barbara was more than happy to stick by Bidu's side, despite her dad disapproving of the two hanging out together.

Of course, we've yet to know about Bidu's actual name. He's simply dubbed "Bidu", as that's an affectionate nickname Barbara gave him thanks to her love of sweets. Of course, she's not actually aware her parents are both demons, despite the obvious signs being there.

Their most recent endeavour was avoiding getting their brains blown out at the hands of Dono (their universe's Pico), and Barbara and Bidu both made it out of that encounter safe and sound. It wasn't too long after that that their dimension was sighted by Judith (the Girlfriend from FNF DJX), who was asked to look into early-bird Boyfriends and see if they were good candidate potential for the Funkin' Society.

Though Bidu was a bit interested in the idea of joining other people like him, Barbara kept Judith back from him, her behaviour toward Bidu giving her a very bad feeling about the werewolf girl. Fortunately for them, Judith was polite enough to respect their boundaries and just let them go about their business, but was worried about what Cam would think.

Not long after this, Benjamin and EV!Softie started their search around the Funkinverse at their place, and neither of them had seen Salty in their world. However, Barbara said she was more than happy to ally with Ben's cause (just so long as there was enough treats for the trip), since she wanted answers as to why someone came to force a sinister offer on her boyfriend. It's after this that she learned about the two-way conflict, and that's how she got her part in the race to save Salty and stop The X.

Soft Pico (the original version)

Origin: FNF Soft Home universe: Earth-10143 Age: 19

"Sounds like that guy's itching for trouble. I don't care what his "good intentions" are, but NOBODY forcefully steals Baby Blue from me and gets away with it. In that case, I'm coming with you to get him back from those creeps!"

This time, let's focus on the original Soft Pico, and his whole role in the situation.

His situation is just like what Piyan went through, only he's the Pico of his universe and was framed for setting off the school shooting, forcing him to ditch school and go undercover. Thankfully for him, Softie had his back and knew he was innocent in all of this. And as per canon, he does not approve of the Fairests OR their treatment of Softie.

The above story that EV!Softie went through still applies, though between the street and the train station, Soft Pico and Soft Benji stopped off at a mansion, where they met their universe's version of Skid and Pump, alongside the shy kid facing a physical manifestation of his fear from abuse.

Fortunately, by the time these events played out, the Fairests were given their just desserts as well, though only Soft Pico knows what happened to them after they were ratted out. Soft Grace also got over trying to marry Soft Ben, and instead went on to date the Senpai of her universe. The night after was when Ben came into contact with the original Boyfriend, who encouraged him to chase his dreams instead of being stuck being a replica of the "real deal".

However, the following morning, something worrying happened; Softie had mysteriously vanished when Soft Pico woke up, which worried him gravely. He knew the Fairests couldn't have been involved, since the public perception of them declined a lot after they were publicly exposed for their crimes, and he didn't hold Soft Grace responsible for it, since she gave up trying to bring Benji back to her.

One evening, when he was on the search, he indeed found Softie again... except it wasn't his Softie. As it happened, it was EV!Softie, having come there with Grace after discovering the world had its Boyfriend absent. With Soft Pico desperate for answers, Grace explained what happened; the original Softie was captured by Cam Malicious in his sleep and brought into the Funkin' Society by force, likely as one of those planned to be conditioned into the ways of "canon events".

Soft Pico did know that Softie was brave enough to stand his ground there, and he had backing from Leo (Neo BF) and B3 as friends to bide his time until he could get back out of there. But the guy still wanted to get even with Cam for doing this without permission OR respect for their rights. With that in mind, he joined Benjamin's alliance with no questions asked to get his Softie back and give the Funkin' Society rogues what for.

Alt MIX Boyfriend

Origin: Funkin' MIX Home universe: Earth-72599 Age: 19

"You don't needa say anythin' more, kid. If the price is just right, I'll join your cause to keep our land safe from rogues. And, er, the other me workin' with 'em."

Now, let's look into a Boyfriend who might've turned out MUCH differently canonically if things took a turn for the worst.

This is where MIX Boyfriend comes in. After the events of the infamous school shooting, Boyfriend was left deeply affected by the incident. As such, he went on to become a professional killer for Daddy Dearest, and has since become paranoid, always carrying his Uzi at all times, even when outside of the job.

One day, after completing one of his missions, he accidentally overheard a conversation going on between his boss and her daughter. She wanted to help her father with the business, but out of fear for her safety, he turned down her request. Hearing this, BF took pity on her, deciding to give her a hand behind DD's back. He teaches her to shoot, she teaches him to sing. Seems easy enough.

A week passed, and Daddy Dearest was starting to feel some suspicions about his employee's "urgent" affairs between missions, so one day, he sneakily eyed on the dude as he made his way out. He very quickly found out about his daughter's new lover and accomplice, blocking them at the door and warning his employee to prove his strength to get her. Fortunately, BF overpowered his boss, even disarming him for good pleasure to signify himself as the winner.

That said, it's best not to look to him as a role model. Yes, the original Boyfriend isn't much better in that regard, but the negative traits are amplified to eleven with MIX Boyfriend. He's cold-blooded at times whilst on the job, enjoys fast food, smokes while no-one's around, and has even made his thumb bleed through biting it with his sharp teeth, in the name of arousing GF. Despite these, though, he can be quite the pleasant guy to be around, just so long as you aren't the one he's targetting.

Most recently was him trying to deal with a goopy monster that captured the Lila from the canon Spooky Month universe, though shortly after that was when he was hired into the Funkin' Society by Cam. ...At least, his official self. I'm talking about an alternate version of him who never got encountered by Cam to begin with.

So, that was the next port of call for Benjamin's alliance, to brief him in on what was going on and how Cam and The X are both prime targets who are both trying to ruin Salty's life in their own ways. All it took was a fair and upfront one-time payment of 10 bucks to get MIX Boyfriend on board to save the multiverse with the team.

I can't really answer why BF has that white eye. Not even he remembers how he got it.

B-Bot

Origin: Mega Man: Funkin' Heroes Home universe: Earth-12488

"Beep de boodai, boo! [You can count on me, friend!]"

The version of Boyfriend from this universe isn't like the rest, being a custom-made Robot Master made by an unknown creator. What helps him stand out is that his "mic" is linked to his blaster, hovering just in close proximity to it, and he tends to get out of most trouble by either singing through it or fighting out.

It was one day when he was dispatched near Dr. Albert Wily's first fortress, where he encountered the one and only Mega Man there and proved his worth in a one-on-one duel with him. With this on hand, the hero and hero-yet-to-be came up with a plan. They would breach different spots in the fortress and distract Wily's worst machines to give the Blue Bomber a chance to face Wily.

So that's what was agreed on, with B-Bot going in the deeper areas of the base to take on the Copy Robot and an eldritch defect known as Me-Gone-Man, while Rock took on the Yellow Devil and then Dr. Wily personally to teach the evil doctor what for. In the aftermath, with no place to go back to, B-Bot went back to Dr. Light's lab with Rock, the two welcomed back with open arms.

So after that situation, the two worked strongly together to overpower Wily's further schemes, bringing Proto Man back into Light's lab again in the process, and later getting even with Bass and Treble for their allegiance to Wily. With no sign of his original creator after these events, B-Bot has since been taken in by Dr. Light as one of his own, and was treated the respect he deserved by helping stop Wily time and time again.

When Pico and Barbara came to investigate that dimension looking for recruits to overpower the Funkin' Society and The X, B-Bot didn't need any other reason to ally with them, other than the good will inside his core. This makes him the token robot in Benjamin's Funkin' allies (the second of which if counting Boom as a member of the joint heroes), and he's very proud of being part of such a grand mission.

Return Funkin' GF

Origin: The Return Funkin' Home universe: Earth-15221 Age: 19

"I'll try tapping into my powers again, so I can at least be of some use to you all. But other than that, count me in!"

This version of Girlfriend is from a mod harkening back to the classic mods of FNF history. Not too much is actually known about her, but it's rumoured she could be an alternate proxy of the original GF, thanks to the motives she and her Boyfriend had; doing travels to past locations and re-encountering past rivals again.

For the occasion, GF's changed up her outfit a bit compared to her original self. Instead of her dress that shows off her thighs, she's opted for a comfy red hoodie and baggy jeans, alongside tying her hair back to make her better stand out from her original self. And likewise, she was able to conjure up an alternate outfit for Boyfriend as well to fit the theme.

As we know of, the only character they've re-encountered is Whitty, in the same famous alleyway we remember facing him in. Of course, the bomb-head wasn't too pleased at seeing them show up again, and he quickly got angry at their refusal to leave him be, though thankfully not as destructive as last time. Thanks to this, the couple decided to hold off on the old rival hunt to keep out of danger for the time being.

Unfortunately, the encounter left GF without her usual abilities aside from teleportation, which was how she bailed herself and BF out of the encounter, and it was clearly going to take her time to get back in the groove of using them again. So due to this, the couple hung low to avoid any nasty encounters for the time being.

The presence of a Boyfriend in the Return Funkin' universe was what led to Benjamin and Soft Pico checking it out, coming across the two just hanging out. They explained that the two were currently lucky that neither were approached for a place in the Funkin' Society, considering how much of a crapsack utopia it is. And in the name of helping others, GF was more than happy to come along and help, just so long as she could sort her powers out to be of good help to the team.

Mii Boyfriend

Origin: Wii Funkin - VS Matt Home universe: Earth-1119 Age: 4 years since his creation on a Wii console; 19 mentally

"Beep bop bodai! (I'll come along!)"

Of course, a multiverse isn't complete without the occasional oddball in the mix, and said oddball is in the form of a Mii version of Boyfriend, hand-designed by somebody on a Nintendo Wii console and used quite a bit in games on the console, particularly with a Girlfriend Mii accompanying him too.

His most common usage is being in and around the Wii games that primarily have a focus on Mii characters, such as Wii Fit, Wii Party, Wii Music, and of course, Wii Sports (Resort)! Most famously, he was assigned in a boxing match to take on Matt, the game's ever-famous boxer NPC, at the highest difficulty possible. And through a LOT of grueling challenges, he ultimately won the brawl and got Matt's respect for being able to keep pace the whole way.

And in his spare time when not being assigned by a player for Mii-based games, he's simply chilling out around Wuhu Island, situated off the coast from Japan, living in harmony with fellow Miis taking residence there and discovering the mysteries behind the Island Spirit that watched over them, who did not want turmoil to be brought into the land and ensured that the residents did not take the island's bounties for granted.

Even then, the scars felt from the island's side of World War II are still prominent in the present day, and Mii BF did not want to unintentionally spark trauma in any war veterans that survived the conflict on the island's shores, instead providing support and comfort for any affected Miis in their lives.

It was one day when Mii BF and Mii GF were chilling out on the shores of Sugarsand Beach that an attempt to pull Mii BF into the Funkin' Society was attempted, but his data was ultimately incompatible with the unjust acts of the society, so he couldn't be contacted by Cam or Judith, leading them to just leave the Mii to his own devices.

Fortunately, Return Funkin' GF and EV!Softie had no trouble getting in, using interdimensional watches to temporarily shift themselves into Miis to blend in better while the Wii's player was out for the day. They explained the situation to Mii BF, who finally had an answer for why he briefly glitched out one day. Because he needed something exciting to do for the day, the Mii was happy to agree to joining the crew in their act to disrupt the Funkin' Society and stop The X before he can harm anyone close to Salty.

Evan

Origin: Friday Night Funkin' - Childhood Memories Home universe: Earth-8814 Age: 8

"Hey, it's okay. Even though I can't really fight all those bullies, I'll still be around to show emotional support to you wherever I can."

Of the gang in Benjamin's group, Evan is by far the youngest of them all, and is from a mod me and @becdoesthings are currently directing (formerly owned by NotSoDevy).

In his youth, Evan was one of the shy kids at school and tried to do his best to make friends. Part of this is down to him being autistic, explaining his difficulties in interacting with other people. He got bullied a lot, but fortunately, things changed for the better when Holly got involved and made the bullies back off.

Since then, the duo have been very close friends and have enjoyed spending time together. Holly's parents' are at an unknown place, hence why she often hangs out at Evan's home, and is treated as if she were a part of Evan's family to begin with while her parents are out. Evan's mum and dad have also both been really supportive of him and wished him the best going on in life.

On weekends after school, Evan and Holly often spend time together watching children's TV shows, such as Blue's Clues (Evan's favourite), Elmo's World, Little Einsteins, Team Umizoomi... The whole lot you used to see on kids' channels back in the day. Since Evan often feels lonely, even with Holly about, the fourth-wall breaking nature of the shows helps ignite Evan's curiosity and desire to interact with the characters in question.

In terms of interests, Evan really enjoys drawing pictures, whilst Holly is a singer. As Holly is more outgoing and energetic, this could be a given for her. Evan also has the habit of tripping over on occasion, but fortunately, Holly is always close by to help him up. There is an iteration of Pico in Evan's world, but the two have never crossed paths. In addition, the infamous school shooting never occurred, rendering their innocence intact.

There was one day, however, when things got especially crazy. When Evan and Holly were watching some DVDs one weekend, a lightning strike came out of nowhere and zapped the DVD player, causing Evan and Holly to be pulled inside. There, they were met by Nick Jr.'s ex-host, Face, and after introductions, the plucky sentient face tagged along with the kids in the form of a handheld Holly carried with her while they figured out how to leave and get back home.

So the three travelled together through worlds based on many classic childhood shows, making friends with the characters they met along the way and overall having a really enjoyable time with the colourful characters. By the end, Evan was saddened that he had to go, though Face reassured him that he'll be able to visit again some other time if he wanted to, and even if he couldn't, Face would always make sure to keep watch on him from the boundaries of the TV screen.

Of the dimensions, Evan's world is one Benjamin himself has visited quite often, and though Evan was pretty shy about meeting another Boyfriend, Ben remained gentle with him while he got the confidence to come closer. Since then, Ben has dedicated time each Sunday to look after him, and Evan in turn was excited to show him his DVD collection. Needless to say, the two boys really enjoyed being together whenever the opportunity was available.

After Cam had attempted to apprehend Ben before, this world was one of the first that he went to, with Barbara alongside him, mainly to check that Evan was alright and clearly fearful that Cam might've targeted him as he did with Lexi Robin before. Fortunately, the Funkin' Society hadn't had enough time to track Evan down, so he was all well and good.

After introducing Evan to Barbara, Ben was about to head out, though Evan simply wanted to tag along, wanting to help people however he could. Ben was more hesitant, considering Evan was the youngest would-be recruit he knew, but after some persuasion, and asking his parents if it was alright, Ben got him on board for the trip, where he's been serving as emotional support for any of the guys or gals that need it.

Neo Girlfriend

Origin: Friday Night Funkin' Neo Home universe: Earth-21821 Age: 19

"Wherever they've taken my babe for too long, I don't want him involved in this nonsense. I'm tagging along to ensure he'll be alright!"

Onto one more FNF AU, and this one is aglow with flashy lights and neon colours. In this "Neo" universe is the counterpart of Girlfriend, who had been getting into plenty of DJ work herself prior to meeting her Boyfriend/Leo.

Rap battle opportunities were ripe for those who were deemed worthy by Neo Daddy Dearest, and Leo was itching to prove himself and get involved in actual gigs. Neo GF kept watch over him during each performance to ensure he was doing alright. Things quickly derailed at the Raveyard, however, when the Neo Monster came about to wreak havoc.

Fortunately, the two could get out of that pickle, but Monster quickly sent his henchmen, including Neo Pico, in a bid to apprehend Leo and bring him to Monster alive. Fortunately, they made the bounty hunters back off, just in time for some music video filming with Neo Mommy Mearest... on top of a frickin' PLANE! (Granted, Benjamin was on a stage carried in the sky, but this is different.)

After that wrapped up, they landed by a party hall in Neo City, where they could celebrate the success of the music video together, though Leo and Neo DD had some... choice things to say about each other.

Leo: I say you're on, shit lips! Neo Daddy Dearest: STOP CALLING ME SHIT LIPS Leo: STOP CALLING ME GLOWSDICK

Unfortunately, Monster quickly crashed the party again, referring to Leo constantly as his "son" during their conflict. And in the aftermath, Leo passed out and was taken captive by Monster's gang. After he escaped, he was later proven worthy for the Funkin' Society, an act Neo GF explicitly disapproved of. It took around a week for her to figure out how to get after him, though her luck came when Benjamin and Soft Pico came along.

It had already been a day since the big chase in the Funkin' Society HQ, and Neo GF was absolutely itching to find answers as to what business Leo was forcefully entangled in. As such, she quickly enlisted to help the crew out, and she became good friends with Soft Pico during their time together, due to both having a matching motive.

BluBuni

Created by: Leideri on Twitter Home universe: Earth-923 Age: 13

"If you need help, I'll give you whatever help you need! You can count on me!"

Now for a more unique one; a female spin on a popular BF take, specifically for Bunfriend, in the form of BluBuni. As it stands, we don't know what her actual name is, as she's only known by her nickname.

Similarly to Bunfriend being a cool and radical dude in his Sonic universe, BluBuni is equally outgoing, and borders on being an outright genki girl thanks to her often happy personality and ability to see the bright side of so much. She is easily excitable by thrilling prospects like action movies, and had developed a fascination with Little Planet and it revolving around the concept of time itself.

She's often accompanied by Goatfriend, who's a good friend of hers and often has her back in more dangerous situations. Despite her general silly nature, she knows when to take a situation seriously, and doesn't like it whenever Goatfriend and one of her other friends butt heads sometimes. She's also very caring for anyone she's close to, though the concept of romance mostly flies right over her head for some reason, and it's because of this that the two friends aren't an item in their universe (in this interpretation, at least).

However, deep down, she suffers from some trauma she hasn't been able to truly shake; the death of her big brother at the hands of an EXE that terrorised her land at one point. The EXE in question was driven back out, but that side of the damage remained done. Despite this, she doesn't let this trauma weigh her down, knowing her brother would want her to keep going and shining bright for his sake.

It was the day after Cam's attempted capturing of Benjamin that Kenji Tensei showed up in BluBuni's dimension, after having been retrieved following Gracie overpowering him before. Though, instead of trying to enlist BluBuni into the Funkin' Society, he got sidetracked with his anime trope wonk, simply baffling the girl. Of course, this gave Benjamin, Grace and Mii BF the opening to catch him off-guard and knock him out.

Ben explained the situation to BluBuni, who was more than eager to help save the day with him, simply out of the goodness in her heart, while Goatfriend dealt with Kenji while he was stuck there. It was during the trip that Ben and Blu started to develop a very close brother-sister bond with each other, the former admiring her positive thinking and the latter admiring his heroics and overall kindness.

(BluBuni sprite by JH-Production)

Even after the defeat of The X, BluBuni had been hanging out with Benjamin pretty often, wanting to get to know his world better and bond with his friends as well. You can usually catch them having donuts together (with a banana each too to keep their diet healthy). Of course, if you say they're a couple at the moment (still working on how that could really start out), it's a quick surefire way to get them both flustered, though it won't lower their guards if in combat together.

Bently Forceloyed

Origin: New Identity, New Life (part of this story) Home universe: Earth-12124 Age: 14

(Sketch by @mcgamejolter)

"I've seen more than enough monsters trying to harm others to know immediately you're up to no good, Cam. [...] Don't talk bullshit to me, Agent. We're not friends anymore, and I will not be maintaining your "canon" with you!"

Finally, let's look at a Boyfriend who's technically the new kid on the block... or rather, an alternate version of Benjamin himself, who got off much worse in the aftermath of More than One Universe.

If you want to know a basic summary of his story from his perspective, please read this post. Otherwise, please keep reading!

During the big conflict, the alternate Benjamin fell victim to possession at the hands of a spirit known as Puhoi, who went on to flat-out massacre everyone and everything he came to care for. It got to the point that his own dimension wasn't safe for him anymore, so he left the confines of his mind and escaped into the vast multiverse, eventually picking a city world, Earth-12124, as his place of residence.

He entered the world with another human-esque friend, known as Livie Vernal (the expy of Skid here), alongside a hefty sum of money that could help him get by in the new world. And thanks to him sharing his love of music to Livie, that's when he met Isabella Fondsmith, the two quickly growing close as lovers.

Of course, a dark past was bound to catch up to Bently Forceloyed eventually, especially since he was still infected with the Puhoi curse. He had some dark dreams where he encountered Audrey, the previous bearer of the curse, trapped for his sins, and despite what he said, Bently couldn't bring himself to accept the curse as a gift.

After enough time, Audrey broke back out of the domain himself into Bently's apartment, necessitating him and Livie to look after him as much as possible. Bently also settled back into school during that time, and though he didn't need to go back, he still opted to anyway thanks to the opportunity to meet new friends.

His presence did catch the attention of the city's government, though, and they sent a trainee agent known as Koda Terrafirm (Alt Pico) to sort him out. It took a couple of clashes between them, but those clashes were enough to bury the hatchet between them.

With time, however, the stress from looking after Audrey so much was starting to burn Bently out, so he wanted to see about getting him moved to a residence that he could feel safe and loved in, specifically the residence of Otto Maypole (Alt Pump). The guilt of doing so caught up with Bently fast, though, when Audrey was worried that Bently might have hated him for his times to his dark past.

After Bently reaffirmed that he didn't really hate Audrey, he stayed over with the Maypoles for a few days, feeling ill AND deeply depressed from his decision. Audrey did manage to make a compromise for them both, of course; he'd take the curse's energy while transferring more positive energy to Bently in return, similarly to when he was once an angel.

One "nightmare" Bently had led to him confronting his past self (the real deal), and despite a misunderstanding and some very personal combat, Bently quickly came clean to Benjamin about his struggles and his fear about getting things wrong again. And thanks to Grace and Isabella also connecting through the dreamscape, Bently emerged from the dream feeling a lot better and more ready to help protect his new home.

Not long after the sleepover finished was when Otto's big brother, Getto, came to stay over while preparing for exams. Audrey took a quick liking to the guy (perhaps a crush deep down, mmm? :3), and even had the technical know-how to develop a special watch for him that displayed a whole manner of facts. And these facts managed to help Getto complete his exams with success.

Bently also got back into the swing of crime-fighting, using some retractable triangle blades on his gloves to attack criminals with, and he doesn't play nice if there's no other way to reason with someone hellbent in their own ways.

Of course, the dark past couldn't be evaded forever. Puhoi came back shortly after, using Audrey's body as a bid to talk things out with Bently, though the kid reaffirmed that he'd rather not have anything to do with him. The possession had a side-effect on Audrey in that it rendered him sick for a day, which also happened to Isabella when she was briefly possessed by another spirit that trailed after him.

Eventually, Puhoi had to confine in Bently as a voluntary host to keep away from the Society of Souls, who were hellbent on harming him for even showing the slightest bit of weakness. Bently did reluctantly agree after enough persuasion, and found himself growing more and more inclined to keep Puhoi safe after observing the scars he endured.

One day, however (specifically the day after Cam's failed apprehension of Benjamin), was when an out-of-world case had to be dealt with. Bently had caught sight of a cartoony hooligan known as Max Chaos causing trouble and went to deal with him, though was kept on the ropes thanks to his cartoon physics. Of course, Isabella was also present to briefly outwit him by blocking the front door of the bank off.

And soon enough, Bently chased him down to a car park where the cops had failed to apprehend Max. And though Max was about to knock Bently out cold like he did with the police, Cam showed up at the right time to attack him and trick him into speaking out loud (he usually uses signs to speak, ala Wile E. Coyote), bringing him to Bently's attention and getting the two teaming up to sort the crook out.

Max: What's up with dis whole trouble tryna mag me anyway, mac?! Bently: To keep this city safe from bandits like you! Max: Bandit?! Why- I'm new here! Dis is my first time doin' a crime. Ya see, I grew up- Cam: Silence! Bently: What's his reputation like? Cam: <Ran over and destroyed numerous planets in a cartoon gag, literally shattered the fourth wall, can grab a nuclear warhead from hammerspace, and he's got a huge bounty on his head in his world.>

Together, the two counterparts managed to defeat Max Chaos and send him on a one-way trip back to his dimension to be dealt with there. After that was when Cam considered enlisting Bently into the Funkin' Society, seeing as he was a bit more open to listen. However, B-Bot and Neo GF interfered in this attempt and came clean to Bently about the trap he was about to walk into.

This severed any trust he had in Cam for good, and he made it clear that he would not comply with "canon events", having had enough losses to last a lifetime, and proved his point by catching Cam off-guard and injuring him with his wrist blades, leaving one very nasty scar on his eye before he had to retreat. And after getting the full-scope as to what went on, Bently felt compelled to help protect the multiverse and stop The X in his tracks, in turn making him the last -friend to join Benjamin's side of the Funkin' Gang in the name of saving the multiverse.

[blackjackkent]

Wandered Rakha around the rest of the tiefling party. She's not overly interested in a ton of interaction with the tieflings themselves (because she's still pretty worried she's going to lash out at them).

It's weird not having Rolan and his siblings here. :(

Rakha mostly hangs around with her companions.

Chatted with Shadowheart about how she never expected to care about the refugees or want to help them - that she was trained not to focus on anything that distracted from Shar. Rakha feels pretty odd about that too; she isn't particularly good at altruism, yet, but she recognizes that they did a good thing for these people, even if the beast's bloodthirst was involved half the time. (I had to reload because I accidentally had Rakha agree to share some wine with her, because I thought she meant just sharing a drink while they were chatting, but she actually meant the cutscene wine later where you can make out with her, and all the other companions started talking about how cute we looked together. XD LEAVE ME ALONE I HAD A NICE MOMENT WITH WYLL AND THAT'S ALL THAT'S HAPPENING.)

Astarion is, as usual, having a terrible time at the party. Rakha kind of doesn't blame him, but they had a nice moment of connection thinking about all the goblins they killed. Astarion tried to come onto her and suggested they find each other after the party, which she found kind of baffling and shut him down directly. He got grumpy about it. She decides it was probably the wine talking and moves on.

Lae'zel is ABSOLUTELY acting like a spurned lover and I feel bad for finding it quite funny - not because she's clearly upset (I love Lae'zel far too much for that) but because Rakha is SO fucking confused about it. Lae'zel> "I have seen the kith'raki tear a screaming neogi's legs from its belly to fashion into blades. Yet they could not match your nerve today. It was enough to drive me to madness. I smell their blood on you still. I smell your moisture. How torturous for us both that I'll never get a taste. Oh, but do enjoy yourself this night. I intend to, myself." Rakha, inwardly> Look, I respect and trust you more than basically anyone in camp and I don't know how we got onto such completely different pages on this, but also WHAT are you talking about?

Gale told Rakha about Tara - how he locked himself in his tower in a depressive haze after his failure with the orb, and how Tara helped him discover the treatment and find magical items to help him. He says she would be proud of them for helping the tieflings. Rakha... frankly doesn't much care what Gale's cat would think of her, but it does make her think more about Wyll telling her he was proud of her, earlier in the evening. (He also went down the dialogue pathway of talking about how phenomenal she is and stuff like that - the romance setup. I had Rakha basically tell him it's not happening, but realistically I don't think, for her story, that that part of the conversation happened at all; she and Gale are cautious allies and definitely connected over some things today, but neither of them feels that way about each other.)

Karlach, as usual, is just a total sweetheart about the whole thing. She's incredibly excited about seeing the refugees safe, about her own freedom, about her friendship with Rakha and the others. Rakha is considerably less effusive... but Karlach has, in her own way, had almost as much of an effect on her as Lae'zel and Wyll have, purely by virtue of how her kindness comes as naturally to her as breathing.

Narrator: The buzz of celebration quiets to a soothing hum as you approach your bunk. You've picked up a few pleasant memories on your journey, amongst your struggles.

Go to bed, hoping to dream of Wyll.

Narrator: Somewhere, in the corner of your heart, you suspect he might be dreaming of you too.

-----

When bedtime rolls around, I think Rakha asks the others to post a guard over her. It's been a good night, and the beast has quieted since her interaction with Wyll... but she doesn't trust it and has no reason to. And for once she is absolutely determined that she will not spill blood tonight.

In the end, Lae'zel keeps watch the whole night, her eyes fixed unblinkingly on Rakha as she sleeps. Wyll tries to take over from her halfway to morning and she snarls at him and tells him she has the matter handled.

[baby-prince-oppa]

The Skewed Dynamic Between Jake Sully and Neytiri Tskaha.

I've seen a few people within the fandom also pointing out this decision of Jake moving his family out of the clan which should've been seen as odd and irresponsible, and to a certain extent, individualistic behavior which I assume would be out of place in a Na'vi society.

Did nobody in the Omatikaya clan oppose to this? Not even Mo'at? Sure his family is now being targeted by Quaritch and there's Jake not wanting to attract the enemy to wipe out the clan and their allies but then due to poor hindsight, Jake brought trouble over to the Metkayina as well (calling Norm & Max over is completely unnecessary when Ronal can heal Kiri just fine). It took him suffering a devastating loss of his first son to realize that running away is not the solution.

Like…sure man. You could've just listened to Neytiri in the first place. 🤦🏻‍♀️

And don't get me wrong, I ADORE Jaytiri/Jeytiri and the good moments with their kids, but it's Jake that needs to get his shit together and rely even less on his patriarchal tendencies.

This is a YouTube comment under the Cinema Therapy video on ATWOW .

From @/kathymills3737

Wow, I had a very different interpretation of Neytiri and Jake's interactions in this movie.

I thought she was 100% correct in saying, "You cannot ask this". He should have respected not only her feelings, but responsibilities to the [Forest] People and back down from that plan. He might have asked about her thoughts and feelings [on the matter], but he never treated her as an equal partner with equal input.

Instead he acted like a child in a "but I really REALLY want this more than you" way. It's total arrogance that he thought he knew how to care for his family better away from the safety of their home and people. The [Forest] People live in a warrior society. They could've had help from their own people [so] why was Jake the only one making decisions?

I understand needing a plot change for the movie but if we're focusing on relationships, Neytiri was completely bulldozed by Jake throughout this entire movie and the repercussions of his decisions led to his child getting killed.

He should have relied on her [intuition] and opinions more and made decisions together. She was trying to show him love and trust by going along with all of these crazy bad decisions she clearly didn't agree with, but HE WAS WRONG and that was never addressed in the movie, and I'm surprised that never got recognized here.

From @/Sevoris on Kelutral Discord

[….] Jake has problems really acknowledging Neytiri‘s experiences and her agency within the writing A2 gives us.

Others have also pointed out (and as a Force Recon marine Jake should have understood this) that the western policy for [….] centuries isn't to leave enemy leadership of unconventional combatant groups alone. The military keeps on hunting them.

Displace to a new position maybe, but few chances he'd actually quell the threat by running and Neytiri understood this and what it meant.

And like, yes this is Jake's character arc, he is a flawed character, and in of itself that's fine - but it centers his agency and the consequences to his choices and denies other characters the same.

[beevean]

Lanolin being a killjoy definitely stands out due to her complete lack of any good qualities to make up for it. Shadow definitely can be a killjoy: he's also simply cool and firmly on the side of good, though different and more forceful in his methods than how Sonic tends to tackle things. Same for Knuckles with his gruffness and short temper, but you can easily see how much he cares about his friends and that he is someone straightforward and honest. Hell, Espio is absolutely the occasional killjoy of the Chaotix, but if you look at him for two seconds you see he's just as zany and silly as the other two! But Lanolin does not have that. If you told me that she hated Tangle and couldn't stand to be in her vicinity I would 100% believe you. There's not a single moment of friendship built up between Lanolin, Tangle, and Whisper (that doesn't paint at least one as an idiot or insensitive jerk, like Tangle when picking the Diamond Cutters name). No reason is given as to why Lanolin suddenly is the Stern Boss Lady of the bunch. And she's got no positive qualities that make her even remotely distinct and memorable. Even her justification as to why she is doing this is just a very basic ' was scared now must protec world from bad egg man'. There is nothing fun, enjoyable, or likeable about her, because she comes with nothing of the sort attached, and no-one calls her out for her bad behaviour so we don't even get the catharsis there either.

Shadow calls Casino Park "cool city" when you start the level. That alone gives him more charm than Lanolin.

You make a good point. Shadow and Espio are the serious guys of the team, but they don't come off as sour killjoys. They have their comically serious moments, for starters - Shadow has scenes like the computer karate chopping, and Espio can be very overdramatic with his ninja schtick. They don't boss the others around, because they're not the leaders of their groups: Rouge is the most relaxed member of Team Dark, and Vector is a goofball. Shadow and Espio are treated as equals, to balance the trio. And like you said, they are friends! Team Dark and Team Chaotix have chemistry! Rouge has comforted Shadow when he had moments of doubt! Espio very clearly respects Vector and Charmy, even with their over-the-top personalities!

Lanolin is a noboby that butted her way into the group, and is now dictating the good and the bad weather, not just to Whisper and Tangle, but to the canon characters as well. Again: who are you?

She has no charm, she has no likeable qualities (and being a strong fighter is not enough), 99% of her dialogue is her commanding around or reprimanding her allies, that one moment of weakness in #58 came out of nowhere and lead to nowhere, and as I said before, I don't know if we're meant to see her as a lousy leader who is trying too hard to be taken seriously. The other characters sure don't seem to have a problem with her! Am I right, Whisper who for some reason didn't have the courage to stand up for Silver when you saw that Duo kicked him? I know that you're introverted, but just because you speak in a low voice doesn't mean you have to be a coward! You can be confrontational when you want to!

[somewhere-south-of-neutral]

So, I'll admit that I'm not the biggest fan of Community (I like it, but I don't love it), nor have I watched very much of it (some random full episodes and clip compilations they put on YouTube), and of the core cast Britta might be my least favorite specifically because I really dislike the "straw feminist/liberal rebel without a cause" character archetype, but I have to admit that she might be one of the best written and least offensive versions of that archetype because the writers clearly understand why the kind of person she is parodying is annoying.

See, the tropes Britta embodies are almost always used to belittle or minimize real activism and feminism. Characters who fit them almost always either make actual real good points that are implied by the narrative to be foolish, naive, or harmful, or they are making actual strawman arguments but are painted as accurately representing the entire movement thy parody.

Britta, however, is neither of these. What she is instead is a somewhat heightened but generally true to form depiction of a White Feminist™ who has never once examined her own biases or heard the word "intersectionality". When she is the butt of the joke, the point is almost always not the idea of activism, but the fact that she herself is so obviously bad at it.

A great example of this is this classic scene:

The butt of the joke here is not the concept of opposing animal cruelty, but that Britta finds it more offensive than racism.

Her approach to Abed's neurodivergence, and disability in general, is similar. Community has often been lauded for it's autistic representation, and I think it's worth noting that one of the ways that the representation is good is the way other characters, especially Britta, have a tendency to infantilize and patronize Abed and are almost always shown to be in the wrong and/or working under false premises. Again, in cases like these, the butt of the joke isn't disability activism, but the fact that Britta's conception of disability activism doesn't include disabled people.

Her approach to queerness is also like this, with the clearest example being her depiction of the Dean in her imagined season 7 in the finale. Her decision to make him a trans woman and the speech about "not [being] a joke anymore" the clarification that this is a "real thing" and the claim of "representing the trans community" is both a specific betrayal of every aspect of the Dean's complex relationship with gender, sexuality, and the highlighting of such (he has repeatedly refused to explicitly label his gender and sexuality because he doesn't like to be put in a box and there is at least one episode entirely about him not wanting to be the token sanitized queer) and a general demonstration of her inability to respect or admit the reality and validity of any queer identity other than binary trans person, gay person, and maybe bisexual. And, again, the implication of the scene is not "trans funny" or "nonconforming genders funny" but "lets all point and laugh at the idiot who is so small minded and dedicated to the idea of using the 'right' language while just remaking the gender binary that despite claiming to be an ally her attempt to demonstrate her allyship only leads to her explicitly misgendering and fundamentally demonstrating a disrespect for someone she has known for years because she refuses to acknowledge the infinite complexity of human gender and sexuality".

And the thing about Britta is that, unlike most straw feminist characters, there are actual people like her, and many of them are on tumblr right now sending anon hate to gay people for using what they refer to as "the q-slur".

And yes, that's right, I did just write a multi-paragraph character analysis for a character I don't really care about from a show I don't really watch purely as a preamble to probably the coldest take anyone has ever had on this website.

[crystal-moon-101]

Name: Eldrigma Nickname: Shadow Man, The Mystery, Forgotten One, The Last Tacenscous Age: 4598 Gender: Male Birthday: ??? Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual Ethnicity/Specie: Tacenscous Personality: Cold, Quiet, Stern, Focused, Intelligent, Direct, Loyal, Protective, Private, Vindictive, Resourceful, Alert, Empathic. Hobbies: He’s not seen to have a lot of hobbies outside of his mission of revenge, mostly spending his free time training, reading spells and upgrading his tools, weapons and armour. However, he does seem to be into stargazing, and enjoys reading a book or two here. Family: 

??? - (Wife*Deceased*/While very little is known about him and his species, it is discovered that he did once have a family, with a loving wife that’s name has yet to be revealed. But it’s clear he loved her, as the metal bands around his horns are actually his species version of wedding rings. He has not taken them off since the day his family died, and has no urge to find another lover.)

??? - (Son *Deceased*/Similar to his wife, it’s been found he once had a son, who was a young child by the time he died. While still being rather private about his past, Eldrigma has mentioned to Vesper that his son suffered from a birth defect, and he always despised how people looked down on his own child. So it’s clear he was a loving and protective father.)

Friends: 

Vesper - (Ally/Friend?/Eldrigma came across Vesper after she had a brief fight with the Omni Squad kids, almost dying due to her condition. He ended up taking petty on her, sharing his own mana/magic to save her, and in return she now assists him on his path of revenge, as no one has shown her this kind of kindness with the state she was in. Their dynamic is rather complicated, starting off as strictly professional, planning to part ways once they achieved what they wanted. But as time passes, there’s signs they’re starting to care for each other, being two lost souls that might find peace in each other. But with Eldrigma always being so distant, and Vesper untrusting of people, it’s hard to say where it might go.)

Enemies: 

Jay Tennyson - (Enemies/Admitly, out of anyone in the Omni Squad, Eldrigma seems to not like fighting Jay the most. He sees the boy as a good person, one with ideals that wants people to follow, and appreciates the kind and forgiving person he is. But sadly they are always bound to fight, with Jay always wanting to get in the way, trying to learn more about Eldrigma, believing he can help. It’s a complicated villain vs hero dynamic, but not even Jay can make Eldrigma stop his path of vengeance.)

Thea Levin - (Enemies/While he doesn’t like fighting Thea, like the rest of the crew, he’s not particularly fond of her either. She’s loud, brash, and clearly doesn’t understand that things she says can sound more rude or hateful than she realises. Given Thea seems to have an issue of seeing things black and white, it sets Eldrigma off, reminding him too much of certain incidents in his past. Also doesn’t help that she is an anodite, another creature from his grim past.)

Malax Shard - (Enemies/He is rather conflicted with Malax, because on one hand her two alien sides he hates, having connections to his past. But on the other hand he knows she is not to be planned for what happened to him, and does take into account how good she is as a leader and person, respecting her choice to fight and protect. So he often stays quiet around her, unsure what to say to her.)

Rook Rilla - (Enemies/He interacts with her the least out of the team, but they still have their opinions on each other. While she can be standoffish, he can tell she is a caring person, given she is the team’s medic. He’s seen her throw herself in danger to protect people, often innocents around them, and that sometimes makes him hesitate. Unlike the others on the team, she can’t really fight him, so he never feels fair to get her involved. But if she chooses to, he can’t really stop her, as she too will get in his way.)

Vanessa - (Enemies/Like Thea, he doesn’t seem too fond of her. Both because of her heratidy and because of her actions and personality. She’s flighty, unsure, and sometimes pushes her luck, with him finding her childish at times. He can respect that she is willing to help out the group when they need it, but highly doubts she has what it takes to be the ruler of Ledgerdomain one day, not unless she cleans up her act.)

Many Alien Species - (Enemies/Whatever happened in his past seems to be connected to many alien species across the galaxy. Such as anodites, galvans, necrofriggins and so on. It’s unknown as to how many he has issues with, or what connects them, but it’s clear he’s out for revenge, and that they did something to him a long time ago. Something that seems to have been erased by history somehow, and it looks like he wants to put them through the same treatment. He sometimes loses his cool around these people, especially those in leadership positions, or old enough to know what might be going on.)

Representing Song: Conquest of Spaces - Woodkid

Skills: Natural Magic/Spell Casting, Enhanced Intelligence, Flight, Natural Strength/Endurance, Knowledgeable On Technology (Even from other races), Crafting/Creating, Minor Regeneration, Represents/Has Powers in Biology, Magic and Technology, Multilinguist, Marksmanship, The gems that grow in between his horns can be harvested to make talismans and runes, Prehensile Tail, Anti-Magic Cloak. Weakness/Flaws/Fears: He does seem to suffer from a form of PTSD and Depression, still dealing with grief and anger from his past. He can sometimes lose his cool around certain people, making him briefly lose control over himself. While he can regrow the gems in between his horns, if he loses them all his magic will struggle to work properly. He’s not good with connecting with people, even someone like Vesper, preferring to suffer silently, and never wants to choose another option that isn’t revenge.

[afterthegreatunknown]

i am dead set on the post-canon headcanon that when hector tells the quagmire triplets of his vfd (organization) past, duncan and isadora while upset with hector, completely understand why he kept it hidden from him, and forgive hector rather fast; about a day or two later.

the research the two done on vfd has them agreeing that hell yes, hector was right to keep quiet. especially since they realize he’s one the few to actually get out of it 100%. duncan and isadora when thinking of hector’s decision and how he successfully left vfd, think of their parents. duncan and isadora think how their parents sometimes get phone calls at random times and go on lunch dates they don’t give much information on when ask. duncan and isadora think of their tutors and how their parents would get snippy at them about ‘furthering their education’. duncan and isadora think of particular topics regarding their parent’s past that now make sense.

their dad for instance, doesn’t talk much of his adoptive family; only that their adopted parents left him the sapphires, and that he has cousins who are also triplets, and dad think they would like as their honorary uncles. their dad talks even less of his biological family. particular his brother, who’s death/murder on a train hurt him so much, dad only brings him up whenever duncan talks/looks at a particular photo their dad has left of his biological family. their mom tells stories of her and a man she calls jack. jack once worked alongside their mom, and she talks fondly of jack, calling him her closest friend (though mom once admitted maybe he never view her as such, for he was closer to others), and wishes how sometimes they could work again or have him meeting the triplets (for she knows jack would love them like an honorary uncle), but knows it’s impossible.

duncan and isadora see all of this as their parents as while leaving vfd, also never left. vfd was in their lives in the smallest of ways.

hector when revealing his past, admits he’s telling them now so they wouldn’t find out later on their own. and hector tells them that he’s okay with the triplets hating him, and that he has to re-earn their trust and like again, even if it takes a long, long time. he accepts how things will never be the same anymore due to his selfish decision of keeping secrets like their parents. and duncan and isadora tell hector that they don’t hate him. upset yes, but they understand hector’s logic of it all. they wish hector told them sooner than later, but are happy he just told them later than never, unlike their parents, who clearly were willing to take their past to their graves if it means having peace for their family.

as for quigley, i have two headcanon routes.

route one is the idea of quigley going ballistic on being right about his (and fiona; they’re two peas in a pod) theory that hector was once part of vfd, and hating the poor man. quigley already has an subconscious grudge at hector due to his indirect actions of jacques’ death. however, quigley knows that hector took care duncan and isadora, like they’re his own. quigley likes and respect hector for deciding to raise him, duncan, and isadora after everything they went through, instead of just dumping them elsewhere to live his own life (one that quigley admits, was derail due to the he, his siblings, and the baudelaires). and quigley over time does bond with hector (one thing they bond over is whistling), especially after duncan and isadora talked to quigley about his subconscious grudge.

but the reveal has it destroying quickly what was slowly growing over the past year (and a bit more). quigley as it turns out, is not yet over jacques’ death. quigley now sees hector as someone who could have saved jacques had he stood up for the man, but didn’t. his lack of actions did indirectly caused jacques’ direct death by olaf and his allies. hector indirectly stole jacques away from quigley. hector, the man who is now his and his siblings’ unofficial guardian and technical adoptive father, indirectly stole away jacques, the man who quigley thought of his unofficial guardian. quigley is just too hurt how hector indirectly replaced jacques, and it takes a long, long, time for quigley to like and trust hector again, as hector predicted.

route two is the idea that quigley, while going ballistic on being right about his (and fiona) theory that hector was once part of vfd, starts to like hector more after the reveal. sure, it takes time for quigley to forgive hector about hiding his past more than duncan and isadora, like a complete week, but that’s it. the past year (and a bit more) has quigley not only bonding with hector, which helps melts away the subconscious grudge, but also has quigley learning more about vfd from those who were actually part of it via the widdershins family (mainly fiona and widdershins, for they were on the same side as jacques).

having a direct primarily source instead of a secondary outside information has quigley coming, on his own, with a new interpretation. quigley honestly thinks vfd is an organization that could help them. however, he now sees that the organization’s definition of help wouldn’t be helpful and beneficial to them at all. maybe once long ago, yes. but not by the state it was when vfd entered their lives, and especially not the state of their own lives back then.

quigley over the past year (and a bit more), due to his growing bond with hector and being care for by hector, also sees how jacques was not fit to be a guardian, official or unofficial. quigley knows jacques cares and likes him, but it’s in a way how an adult cares and likes a child of their close friend; to be more exact, how an honorary uncle cares for their in-name nephew (for quigley is the only one to figure out jacques is ‘jack’ from mom’s stories). hector, unlike jacques, is willing to take the responsibility of everything that comes with the role of a guardian, official or unofficial, and eventually, technical adoptive father.

and quigley here, due to his and hector’s bond, and duncan and isadora explaining the village situation more slightly more (and perhaps others, like fiona and widdershins, especially the latter talking more of his past with hector and jacques), starts to accept jacques’ unfortunate death, and is able to move on from the pain. quigley here sees jacques’ death was one of those inevitable events. quigley thinks jacques would have been doom had hector stood up for jacques, and the reality that did happened - hector not standing up for jacques- was how the story decided to go.

i like route one for drama-angst what ifs ideas, and route two as how i do headcanon things for my post-canon headcanons + things i will likely publish in a fic (with jokes how everyone assumes quigley would do a 180 against hector a la route one and quigley goes, ‘how angry do you think i can get at a person?’)

[woodsfae]

Babylon 5 s02E08 Soul Mates

s02 Table of Contents • previous episode

oh god. All three of Londo Mollari's wives. Minus two. Sounds very slightly more manageable. To watch.

What kind of mind trick was that? Stoner, lol. Maybe it’s the scent of dank weed floating off him.

No. I just made a very weird noise. Talia's ex husband Matt Stoner has arrived on B5. This is going to be an episode of all time. I can just tell.

Timov: "I won't bite, Vir." Vir: “With all due respect, madam, that's not what I heard." Timov: “All right....that one time." Vir: “It was...it was twice..."

Oh, Centauri. why. Them Being Like That is, so far, kinda funny, kinda repelling. While being unfairly interesting, actually. I'm getting to be fond of complaining about them. And I also realized today that part of what repels me about them is that I feel unwillingly voyeuristic whenever they get heterosexually dysfunctional.

^ actually me whenever the Centauri whip out a tentacle or overshare about their painfully hetero sex lives

Another wife has arrived! I quite like these two women interacting.

John Sheridan, my heart just grew three sizes. That's so sweet! Friends and allies!

ashfdsjhfd. OK. I have to pause and quote this Ivanova and Delenn interaction because I just put my hands over my face and scream-laughed for a minute over Delenn's hair.

Delenn, all but vibrating in rage: "Commander. I want you to understand. I acquired human characteristics to bring your people and mine closer together. To symbolize our mutuality! It is supposed to be a dignified, inspiring transition for both humans and Minbari. So will you, please, explain to me, why this - this - this *rips at hair*" Ivanova: "Hair." Delenn *rips at a trapped hairbrush* "...refuses to cooperate?!"

This is also everything I ever wanted. And also why my hair is never allowed to grow longer than my chin before I whack it off.

Delenn: "Please. I trust you."

my heart

Oh, Talia. My heart again, for totally different reasons. PsiCorps are shits.

And G'Kar!! I've missed G'Kar. His armor is getting prettier and prettier I swear.

So shimmery and shiny!

I could watch Daggair and Timov all day.

Daggair: "Your problem, Timov, is that you've never known your place." Timov: "My place? You once threatened to break a vase over his head." Daggair, laughing: "Well, that...that, was the impetuousness of youth." Timov: "That was last month."

Timov definitely has Londo's number. I agree with her, Daggair is definitely up to something.

Timov: "The secret of our marriage's success, Londo, is our lack of communication. You have jeopardized that success, and I would know why."

This is absolutely, hands down, the funniest, most engaging, and delightful Centauri episode so far. I love Timov so much. She can come back whenever she likes.

Happy 30th Ascension Day, Londo.

Wow, a two-out-of-three divorce is a great 30th Ascension Day gift from the emperor. Well, any one wish within his power is a great gift, but it totally tracks that Londo would use it to get out of as many arranged marriages as possible (while insisting that it's a valid way of life and other people should just shut up and take the marriages).

I like the staggered introduction of Mollari wives.

I bet the props department had a ton of fun coming up with alien artifacts.

Lennier is back!!! He's so sweet. Checking to make sure the hair curlers aren't painful. I must disagree with Delenn: they may not be physically painful, but they're a psychological torment.

This tension between Garibaldi and Matt Stoner is delightful. He's clearly a shit, but he and Garibaldi have banger chemistry.

Londo: "Be careful. I should have warned you. On Earth, you have these creatures - insects attracted to flames?" Sheridan: "Uh, yes. Moths. They're drawn to flames and bright lights, and get burned." Londo: "Mariel is drawn to men of power in that same way. But trust me - she burns them."

I like her.

My most insistent inclination right now is that Londo will stay married to Timov. But I could also see him staying with Mariel just because she's the youngest, or he admires her zest for burning powerful men. Or Daggair, since she's flattering his ego on this trip. It'll be interesting to see how this goes! Perhaps this divorce is a fake-out and he'll end up using his favor for something completely unrelated.

Fuck U Matt. Leave her alone.

This is definitely a case of the cure being worse than the sickness. Losing telepathy after a lifetime of having it sounds traumatic. Losing it to get out of PsiCorps grip if there's no other option - potentially worth it, depending on the individual. Having your creepy ex arrange for it, thus giving his obsessed and gross self something to hold over you? Nooo. No thank you.

Talia, to Garibaldi: "Please, keep out of this. It's not your concern." Garibaldi: "I...I feel it is." Talia: "Feel differently."

TELL HIM SIS. Fuck yes. Talia telling men to fuck off instead of appeasing them and de-escalating is a glorious thing to behold.

Londo: "You haven't changed." Timov: "You have. You've devolved."

Your honor, I love her.

:( I'm sorry you're apologizing to Gaibaldi, Talia.

And that you're considering leaving with Matt!

Understandable feelings, F- risk assessment.

Londo and G'Kar's fighting is as delightful as ever! Londo could do so much with his brainpower if he devoted it to anything worthwhile, and this is obvious because he's so good at fucking with G'Kar.

Lennier is so fucking cute. Londo is going to cheat so hard with those marked cards.

Murder via ancient, Centauri artifact is a pretty interesting way to take someone out.

Obviously Matt Stoner sucks, but I continue to love him and Garibaldi interacting.

Awwww, Timov.

"Whatever you think of me, doctor, I have some principles that even twenty years with Londo can't erase."

oh my god. hahahahaha I love her.

Security Officer: "There's just something about [Matt] that makes you wanna like him."

Hmmmm. Residual PsiPowers?

Franklin: "Ambassador Mollari, do you mind if make one personal observation? Londo: "No, not at all." Franklin: "Stick it." Londo: "How odd. I didn't even know we were married."

That's a pretty good one. I tolerate the Centauri Boomer Humor a lot better when it's less hetero.

Matt definitely has some latent PsiPowers. Shake it off, Talia! Kick him in the nads!

Well, setting him up to being hit by Garibaldi is OK too, I guess.

I did wonder if Mariel was responsible for the poisoning. Love her. And G'Kar! He continues to be a total delight and I love seeing him interact with new people.

Matt: "Look into my mind. No shields. No tricks." Talia: "No chance."

Good plan. A+ risk assessment. That's character growth!

It is slightly laudable that Londo prefers to have honestly over flattery in his stable relationships.

:( oh fuck, poor Delenn. Menstruating is not something you wanna pick up, especially when it comes with cramps. :(

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