#this is how my villian arc begins

[harapeveco]

WYM THE REINOCHI BENTO BOX VIDEO WAS DELETED

[autistic-robin]

Why “Hiding in the Light” Didn’t Work: Stranger Things’ Psychospiritual Implications

Supplementary Sources: Jungian Theory & A Wrinkle In Time

Alright, buckle in. I’m running on a year’s worth of spiritual awakening, deep dives into Jungian theory and non-dualism, and my own ego’s primary coping mechanism: immersing myself in media as escapism. The purpose of this analysis is to break down the themes of non-dualism and light/darkness in ST (and maybe predict some character arcs), and also to position the narrative of ST as a psychospiritual wake-up call.

For some context: last year, I discovered the work of psychoanalyst (or philosopher, depending on who you’re talking to) Carl Jung. He had a pretty extensive theory about the human psyche that I immediately connected to the themes throughout Stranger Things, specifically Vecna’s mind control and curse. I’m going to break Jung’s theory down as succinctly as I can, and then delve into how it plays out in our favorite gay monster show.

But before I delve into Jung’s ideas, I also think it’s important to define selfhood (you’ll understand why in a minute). For the purposes of this analysis, the experience of the “self” is an illusion created by our senses, perceptions, memories, and consciousness, all of which are impermanent. Therefore, the self is what we call “conditioned.” There is no you or me, just the ideas we have of ourselves.

Now, we can get into Jung’s theory. He posited the following:

1. Every individual has a “persona” they show the world (a constructed self) to feel like they belong. Underneath this persona, everyone has a personal “shadow,” or the part of themselves they don’t want to acknowledge. This shadow is always projected onto others— every negative thought we have about someone else is a product of our own unintegrated shadow. Note: The shadow is NOT bad, it just “is.” It’s actually there to HELP us grow and integrate all the unhealed parts of us.

2. Individuals’ shadows are usually part of their unconscious, meaning most people are not aware of their shadow side or cannot bear to delve into their trauma/darkness and begin to heal it.

3. All of human consciousness is CONNECTED. This means two things. 1: There is a “collective unconsciousness” that contains the sum of all of our unintegrated trauma, and 2: We can heal our collective unconsciousness by healing our own unconsciousness.

How do we heal our own unconsciousness? By becoming AWARE of our shadow side, accepting and forgiving the conditioning that created it, and working to encourage others to do the same.

What— or rather, who— does that remind you of?

Also— great use of lighting here.

We know Vecna has direct access to his victims’ consciousness; not just their memories, cognition, and emotions, but also their awareness itself. This is how he’s able to target and trance people. But it’s not just their consciousness Vecna has access to; it’s their unconsciousness. Their shadow. Their trauma. Yes, he has psionic abilities akin to El’s, but as far as we know, El can’t access the collective unconsciousness like Vecna can. She is only capable of “remote viewing” via the void or piggybacking into people’s minds. So why is Vecna capable of this?

If you want my take on it: the only way to access a collective shadow would be through accessing your own shadow. So is Vecna really Henry, or his unintegrated shadow? And is either really condemnable, considering the larger themes of the show?

We see this theme of non-dualism echoed in Brenner’s NINA pep talk with El:

It’s fascinating to me that they’re communicating these bigger thematic ideas through the show’s “villians”— while the above conversation could be taken at surface-level as Brenner being manipulative, it’s important to acknowledge the truth of what he’s saying. NINA is only successful because El faces “the good and the bad.” This is why “hiding in the light” is a no-go for Max.

Focusing only on happy memories is a form of emotional bypassing. Throughout the show, we’ve been told time and again that hiding doesn’t work. Neither does running away. The only way out for our characters is through their own shadows.

Now, the fun part: predictions. Looking at all of this with a Jungian lens, it doesn’t make much sense to villianize a character or to end the story by “defeating evil.” In non-dual theory, there are no evil people, only unhealed ones.

We know what worked for our characters temporarily (Will in the UD, Max in her first trance, El using her powers against Vecna) was the memory and vibration of love.

This reminded me of A Wrinkle In Time, which is a science fiction novel that’s been noted more than a few times as one of Stranger Things’ primary influences. In the book, a girl and her brother travel through time to rescue their father from an alternate dimension where all beings are controlled in a hyper-individualist suburbia by a giant, all-knowing brain. The climactic “defeat” of the brain is shockingly simple, but incredible impactful— Meg, the heroine, tells it over and over that she loves it. This love ultimately brings her father and brother out of trances they are in, and they’re able to remember her and travel back home.

(Tangent: And God. The implications of that, outside of analyzing ST, are powerful. How do we live in a capitalist hellscape that is so caught up in the mind— in acheiving, obtaining, securing, protecting the ego— that many of us have forgotten our hearts? The answer is love. Loving ourselves more deeply to love all beings more deeply, “the good and the bad.” But love does not negate accountability, and it does not excuse harm.)

Our characters are all struggling with self-acceptance and self-love in some form or another. Each is wrestling with secrets and lies, and the desire to hide parts of themselves they think others can’t accept.

Mike is clearly struggling with self-loathing, guilt surrounding what happened to El in s1, and a crippling hero complex.

Will is also on the self-loathing train, continually self-sacrifices to his own detriment, and is hiding his identity out of fear (not at all villifying that, just for the record.)

El struggled to reconcile her abilities and forced weaponization with her identity outside of the lab pre-s4.

Max was suicidal and had a lot of self-hatred after B*lly’s death.

Nancy parallels Mike in her survivor’s guilt post-s1 and exhibits the same lack of self-preservation and self-sacrificing tendencies.

You get my point. So how will these characters overcome their trauma? Not through hiding, or running, or bypassing. Not through the light alone. Through love— acknowledgement of their own darkness, compassion for the unhealed nature of others, and commitment to being honest with themselves and their loved ones. We know Will is El and Henry’s mirror/foil and will play a central role in S5, and with all of this in mind I think it’s safe to say he will break the cycle of bypassing and hiding from trauma and pain once and for all. He won’t fight it like El, hide from it like Max, or run from it like he did as a kid.

Only by integrating their shadows can our characters become truly “themselves,” or as Brenner puts it, “whole.”

I will probably have much more to say about this after my re-read of A Wrinkle in Time, but for now, that’s all I’ve got. :) Hope everyone is doing well!

[flower-boi16]

Why Helluva Boss's Villains Suck

So, Helluva Boss is a series with a LOT of villains. The show certainly has a large rogues gallery of them, that's for sure. There's just one thing though; Helluva Boss's villains...suck. And In this post I'm going to explain why.

1. What Makes A Good Villain?

Before I get to why I don't like HB's villains let's first ask a question; what makes a good villain? To me, a good villain could be either of two things; 1) They could be compelling and interesting antagonists; with deeper motivations as to why they do the things they do or why they act that way, a good villain is a villain that's interesting and complex. However, not all villains need to have a lot of depth to be good villains as 2) Sometimes some villains don't need to be super deep or compelling and could just be fun or entertaining to watch. Take villains like Magica De Spell from Ducktales 2017 or any villain from the Disney Renaissance Era; they may not be super deep or compelling characters, but they are still good villains because they are simply fun and entertaining to watch, usually by having a personality to them that makes them a bit goofy while also being a villain you can take seriously due to the threat they may pose to our heroes.

And, generally speaking, a good villain should be able to be semi-competent and pose some kind of threat towards the protagonist, without being incompetent (Unless you writing a villain that's supposed to be dumb like Lord Hater from Wander Over Yonder, but villains like him are usually villains you aren't supposed to take too seriously)

A good antagonist should be a character that poses a threat to the heroes while also being a compelling character in their own right or just being fun and entertaining to watch. So, now that we've established what (in my opinion) makes a good villain, let's now start talking about why HB's villains don't work.

2. My Thoughts on Each Villian in Helluva Boss

Now it's time for me to give my thoughts on each villain in Helluva Boss. Note that I'm only going to include recurring antagonists and I'm going in order of which they all first appeared. Ok, so now, let's begin.

Stella - Stella had some potential to be interesting. Unfortunately, HB squandered that potential and made her a one-dimensional abusive asshole to make Stolas more sympathetic. Not much to say about Stella, she's just a boring one-dimensional asshole.

Veriosika Mayday - Another underdeveloped villain. She's kinda supposed to play into Blitz's whole arc but so far she hasn't gotten much if any development whatsoever. Again, not much to say about her, she's just boring like Stella. Maybe the show will develop her in the future but for now, she's kinda just a one-dimensional basic bitch.

The Cherubs - Don't have much to say about them either. It would have been cool to have them be recurring rivals for the IMPs but nope. Like the other villains, they aren't really that interesting.

Striker - Now...I'm probably going to get hate for this but; Striker is an overrated AF villain. I don't find him that interesting - HOWEVER, I will say he's one of the show's better villains because he's at least kind of menacing in his debut episode. Aside from that he's the "Oh a character that is better than the protag at literally everything who turns out to be the villain!". Ya I don't care for Striker that much - he's fine but I still don't care for him.

The Dhorks - These guys are just stupid. 1) They already had VIDEO EVIDENCE of the IMPs and they FOR SOME FUCKING REASON didn't send it to the government already??? How did they even get the footage of the imps??? And then 2) they also FOR SOME REASON kept on using melee weapons against the IMPs when the episode shows us that they. have. GUNS. Why don't they just use those??? Oh, it's because Edo weapons were more "badass"? These are villains we are suppoused to take semi-seriously, deliberately making them idiots doesn't fucking work. Also 3) Seeing Stars shows that the humans don't recognize the IMPs at all - meaning that, even after obtaining MORE video evidence of the IMPs existing, they STILL just...didn't tell the governments about this for some reason??? Maybe there's an explanation for this in a future episode but for now this is just bullshit! So ya, the dhorks suck, they're boring and just flat out stupid. Least favorite villains in the show so far.

Crimson - Ladies and gentlemen, I introduce to you...the show's most POINTLESS antagonist. I've already said this multiple times, but why. Literally why. Why did Moxxie need to be the THIRD character with daddy issues? It adds nothing to his character and removing this aspect changes nothing about him - he's the same character without his daddy issues. Crimson literally has nothing interesting about him aside from "abusive dad mob boss". Like all the other villains, he's fucking boring.

So ya, that's my thoughts on each villain in Helluva Boss. As you can see, I don't have very nice things to say about any of them, and if you paid attention to what I was saying about them - you can see one of my major issues with HB's villains. That being...

3. They're Boring

Helluva Boss's villains are just. BORING. A majority of them are very one-dimensional Saturday morning cartoon villains with nothing interesting about them - none of them feel like developed or compelling characters. Granted, as I already said, a villain doesn't need to be super compelling to be good - sometimes a good villain is just one that's fun to watch while still being a good threat to the heroes.

But in order to do that you need to make that villain have a well-fleshed-out personality and mannerisms that make them entertaining to watch. HB's villains don't have that; they aren't compelling nor are they fun to watch, they are just boring. Stella especially is an example of this problem; I've said it before, but there was potential to make Stella an interesting character, but the show chose to waste that in favor of making her a mustache-twirling villain who just likes making Stolass suffer for shits and giggles.

The "I like tormenting you" line especially hammers this in; Stella is just a one-dimensional asshole and nothing else. Again, you don't need to have a character to be super compelling to be a good villain; sometimes you just need them to be fun to watch, but Stella isn't interesting nor is she fun to watch. She's just one-dimensional. Obviously, a character like Stella could work; after all, some stories just like having a villain REVEL in how evil they are like Lord Dominator from Wander Over Yonder, which falls under the "just fun to watch" category, but once again, Stella isn't fun to watch nor is she a compelling or interesting character, she's just boring.

Which is something I can say for all of HB's villains; they aren't compelling or interesting characters nor are they fun and entertaining to watch, they're all just one-dimensional and boring.

Another character I'd like to bring up is Verosika, a character who so far has gotten ZERO development TWO SEASONS IN! Maybe the show will develop Verosika more in the future, but for now there isn't anything about her that's interesting except for MAYBE her past with Blitz, but how the show is going to execute that we'll just have to wait and see.

So Helluva Boss's villains are boring, they aren't compelling characters nor are they fun to watch, now let's move onto my second problem, that being...

4. Some of Them Are Stupid/Incompetent

So a good villain is supposed to be competent, right? Well sometimes an incompetent villain can work; however, it only works when the villain is SUPPOSED to be stupid because they're a villain who you're not supposed to take very seriously. The problem comes when you're supposed to take a villain seriously but they act like idiots to the audience when the story doesn't want us to see them that way.

There are three examples I can think of when I say that sometimes HB's villains are just incompetent at times, those being Striker, The Dhorks, and Crimson. I already talked about the Dhorks here in this post but they're not the only villains that make dumb decisions in the show; Striker does too Western Energy.

For one, when Stolas calls the IMPs for help, Striker for some reason doesn't immediately go and break Stolas's phone when he can HEAR HIM TALKING to them. Instead, he just sits there, letting Stolas notify IMPs that he's in trouble, and THEN takes Stolas's phone. Striker literally could've just smashed Stolas's phone the second he heard Stolas talking - if he did that, then IMP wouldn't have been notified that Stolas has been captured and the episode's plot wouldn't have happened. It's making a villain stupid for the sake of the plot.

And then later in the episode, when he has Stolas tied up on the train tracks, he decides to just... monologue to him? When he could literally just finish Stolas instantly by decapitating him or something, why is he just sitting there doing nothing and stabbing Stolas in random places???

Then there's Crimson, who, for some reason, didn't check to see if Chaz was lying to him. Seriously, if somebody you used to hate went and said "Oh hey I'm rich now", wouldn't you go and check to see if they're lying or not? But Crimson for some reason didn't think to do that, so he just...let himself get scammed because he was too stupid to actually check for himself. Yaaaaaaay.

Again, I already talked about the Dhorks, but it bears repeating that the fact that they decided to use melee weapons when THEY HAVE GUNS is fucking stupid. The show tries to pass this off by saying "They chose those melee weapons cuz they were badass!", except that excuse doesn't work because it makes the Dhorks just...incompetent. And usually when a narrative purposefully makes a villain stupid we aren't supposed to take that villain seriously, but the Dhorks are villains who we are supposed to take at least semi-seriously so deliberately making them stupid like this doesn't really work.

Another example I can think of is in Oops where when Blitz comes up with a plan to get rid of all the henchmen all at once using guns, they, for some reason, didn't hear all the gunshots and screaming going on and didn't go to check what the fuck was happening. If they did do that, then they would have most likely all gotten shot and not only would the episode's climax not happen, but the show would also lose two of its major recurring villains.

So HB's villains are often incompetent or just straight up stupid - they make dumb decisions just so to continue the plot. If they did the logical thing, major changes in the show's plot would happen and it can't have that now, would it? Now let's talk about the next problem...

5. There's Too. Fucking. Many of them

This is my last problem with HB's villains, that being; there are just WAY too many of them. Now, having multiple recurring antagonists isn't a bad thing, a lot of shows have a few smaller recurring antagonists here and there. The problem here is that in HB with each new villain creates a new plotline; Stella's conflict with Stolas regarding their divorce, the Cherubs being kicked out of Heaven and probably will try to get revenge on the IMPs, the Dhorks going to expose the existence of demons, Striker going to assassinate Stolas, and Crimson most likely going to get payback from Moxxie.

It contributes to a major issue I have with this show; there's just. TOO MANY plotlines going on and it makes it feel unfocused. Most shows I've seen usually have a main plot and 2-3 maybe even 4 smaller plots than it focuses on per season. HB meanwhile set up six yes six plotlines in just its first season (The ones I've already mentioned + Blitz making amends with the people he hurt and Stolitz). And now in season 2, it's just. Adding more with Crimson.

The show suffers from cramming in TOO MANY characters and plotlines making the show feel messy and unfocused. I would also like to point out how the show just adds plotlines that are like. Completely unnecessary? Mainly the Dhroks and Cherubs plotlines; these aren't connected to the show's core story (whatever tf its supposed to even BE at this point), and removing them doesn't change anything about the show, so they are just completely unneeded. The same thing goes with the Crimson plotline.

They only serve to clutter the show even more and make it feel unfocused, which is a problem HB's villains contribute to a LOT.

6. Conclusion

So, ya, that's why I don't like the villains in Helluva Boss. In conclusion; HB's villains are boring, one-dimensional, sometimes flat-out incompetent, and are just plain underwhelming. So uh ya...bye.

[hotd-brainrot]

I think I figured out what personally bothered me sm in this season of HOTD. And it wasn't (only) the fact that it didn't align with F&B.

I feel like the writers forgot, if not completely disregarded almost everything they established in the second part of seasons 1?

I expected Aemond's entire arc of becoming a villian, but not against his own faction? And the thing is, if they truly wanted to go for it, it was doable, but they went way too fast with it and in ways that made no sense? In season 1, yes, we see Aegon bullying Aemond when they were kids, but then during the dinner scene we clearly see they bonded since then and have each others' back. If anyone from the green kids is isolated in that scene, it's Helaena.

In the beginning of s2, they seem to go along with that, have Aegon implicitly trust Aemond, inviting him to his council, not believe Larys when he says it's Aemond plotting with Alicent to rule in his stead. Then there is a brothel scene which is on all accounts awful, but fine. Let's say for a moment Aegon is grieveing and reverts back to his old habits of humiliating Aemond as a way to cope.

Why don't we see more of Aemond's reaction when he is alone? He humiliates him at the council, which makes sense to make them even. Shows he is more in control.

But trying to kill him? And doing so in a way that's clearly pre-planned since he tells Vhagar to wait? It feels like such a jump with no build-up, especially since we have his express regret over killing Lucerys! He shows, Lucerys, who cut out his eye more grace then he does his own brother who we see him support on multiple occasions? What?

And again! If they really wanted to go with this route, why not show Aegon taunting him and embarrassing him on more occasions? Show Aegon distrusts him or undermining him? It would have been so easy.

Also. If they truly wanted to go for "oh, Aemond burned his bully and abuser" then why tf did they have Helaena suddenly defend Aegon? She says he ignores her except for when he is drunk. We get exactly one scene of them together (I am not counting them passing each other on the stairs bc that was...something) where they disagree on if Jaehaerys should go to a small council or not. Despite the fact they lose a child, we don't see them interact at all, and I am supposed to think Helaena is meant to care for him enough to wish death upon Aemond because he burned him? From what they have showed us, I didn't get the feeling Helaena particularly cared for either of her brothers.

Perhaps she does, but we are never shown this??? Like, at all?? Insanity.

But so we don't say I only talk about the Greens, I think the Blacks have a similar issue? Rhaenyra is the only one we see(kind of) care for her family. What about Daemon? Baela? Rhaena?

Listen, I am not saying Daemon, similarly to Aemond is a great person, but I genuinely despise how they made his whole character about Rhaenyra? Did they forget he has two daughters from his marriage to Laena and two sons with Rhaenyra? The only interaction he has with Baela is in episode two and he ignores her!

Rhaenyra sends Rhaena away without a word from Daemon. Rhaena doesn't even bring him up! It's not even "What did my father say to this idea?" Type of situation. Hello??

Even if they wanted to go with "Daemon is a bad father" we see him face pretty much no consequences for it? He hallucinates Laena asking him if he took care of their girls before it's swept up under a rug again. Baela says she sometimes thinks she hates him, but then it turns into another conversation about Jace's parentage.

I also have no idea how we are meant to care for Aegon iii and Viserys later on bc they are A) aged down and B) so irrelevant and unnmentioned I almost forgot they were there at all while making this post.

I could write another essay on Alicent and Rhaenyra but I feel like there have been much better posts on them already but just...what is going on??

Did the writers forget the core of the story was meant to be Targaryen family? Fucked up family, yes, absolutely, but the point was that the war of ravens started because they all wished for power, but the war of fire and blood started because they started killing each other. If they don't care for one another, if they are not family, what IS the point? Why do they keep fighting? For power and revenge? No, no, for feminism and peace!

Give me a break. Genuinely. It's not even about it being inaccurate to the book anymore, it's about the characters losing their central motivations and only letting the plot happen to them, instead of being actuve participants. That's why everyone loved side characters more than main ones! At least they are making active choices!

[kay-then-i-guess]

I don't know how many dsmp-ers agree with this, but from a storytelling standpoint, c!Dream is just. A bad villian. I think it's a big reason why the ending is so universally hated.

I think in the beginning, it was okay, because we were all expecting more depth to get added to his character later. I saw so many fancomics and theories and analyses that gave such good ideas for a solid character, motive, and overall, a good villian. But we never really got that payoff.

He starts off with a basic "control obsessed" trait. He opposes the L'Manbergians for a mildly valid reason, and then only gives up the fight for control over Tommy (the discs). Then, Schlatt gives him the revive book; he gets even more control crazy. It's a good setup, but it never pays off in the way we want it to. The ending is unsatisfying for many, and nobody really stops to pity Dream, even though that's what they're trying to do. They're trying to pull this "aw, what a tragic character" card, but it's ultimately unsuccessful. Why? Well...

As I said, the setup is good, but things get muddled in the middle. After Dream gets the revive book, there is not a single moment where he's protrayed in any positive light. In fact, after this point, people's view of him gets worse. He slowly becomes more and more unforgivable. The problem with this is that after a certain point, characters cannot have a redemption arc. Or, at the very least, it would be very, very difficult. Dream hits this point. Once he hits that, the ending that people are expecting for him likely ends in death, or worse. The most satisfying ending for the audience is for him to die in a dramatic fashion—kind of like what happened with Schlatt. Schlatt's a good villian with a good ending; it's a satisfying end for a villian while still making it clear that our protagonists' stories are not over. We expected something like that for Dream, and frankly, nothing else would make sense. He had become so evil that the only option was death. There was no pity.

After he escapes from prison, we were ready for this ending. Clearly, it was ramping up for some big finale. And then, he never shows up. I recognize that there were other things going on behind the scenes that led to the lack of content, but it got to such a point that I was beginning to doubt if it ever would get an ending. I started to think that the dsmp would just fade away, all because their lead villian would not show up. All that build up to a dramatic death was, well, dying off. It was taking too long.

And then, when the ending did come along, it only pushes his "evilness" more. He reveals his revive book experiments and his end plan for Tommy and Tubbo. For a moment, the fact that he was gone for so long disappeared. The tensity is back.

And then they pulled the pity card.

It felt like a cop-out. There was no build up to it, no extra scenes with him before this moment where we stop to see his stuggle. No earlier streams where we can see him in an even slightly positive light. It just doesn't happen. So, of course, when they pull the "why can't things just be simple?" we all are yanked from the illusion of the world.

There are a lot of problems with the ending, but the failure to understand Dream's character, role as a villian, and audience expectations for him definitely harm the ending more than others.

I'd love to hear if you guys agree or disagree or just have anything to add! This is just my opinion, so I'd love to hear if anyone thinks differently. I like analyzing <3

[gamegirlx]

lmk season 5 (or doesnt have to be season 5) theories? or just thoughts that might be true such type stuff?

lmk s5 will include mayor

here's why i think so

so before we begin let's just keep in mind that most of us have heard that s5's villians are most likely the ten kings of the underworld who are also known as the grim reapers of their world, okay? keep this noted...

SO LET'S TALK ABOUT MAYOR

OKAY SO WE HAVE MAYOR. i always hear people say that he should have a redemption arc in s5 but honestly thats not in character with mayor tbh I, personally, IMAGINE THAT HE'LL BECOME PHYSCO over LBD's death, not simply giving up but actually becoming ever so determined to bring back lady bone demon to help her accomplish her "destiny". How tho?

he'll kill macaque. :D

okay so we know how macaque was brought back to life with LBD's power? I imagine that macaque has like "LBD life essence", and mayor will be wanting "LBD life essence" to bring back Lady Bone Demon.

NOW HERE COMES THE PART WHERE I TIE IN THESE BABIES

so the ten kings of the underworld are tasked to keep in control those who die, yes?

i would LIKE to imagine that Mayor comes to contact these guys, telling them that Macaque is still illegally alive due to LBD, and how Mayor will help them get Macaque to put him to death like he shouldve been.

(with ofc, mayor's real intentions just using the ten kings to help him get closer to macaque because surely mayor couldn't simply approach and take macaque's "'lbd life energy" without the LMK main characters interupting him.)

SO YES.

that's my S5 plot theory that indeed includes mayor. :D

okay, random note to end on, TOXICINSANITY MAKES NO SENSE, i still dig it a bit tho so uhm like imagine mayor meeting dead syntax while he's in the realm of the ten kings?? (since techniclly that would just be hell)

NOW I HAVE ANOTHER S5 THEORY THO

this'll be a smaller rant, okay but imagine them all becoming famous due to saving the world and also just HAVING POWERS NOW

LETS START WITH EVERYONE'S NEW LIVES, beggining with pigsy

so i imagine pigsy, and how maybe his shop would become more famous now? and due to that he suddenly has less time with MK and Tang, maybe he becomes more self-indulgent and maybe even selfish here?

FOR TANG, okay so tang, finally feeling important and famous for once, feels almost entitled to keep people cheering for him, forcing himself to help anyone he can, just like MK can. he finds himself becoming tuckered out, wondering if feeling important is really what he wanted.

(for my freenoodles homies, i can imagine that tang never really wanted to be famous but wanted to be loved, by PIGSY SPECIFICALLY OFC, but pigsy being busy cant spend time with tang, so on and so forth)

MK MEANWHILE, is trying his best to not be in the spotlight and tries to live a more secluded life, especially with his monkey form being just around the corner??

FOR MEI, i'de like to think that while she enjoys the fame, she can't help but feel split about MK not liking the attention, but man, she sometimes just cant help but spend a little self-indulgent time to just show off to everyone and be praised.

idk what else i can talk about SOBS IM SORRY NO WUKONG CONTENT FOR TODAY BUT LIKE???

ive ranted fr long enough, good evening, morning, and afternoon, everyone.

[monochromeruby]

Why Riya should (and deserves to) win All Stars

Back on my bullshit… Here we go…

Reason 1: She definitely worked the hardest.

Out of the final four, Riya has definitely done the most. She made game moves, thought about her decisions logically, and had her eyes on that BAG from beginning to end. She had eyes on her from the beginning and she still stuck around to the final four. She played her pieces and used her cards, and truthfully, she was probably the only character that kept 👏her 👏head 👏in 👏the 👏 game👏

Reason 2: Compared to the other finalists, Riya is a clear deserving winner.

Ally also worked hard I’ll admit, but Riya had done more power plays I’d say. She had her act together near the beginning and end, and I’ll defend Ally to the grave, but comparing her game and Riya’s… Riya did more. (Not to mention that it was Riya that made her start playing the game more fiercely…)

Connor… love… do you know where you are? I feel like he’s lost half the time. Not to mention he rejoined.. he was literally gone for 40% of the game… His arc has mainly been worrying about Riya and he’s been letting her use him all the time. He’s made no game defining moves, only really binding the heroes together (which did nothing near the end), and using the totem (that he wouldn’t have used if it weren’t for Grett…)

And Jake… oh god… IHATE THIS TWINK.

Jake has done nothing but piss me off the whole season.. He starts bitching at James because of his jealousy, then fights with Ally for no fucking reason, same with Aiden, has his FACE lodged between Tom’s CLEAVAGE 24/7/365 and then at the visceral moment where he needed to get his ACT together, he goes and done fucks it up, and Ashley gets eliminated. His game has been nothing but emotional thinking, and he’s probably the least deserving winner. Let’s be honest with ourselves, the only reason he’s still here is because he’s a fan favorite and a writer’s pet.. He only gets his act together because SOMEONE ELSE has to tell him to. He’s like a chihuahua that barks at other dogs minding their DAMN business and then someone has to reel in his retractable leash so he can stfu. PLEASE… Jake had done literally nothing except ruin his own game and then cries about it.. please get him off my screen forever..

Reason 3: We just need more of her.

“Riya already made the finale why do we need more of her???” NO SHE DIDNT!!!!!!!

The Riya that got to the finale in season 2 was not the Riya we have now. 95% of Season 2 was a completely different character until the very end. Now in All Stars we’re seeing the Riya that was only shown in the last few episodes. She’s a completely different character. She’s not the “villain again”. She wasn’t the villian for the majority of season 2. Now we get to SEE her as the villain for the whole season instead of just a few episodes. We’re being fed a girlboss and you’re being picky???? What is wrong with you???

Reason 4: It would be perfect for her arc.

Riya’s character has been about how she acts differently on camera but worries that her real relationships are drifting apart. Hold my hand. Picture this with me.

Riya wins. She gets the 3 mil. But literally nobody celebrates. They just kind of look at her as she realizes that she won at the cost of her relationships with those she cared about. Like??? Wouldn’t that be a perfect way to end her arc??? That would probably be the best way to wrap her up. If she gets eliminated, then it would just be like “haha, you did bad things, here’s your karma.” Like YAWWWWN. But if she won???? It would be perfect for her to realize that winning wasn’t everything, and that the people she hurt and lost are permanent. This comment on yt sums up what I’m trying to say:

And Reason 5: If she loses, what will that do for feminism? Nothing. Do you hate woman? Is that it? You disgust me. (This is a joke)

So all in all: Riya should win because she’s the best player out of the four, and I want a winner that actually WORKED to win. Not only that, but it’ll be the perfect end to her character. Her losing would just be a bland close to her book.

[metalgearkaiju]

Penny Character Critique Analysis: Death, writing, and her relationship with Ruby

ALRIGHTY so this is officially my first analysis post on Penny as a whole, being said a certain screen here prompted it and after reading into a lot of things and other analysis in the mix I feel like I finally can sort out my feelings about the writing of this beloved character. I want to particularly go in to depth about how she was recieved as a character as a whole, her relationship with Ruby and ultimately how her death was handled. Being one of my most favorite tragic characters I really just want to pin down some thoughts I've had that I feel it is vital I get out. There will be critique on the writing here and there and a little bit of nuts and dolts (because you gotta admit their relationship was one of the most wholesome in the show) but AHEM hear me out yall, and truly while this character holds so much importance with me, along with that comes the genuine criticism of how her arc concluded as a whole so far.

Now let me get this straight. I was not really a fan of her dying a bit. At least in the way she did and ultimately I have a lot to say regarding it after a lot of thought and more research. And this is not just because of her relationship with Ruby (not even talking about the shipping aspect, it genuinely adding a layer of humanity to her and brought out so much character development between the two which was super interesting to me) but I'll get into that in a moment.

To be clear, it is obvious that penny is written to be a tragic character. That much cannot be argued. From the beginning, Penny is shown to be under a strict amount of control from Ironwood, and even to an extent Pietro's worrying for her safety. Which is understandable.

Penny is the first of her kind, an AI that can generate an aura and sentience. She is a war weapon capable of extreme destruction, yet she is given this soft and innocent yet aloof personality that contradicts that. Ultimately, she in some ways is a walking oxymoron. What she was built for (by Ironwood) and who she truly is as a person is really interesting to me from a writing standpoint. We are shown very early on that Penny is just like every other teenage girl, she wants to sneak out, she craves relationships and knowledge about the world, but ultimately because of her differences, there is a hidden barrier she can never cross.

That barrier is broken when Ruby enters the scene. Initially hiding her synthetic identity, this topic is very sensitive for her. She looks thinks and acts like a normal girl for the most part, but isn't. And this is shown to be an extreme part of her insecurities.

We are shown the scene where Penny saves Ruby's life by stopping a car in mid traffic and drawing attention to herself, and ultimately fleeing out of fright of being found out. She's is instructed to by Ironwood to lay low of course, but this is also likely due to her insecurities about being perceived as different. This all changes when Ruby accepts Penny as her first friend, holds her hands and tells her that she is valid the way she is. I cannot describe how this scene made me feel the first time watching it, but the comfort from Ruby telling her that it doesn't matter what's inside of her, she still accepts her as a girl and a friend and won't abandon her. It's perfectly executed, and all in all a really interesting addition to the Penny Ruby dynamic as whole. Penny just wanted a friend, and Ruby accepted her and validated her in her humanity.

We see their relationship begin to develop a bit and ultimately season three hits. Penny is used as a plot device by the villians as a message and ultimately offed in one of the most brutal ways. This scene is very tragic in of itself, and while Penny and Ruby had not yet been able to get as close, it was for sure that their relationship was certainly unique enough to where it really devastating Ruby at that moment. And with good reason; she was killed in front of everyone in the tournament to villianize Ruby's teammate.

All in all, fraud, framing, and Penny getting dying overall seems to be a very prevent theme that adds to the tragedy of this character.

Season 7 hits, and we are all greatly surprised to find Penny is rebuilt, and the fans recieve this REALLY well for the most part. In her short time she was a really interesting and honest to god adorable and enjoyable character, and she was no exception to fans. There is something so interesting about how you can utilize exploring humanity with a robot character that isn't quite human, but deep down craves to understand others and acceptance. Penny from the start is put in this box that separates her from others, but as her relationships fold out the lines begin to blur. Is she really just a machine, or is she much more than that? Ruby is truly a character that helps her find herself and truly learn about the world and what it means to have human emotions and relationships, and that in itself is beautiful. We have this character that is almost akin to an innocent child learning about the world, what is right and what is wrong, and what it means to love. Ultimately, I still feel like love in a general sense is a big theme shown with Penny and her friends, along with the selflessness she shows when anyone she cares about is about to get hurt, and that gives her the humanity she craves.

Continuing on with season 7, Ruby and Penny get a little closer, and the relationship is expanded on. Unfortunately however, Penny still has a duty to Ironwood as the protector of mantle, and that is her primary purpose. We are shown that the authority over Penny still has not quite loosened and that she is still ultimately regarded as a weapon, not a free willed person who should be doing teenage girl things (making friends, learning basic social skills and going through normal teenage experiences). Even with good intentions as a caring father, we still see some of that worry and protectiveness from Pietro as he is afraid of losing her again. Aside from her interactions from Ruby and gang, Penny isn't really able to just live as a normal girl, but is faced with a huge amount of expectations and responsibility as a powerful and dangerous machine that was built to stop evil.

Back to the point I was bringing up earlier, Penny is tragic, and we definitely see this in volume 7, and Penny still isn't getting a break. She is framed on live TV as a volatile killer and is immediately despised by the public. This of course is all a political scheme to sway an election, but Penny is just a tool for their propaganda. And we are shown how Penny's feelings aren't really regarded in all of that, and even Ironwood cares more about how he looks than Penny's feelings (and trauma) on the matter. This leads to the whole fiasco where Penny's decommissioning comes up for debate due to the fact that she is just immediately regarded as a volatile threat. This attack on her humanity hits hard, and weighs very heavily on Penny's heart.

Season 8 comes, and it just doesn't end with the tragic shit. This season however is really vital for Ruby and Penny getting closer and we finally see their interactions bloom, as well as getting some of those more sentimental scenes where Penny is reminded that she doesn't have to be like everyone else to be human, because she is accepted the way she is and not for her purpose or expectations. NND share a lot of hugs this season and truly bring out a lot of soft moments between the two showing how impactful their friendship is.

Ultimately as I said above, the bad guys aren't done. And this time, Penny is hacked and used as a tool to open the vault. The entire virus scenario is really hard on Penny and with the whole fiasco with Ironwood and his treatment of her she is really distraught throughput most of the season (rightfully). Through her expectations with higher ups, as well as quite literally suffering a slow and painful infection leading to her self termination Penny is in an extreme amount of agony. This doesn't help when Ironwood basically held the life of an entire city over her head should she not leave her friends and return to him to do her duty as a machine. And all of those expectations and choices are placed on what is ultimately just a teenage girl who is new to the complexities of humanity.

The points I'm mainly trying to make here is Penny cannot get a break whatsoever, she's under an immense amount of pressure and expectations probably 24/7, and once again she is used as a tool with no regards for her consent or humanity because everyone sees her as a soulless machine.

And I cannot tell you how frustrating that is to see such a sweet and innocent character be treated that way, but like I said initially, she was written to be dramatic, tragic, and excruciating.

Now let's get to the big topic on hand here, Penny's second death.

Now don't get me wrong, I love my share of tragic characters, and I fully believe there are ways death can be a necessity in a character arc to convey powerful imagery. Ultimately this comes down to my opinion as a creative writer, and I in all honesty am not a fan of how Penny's death was handled in hindsight.

Within minutes of becoming human and being saved from the virus, Penny is brutally killed by Cinder (once again) and dies in assisted suicide from Jaune. When I say this scene almost made me cry it was for mixed reason. While I saw this coming, it did make me a little sad considering she was ONCE AGAIN used as a tool by Cinder to get what she wanted. And while she risked her life for thousands, the only ever autonomy she had was choosing her own suicide in that scene, and that is extremely tragic and upsetting in of itself.

I can go on and on about wasted potential because that is a thing but characters arcs can be cut short sometimes. That happens.

But my issue with all of this is ultimately the aftermath.

We have this really important character character brought back from the dead, given character growth, hopes and aspirations only for her to be forced to choose suicide the only time she is given a choice for herself. And I'm not sure about how others feel, but as she is quite literally miserable throughout V7, V8, (and even shown to some extent that she was suicidal to an extent when she asked Ruby to kill her when she was infected with the virus). Giving us her final wish to die so that she isn't a burden or tool to be fought over conveys in all honesty a really sad message about her character and in of itself does a lot of injustice.

But once again, she is written to be a tragic character that doesn't get the good ending.

How that is treated after her death though is really where I have my issues however.

We see in volume 9 that Penny's death is somewhat relevant, Ruby hears her, faints yada yada, but immediately wakes up and there isn't much discussion beyond it. And what's truly annoying is that there was commentary released by CRWBY that the audience was supposed to assume there was an offscreen discussion about how Penny dies, and we are supposed to understand that. Of course we get that vital scene between Neo and Ruby that have illusion Penny tell Ruby that she meant the world to her to try and sway her emotions. I feel like that was a very critical moment in Ruby and Penny's relationship considering Neo weaponized pure emotion from Penny to hurt Ruby, and we are seen she is greatly affected by this. A lot of fans even took inspecting that this meant Ruby held deep hidden away feelings for Penny, which a lot of CRWBY (even Miles Luna himself) acknowledged.

In the end though, V9 doesn't really allow enough grieving time for Ruby and her death isn't really discussed and given closure. And that in itself isn't an issue, but it's where we go from here that I am really going to be critical of.

So we have some pivotal points:

Penny's death is never really a discussion, it's just washed over by team RWBY aside from Weiss's brief mention of it

Ruby's reactions to Penny's death (and ultimately the discussion of her method of death) is brushed over a bit, although not entirely

As CRWBY said, we were expected to have assumed it happened off screen, and that in itself feels disrespectful to the amount of character relevancy Penny had as of late

We actually got some really nice scenes from Ruby regarding Penny, however something feels off

And I want to talk about what exactly that off feeling is, because I truly feel like yes, it wasn't the time to completely mourn Penny in this strange new world, however if she is never mentioned significantly beyond this and brushed under the rug, I can truly say I'll be mad as that is a disservice to her character.

So no, I am not against the killing of characters, or tragedy for the matter, but I care about the messages you convey when you do so as well as what you do with it after.

Upon Pyrrhas death, we got the closure between Jaune and her we needed, the statue scene happened, conversations were had, and the discussions that needed to occur did. This just has not happened with Penny (yet) and I am honest to god just hoping we will see more of this in V10 (if that will even go into production) because Penny's relevancy doesn't feel finisher yet. With all the alluding to it all across V9, and the unresolved issue between Jaune and Ruby, I feel like there needs to be a genuine discussion about Penny to honor her character and give the closure to Ruby and Penny's intimate friendship. It's only fair to Penny's character, sacrifices, and the overall message RWBY wants to portray if they truly plan on keeping her permanently dead this time.

And regarding that, while I feel it is unlikely she will come back (I just don't want to get my hopes up because I'm kind of upset in general) I feel like RWBY has set themselves up to where they could do anything at this point so I say do it well. If you are going to keep her dead, address the themes, honor the character and give it realistic closure with Penny's close relationships (primarily Ruby). If this is in any way setting up a future scenario where mentions of Penny will be relevant (I don't even know at this point because we still have to deal with Pietro just having to deal with his daughter dying twice and just having to suck it) I will be interested to seeing how it is handled, because in the end the care into the writing is what I and others seem to care about the most and how you honor that character. For some that is honoring her death, and for a lot of people, it is that killing her at all was a stupid message utilized for torture porn with no real sentiment or closure to such an important characters commencement.

If the writers ever truly bring her back though, I hope they can finally honor Penny's wishes to have her own autonomy instead of consistently stripping her of her choices and using her as a plot device. And if she is to be dead, for God's sake give the closure needed for the intense and sensitive themes you wish to portray on a teens show. It's only fair to as someone who fell in love with this characters charisma and positivity.

I personally am okay with Penny coming back down the line (as it's been kind of set up to unintentionally imply Penny's relevance is not concluded or over yet, and her dying permanently opens up a lot of responsibility to properly address the themes RWBY chose to utilize) but whatever they choose for the love of god do it right. Penny in all honestly though should never have been brought back just to end her own life, I feel like how abrupt it all was and the immediate (presumed) moving on from it was weird and not considerable but that is simply my opinion.

That's all I have to say on the matter, I hope her relevancy is not truly gone and that Penny and Ruby can get that proper closure over everything that's happened because after all they've done to build eachothers characters and become the most tragic pairing in the show, its owed for sure, however it's gone about.

[pruneunfair]

"my feelings on" part 6: Actually I was the real one and why deviating too far from the og novel can sully a good story.

I think next to who made me a princess and death is the only ending for a villainess, this one is one of the most recognizable manhwas/webnovels. I haven't been able to read the full novel since the only translated site I could find had limited chapters but in short, what i did read felt like a separate story from the manhwa because whoever wrote the manhwa basically said "screw the original plot, I want fanservice." Which is why I consider it on the fanfiction side given how severe the changes were. Like if this was a Netflix original of a hardcopy book or something it would've been flamed for its lack of coherencey.

The plot centers around Keira Parvis and her desire to avoid death and get revenge on her half sister Cosette for making her life a living hell in the previous timeline. Sounds solid and good we love a revenge story. So you'd think this would be a tough but overall satisfying goal because Cosette was a world destorying level threat and therfore should be a formidable opponent right?

Well..

I think that they forgot that Cosette is actually a demon wearing a dead girls body because she is such a joke for a villian. Always getting her ass handed to her in near nonsensical ways. There are times when some changes eventually make sense such as Ludwig for some reason not trusting her as much as he did previously and then it being revealed he also regressed after Cosette began a demon/human war. But everything else just falls apart immediately. Everyone hates her except for 1 maid who gets deported and implied to be lashed, and Keira can easily trick her into falling into her traps. It's not fun anymore to see Keira and Cosette fight cause you know it's gonna end quickly with Keira being the victor.

They think this makes Keira more progressive because she can hit strong and be beloved but here's the thing: Keira was already progressive to begin with but they still managed to mess that up.

In the original source material: Keira had no love interests, Joseph was a friend who had great respect for her and Erez was a platonic relationship. In the manhwa, there's a goddamn love triangle.

Objectively I don't mind either ships since they aren't really problematic but it made no sense to make such a drastic change. Especially to a FL in a historical story that never had the need for romance to begin with.

what really got annoying was the fact that family members were pushed to the side for more filler arcs of Keira and her love triangle. Her little brother Zeke played a much larger role than he does in the manhwa and the best way to describe him in the adaptation is the type of character designed for selling marketable plushes if you know what I mean.

There were a few things I did personally like but plot wise, it wouldn't make sense. For example another change in the manhwa is that Cosette is still alive wheras in the novel she's dead. As much as I love Cosette and want to see a normal sister relationship with her and Keira it causes the title to be defunct. It's called "actually I was the real one" because the entire point was that Keira was the only living daughter of Ludwig and Cosette (who is actually a demon named Ragibach) is the fake one. So Cosette still being alive means that she is also the real one and the title no longer makes sense.

While this all stands, the manhwa itself is okay if you don't mind the inaccuracies or if you never read the webnovel. The magic system stays consistent which is nice and the characters while one note are for the most part enjoyable to follow.

Conclusion: the manhwa adaptation of Actually I was the real one is a prime example of the unnecessary meddling of an already perfectly fine story. The goal is to make girlboss empowerment stories except when that does happen in a reasonable way, the adaptations still add in love interests and even alter the characters personalities to varying levels to fulfill a fantasy which would be normal if you were just making a fanfic to post on Ao3 or wattpad, but when it's supposed to be an adaptation.. it feels straight up disrespectful.

Sorry this one's a little shorter, I really didn't have that much to discuss other then the inaccuracies since the plot alone is okay.

[rosaletarosie]

"Give me monkey hcs"

"Angst or no angst?"

"angst"

-lmksimp

Your wish is my command >:')

YOU ASKED FOR THIS! >:'(

Hope it helps your motivation though ! ^^

( I ACCIDENTALLY POSTED ANOTHER VERSION OF THIS AND I LOST OF MY PROGRESS DJSJEKSNWJS )

@lmksimp

•------------------------------------------•

Category: headcanons

Fandom: lmk

S/O Gender: gender neutral

•-----------------------------------------•

The sun and moon duo reacting to their S/O's death

Let's start with..Sun wukong !

Oh shi-

Welp..let's start this! I hope I don't cry-

Soooo...let's say that wukong has been calling you on for hours now and you haven't been picking it up

He thinks that your just busy and forgot to tell him but what he didn't realize is that you were already killed at your apartment and he didn't know about it

An hour later mk called wukong telling some kind of bad news, he rushed over to where mk was and he was at the police station

He thought mk did some kind of misunderstanding but it was far more worse..

He wore his disguise and went inside the police station, there he saw mk crying and mei comforting him

He gets closer to mk and asks what happened..this is what mk replied "monkey king I..S/O.." he mumbled, "WHAT?! WHAT HAPPEND TO THEM?!" wukong replied

Mk wiped his tears and stood up and gives his mentor a soft hug, "S/O is...gone monkey king.."

AND NOW THIS IS WHERE THE HEADCANONS BEGIN AND ALSO HIS VILLIAN ARC STARTS XJSNSJS

Once he heard about the news, he knew someone killed you because I mean who would kill the only thing HE loved? It could have been someone who he didn't have good relations with or a vengeance scheme?

The first thing that came to his mind was macaque..he thinks macaque was the one that killed you

He went to see macaque but he would never realize that macaque would actually be this..honest before, macaque explains that he was not the one who killed his lover because he knows that he would be dead by now if he did..

Once wukong came home to flower fruit mountain without a lead he goes on a RAMPAGE!

After he went on a rampage he just sat down..looking at the sky..crying...

He will never feel the same again without you..

He doesn't want to fall in love again..if it means losing someone mortal again..

He..he could have given you a immortal peach as soon as he could but he didn't...it's his fault..it's his fault..

Next up..the six eared macaque !

Wish me luck trying to survive while writing this yall

Anyways..I believe that macaque would have already known in before anyone knew you were missing and assassinated

He sends out his shadow clones to check if you were alright but..he was too late..

OH HE DEFINITELY BLAMES HIMSELF FOR NOT PROTECTING HIS LOVER AHAHHAHA

He would hide away and lock himself in a room and all he will think about is who and how someone would kill the only good thing that happened to him in his entire life

He would probably think that it was wukong but declined it because he knows that he isn't the type of person to kill his lover...right?

He then visits wukong to reassure himself and by his surprise wukong actually wants to help him

Wukong told him that he will help him since his S/O actually helped him on some tough times

But when they have no leads macaque retreats back to his base and screams and punches the walls and then have a breakdown

....he would never thought he would lose something so important to him..he tried but..I guess it wasn't enough..

Of course it wasn't enough..when was it enough anyway..?

•------------------------------------------•

Why did I have to make macaque's last part WAY TOO RELATABLE WJSKJWJSWJ

Anyway I really hope you enjoyed it <33

Also sorry if it's too short :')

[newx-menfan]

Moments I REALLY want to see in Flashbacked to in NYX (part 2):

(Warning…this is a LONG POST lol)

9. Laura and Hellion going to save Cessily/ Hellion’s speech on Morality 

I will admittedly LOSE MY SHIT if we don’t get a flashback of this panel!

Out of all the people that tried to reach into Laura’s morality…I would argue this moment was the MOST important.

More than Kiden. More than Logan. More than Gabby. More than ANYONE.

Julian was the FIRST person who believed Laura could be more than a weapon- even her own MOTHER often doubted Laura (which is why Henry Sutter and Megan were so important to Sarah). 

I know X-23 fans will argue it with me- but Hellion was the first person to encourage Laura to no longer kill, for her own good.

In general- I would say this issue was really important for Laura, from the fact that it taught Laura she COULD depend on other people to help her…to Julian asking Laura who she “was”…kicking off Laura’s search into self discovery…

10. Laura’s Creepy Crush on Hellion, in General 

Laura took a somewhat…possessive…FERAL interest in Julian…that we have NEVER really seen in any of her OTHER relationships….

Again, the thing I hate about Liu, is it’s totally made fans forget that Laura was the one obsessed and borderline stalking Hellion in the beginning. 

For better or worse- Laura has ALWAYS had strong reactions to Hellion. Hellion WAS for a long time Laura’s chink in the armor and it’ll be interesting to see if he still IS….

11. The KISS

Ah- the KISS. The petty childhood grievance that changed the group dynamic completely.

The moment that seemed to bring back all the Hellion/Surge/Prodigy animosity from the pre- “No More Mutants” days…

The moment where Laura realized she had the full potential to thoroughly feel emotions like jealousy.

The moment that killed David and Noriko’s relationship. 

I’d put it lower on the list of things I want to see pop up, but I would be surprised if it doesn’t at LEAST get referenced….

12. Hellion and Karima/O.N.E. Sentinel 

The moment EVERY Hellion fan remembers. The tragic rebound to Julian losing his hands and constantly being seen as the next “Magneto”. 

The moment you see just HOW MUCH the years of CONSTANT TRAUMA affected him.

The line where “child soldier” starts to show…

You CAN’T NOT have some flashback of Julian talking about wearing “robot claws” in Dr. Rao’s lab or beating Karima while ranting about what Sentinels took from him, in a story about Hellions descent. Hellion’s FALL from “X-Men” into  “Villian”.

13. THIS MOMENT

Ironically…Liu wrote my favorite Hellion/X-23 moment.

The art, Hellion’s insecurities, Laura’s line “I have missed you”, and Hellion seeing his feelings returned….it gets me every time!

It would be wrong for Laura NOT to have a flashback of it at some point.

I will 100% CRY if after first panel of Hellion reveled as “the Krakoan” to Laura…there is a flashback of her standing there…telling him “I have missed you” 😭😭😭

14. The Falling Out

What’s compelling about Laura and Julian, is how much their relationship opened up their vulnerabilities.

Hellion’s insecurities painfully bubble up throughout this entire story.

Julian admitting he felt like Laura abandoned him STILL TO THIS DAY makes me sad. Julian obviously desperately wanting SOMEONE to tell him he “did the right thing” hits me in the heart.

I will give Liu this- this story STILL packs a punch, even if I disliked the outcome of it. It WAS a well crafted arc, even if I HATE that she threw Hellion under the bus to do it.

There 100% HAS to be a flashback to “Babysitters”. It was undoubtedly the end to Laura and Hellion’s relationship, let alone friendship.

It was the beginning of their lives taking different paths.

15. The Yearbook 

I know- it’s a small moment…but I would be sad if it’s not referenced.

Some character flipping through the yearbook, or HELLION himself, and it landing on “MOST LIKELY TO BECOME AN X-MAN” after the big battle…

It’s just the perfect, most heart wrenching scene ever lol

Honorable mentions:

Hellion’s desire for “Fame and Glory”

I would love to see Hellion remember this moment- back when he was still innocent and saw superhero-dom as just a means to become famous…

Hellion’s talk with Northstar and switching Mentors

If ANY choice probably DAMNED him…it was this one lol; Emma doesn’t have a great track record of keeping students alive…

While not AS POWERFUL as “the Lunch Table” scene… it is a nice callback to how much people saw Julian as possibly “the next Magneto”…

Emma abandoning him at a hotel 

“You’re taking away everything I had”

While not the most gut wrenching moments…it’s still pretty tragic and the best story done that examined Hellion’s psyche post “No More Mutants”…

Magneto and Hellion meet 

I had a hard time NOT including this one, and this was ALMOST #15…because Kyle did SUCH a GREAT JOB at pinpointing Hellion’s pain and desire to lash out at the people he loved….

Ultimately though, I think the unmet potential of Julian being a “great hero” and his personal attachments to his old team SHOULD be mentioned and referenced than this one….

“You’re my BEST friend”

This and the moment where he calls Laura the “Bravest person I know” while talking to the Collector, gets me EVERY.time.

While it’s nice to see them both acknowledge their relationship…I think, ultimately, there is better, more tragic moments to reference….

David’s Parents Reaction to him being a Mutant

I think it WOULD be interesting to see David recall this moment, especially if he ends up SACKED…

David was always the mutant that faced a lot of judgement because he “passed”…

Hopefully we get a speech where David kind of calls out Sophie, saying that his whole life everyone has judged him because he had a more “subtle” power set….

But idk if we will see it.

Hellion’s Trophy Acceptance Speech

While not the MOST important scene… it WOULD be hysterical to get a callback to it in a panel…if nothing else, but to remember the more light hearted X-Men days….

[gailsfrog]

A very ridiculously long rant of my SMG4 and Mr. Puzzles Theory's (it's long;-;)

Has anyone ever thought its weird how Smg4 is PERFECTLY NORMAL the Saturday after IGBP!?! like Bro just got done being mentally insane like literally a few days ago and he's just like mentally FINE after all that!?? Nuh Uh- Aint no way- Smg4's probably still coo coo crazy a bit or a lot cuz yalls not gonna be chill after all that far as i know thats not how human minds work. >:/

In SMG4 doesn't meme for one second he's hardcore creepy vibes, ofc more memey ofc which is funny- (Bald Smg4💀) but still sinister none the less :0

then ofc him saying "time to come up with the PERFECT video" in SMG4 simulator then ofc im like NOO :C DOnt gO eVil again and idk do some crazy crap with mr. puzzles and make ur perfect video- amd go all evil- evan tho its cool and eerie-NO :C

Then smg4s really creepy/scarry coocoo cazy vibes in the MEME Factory. Cannon smg4 did actually have an effect on our poor meme boi like bro lost some of his sanity has Mr. Puzzles trauma and now is more antagonistic- which Mr. Puzzles said he makes a good villian Whitch he does in a creepy funny memey way witch is great! and sort of a plot twist cuz smg4 is all cute and bubbly and sweet then he goes all >:000 >:) Creepy and sinister is awsome! it would be cool to see Smg4 as a main antagonest for an arc although we got IGBP so its GREATTT!! AAAAAAAA-

I also sorta feel like Mr. Puzzles is like Smg4 but like: What if smg4 never had any freinds? so he like sorta obsesses and rellys on The TV and makeing entertainment so they dont feel alone or have some sort of purpose. Smg4 and Puzzles are really similar in a way just took a small but major path. Smg4: had freinds his whole life, like a main roll purpose (hes a frickin meme guardian!!!!!! >:D) home and ofc his youtube and whatever chaos happens in this world. Mr Puzzles: never had freinds, probably had crap parents and school bullys, (ISTG HE PRoBably made/re-created little shows with like socks pupets as a kid- AAAA_) anyway- Puzzles sorta just watched TV to comfert him and sorta be his 'freind' in a way which probably ended up inpireing him to proove himself as an actress and become fameous weather to proove the world hes good enough or loved or himself. (Poor Mr.Puzzke wuzzle :'c) So anyway Smg4 and puzzles are like opisites of what they have but similar.

(Mr. Puzzles Headcannon Back story time B) since i wanna type today ;-; ) So ive sotta headcannon mr puzzles childhood suck like- bro had no freinds crappy/neglectfull parents and overall a shit life back then like i sort of immagine his mom being like "shoo im buisy go watch TV or smthn" while on the phone or something idk sad sappy stuff- so little Winston Puzzles (if you have MR theres a first name so puzzles is last name, ITS WINSTON PUZZLES-) aNyWAYy- so puzzles just watched TV ALL. DAY. and probably went to school got bullyed for whatever reason :/ so the beginning basics of the story +Context dElUxE- when mr puzzles got older he bought the showgrounds (whitch in cannon used to be a circus/carnaval) so mr puzzles ran a carnaval place and did some sort of shows + amusement park stuff prbably for like a few years or a couple decades untul money came a problem or went out of buisness, (he still has his face btw lol) so he eventually closed the place and sorta abandoned it and probably the *iNteRnEt* was probably becomeing a thing by now (TV MAN OLDDD-) so he probably doom binges EVERYTHING on youtube in some apartment and works at MC deez or something- idk mOnEyY :/ eventualy yalls probably up at 5am waching Si-fi and stuff with robots get the idea of being a cyborg ither googleing 'hOw tO bE a cYborG EASY" on youtube like a maryos Plane Trip thing AKA Smg4 logic LMAO and probably winging it and then getting his SUppeR fAbulus and Iconic TV head and nows hes probably immortal now :/ (he was probably an old man by the time he finnisghed the body lol not to mention prototypes :/) then he probably did some evil villian laughter shit then downloadded the internet in his brain then eventualy selling the showgrounds to SMG4 and the rest of Puzzlevision continues :/

If yall read all that- WOW :/ its 1am and im typeing esays ;-; anyways this has been cooking in my brain for too long so now its all here now :/

*fades into the distance MEME STYLE B3*

[idk-my-aesthetic]

Spy x Family Chapter 76 spoilers ahhh

Personally I like to think Twilight took the car from Franky bc he needed a car quick and now Franky walks to work in the rain everyday. Bc Franky is just a poor little meow meow and it’s funny in my head

We see more of TwiLoid’s reaction to the bus arc! I think it’s very in character for him to just be mentally spiraling about it a little bit lol. (So basically my fanfic was right even though my version was more angsty lol). Also Anya immediately taking advantage of him is A++

And I actually really appreciate that we see twilight specifically concerned about her mental health. Usually “Anya is surely traumatized” is kinda played for a joke but the joke isn’t that she’s not traumatized it’s usually that her behavior in that exact moment isn’t a product of trauma. So the little shout outs about mental health feel like something that is eventually going to be addressed and they’re almost saying “don’t worry we didn’t forget, we will address the mental health side when the time is right”

Anya is obviously traumatized and I love fanfic that focuses on all the little bad stuff that happens, but it makes sense from a narrative perspective that they literally Cannot focus on every single thing that happens to her. But it does look like we’ll be getting specific focus on the bus arc and I’m excited for what’s to come!

Also, something absolutely ironically heartbreaking about Yor and Loid scolding Anya for being reckless. They have no clue how often she purposely puts herself in very real danger to protect the people she cares about. Including them!! (Cont underneath)

Like from their perspective they’re probably like “Anya said some dumb shit bc she didn’t understand the situation and put herself in danger, that’s really scary bc she might say dumb shit again and get hurt. But at least she didn’t know how much danger she was in so she wasn’t scared”

But in REALITY anya DID know how much very real danger they were in, more than literally ANYONE else. She made a choice to talk to the villians to save herself but more importantly save the rest of the kids on the bus and her Papa.

She literally had the chance to get off the bus and refused to go to safety until literally everyone else was safe.

And Anya does this sort of thing all the freaking time. I think the only time she’s gotten into danger by being a dumb kid was the initial kidnapping. Basically every other time was not her fault or her willingly putting herself in danger to protect others, usually one of her parents, and usually Loid on top of that

There’s just something so heartbreaking to me about the fact that Anya puts herself into danger for her parents so often, which they obviously do not want her to do, but they usually don’t understand how much danger she is in or that they were in danger to begin with or that she put herself into danger to protect them. Like they have no clue she really single handedly saved the whole bus and Loid!! And they even scolded her for it bc they don’t know the truth!!!

Which like, as necessary as it is at times “put myself into danger to save everyone else” is not a healthy habit for Anya to be developing and the fact that it keeps working out makes me think she’s going to keep leaning into it to a dangerous degree

It’s also so so hard to be mad at her for putting herself in danger because she’s not being carelessly reckless like people think she’s making calculated decisions to protect the ppl she cares about. It creates this weird mix of like pride and frustration towards her as a character. Like stop playing with explosives small child holy shit!! But how can you be mad when she’s only playing with them bc no one else knows to turn them off :(

Basically I have alot of feelings about Anya Forger I think she deserves lots and lots of cake

On a slightly lighter note, when Anya is trying to seem cool she screws herself so much. She could’ve said “I was just trying to convince him to let everyone go” and everyone would’ve been enamored with her

Like. If she thought about it she could even say something about seeing the guy mumbling to himself about blowing up the secret police or something. She literally probably could’ve told basically the truth and won the day

Instead she gets in a petty fight with Damian. Which I 100% support, much more in character and fun lol, hopefully they didn’t get demerits for being late

One last note, Becky is an absolutely wonderful freind to Anya and deserves more credit

That’s it ty for reading have a nice night

[mega-ringsandthings-world]

Oh Rings—can I call you rings?— with every Analysis and au you post my mind becomes intrigued you really understand and get to the heart of are favorite sometimes divorced most times fight couple that is Mishanks. I adore it and your post make you day.

But this Loguetown AU... now, that's some sadness and angst waiting to happen. And genius, truly. It makes sense to draw all these pirates and people to the execution and snap them up as they come rushing in. I'm guessing a lot of Marines and civilians died, but I’m sure that was a sacrifice the World Government was willing to make. Did Doflamingo get caught? He’s got friends or at least blood high up, so I assume he wasn’t caught for long.

And I’m certain just as how Shanks isn’t our fun-loving, calculating Yonko, and Mihawk isn’t our ever-bored, apathetic gardener warlord, as we know and love them in the future. Familiar faces will definitely have differing personalities, yet to face the horrors of paradise and the new world, yet to have their Sabaody arc(or maybe this is their Sabaody) and oh Mihawk you ambitious, vicious, little teen you. I can’t wait for you to earn your new epithet, i’m sure it will be… bloody. And I’m also assuming in this timeline that whoever decides to bring him the offer becoming a warlord is laughed at and then bisected for the gull.

Also total forgot Dragon. Mans is in his prime.. I’m sure he got away maybe he even run into a blue haired red nosed clown? Maybe not we can only guess but ahh that’s the fun of it! Who lives who dies who becomes a revolutionary? pirate? who gives up? that’s what it is really all that aren’t they?

All that to say, I love this au I will now place it delicately into my one piece brain au folder we’re it will be chewed on like a pit bull with lock jaw.

Rings is great! I have to say, I'm thrilled my mishanks posts are such a hit, with you and everyone else enjoying them! I was having fun putting my random thoughts on them out there, and now it's even more fun. Angst and sadness is the key! Maybe it's horrible (and I'm not apologizing for that, lol) but I love drama and discord and awful high-stake situations. And what can give more angst than messing with Shanks right after Roger's death? And throwing Mihawk in there for the ride? The entire pirates-are-captured-by-the-World-goverment-at-Roger's-execution is one big excuse to get Shanks and Mihawk into Marine custody together, where they have only themselves to rely on. And since they are going to meet and fall in love in Marine captivity (they will be there a while) their dynamic will be more intense from the start. Their natural connection + the trauma bond. There's going to be a huge fight and many dead for sure, because none of those pirates are going quietly, but the marines had a plan from the beginning, of course. If they didn't they wouldn't have been able to take anyone. And I will say that they were also gunning for Shanks specifically. For reasons. The marines/admirals/world goverment will certainly be the villians of the story. Doflamingo knew enough to get out of dodge before anything went down, as did certain other people. Coincidence? Well, maybe not. I do love young!mishanks, so Mihawk and Shanks being earlier versions of themselves is half the appeal about this AU. You can see their older selves in them, but they are younger and there's everything that comes with that. They are not quite the men they will become. (and that goes for all the other characters too!) Which means they can be hurt much, much more easily.

I said this was one of my darkest wips because Bad Things are going to happen to them, it won't just be threats or easily patched wounds. This being their Sabaody is spot-on! Everything will be All Right in the end, but they're going to go through things to get there. Mihawk's rise will be bloody. (so will Shanks') and maybe it's too early to talk about this plot, but they're also going to get revenge. through some interesting means. After what Mihawk suffers in the time spent as a captive, the very idea of him becoming a Warlord would be nothing but the highest insult. (That's not to say that becoming one is off the cards, but that's a different story) Ahh, Dragon. He's one of the ones who gets away, with someone else important. Buggy having got away is crucial, because him being free comes into play later. I don't plan on killing many people, but making them suffer is fair game. And this entire scenario is going to change the course of the future for sure. All that is too say, I have all this I need to write and get out there to you guys already, lol. I love how much you love it!

[sageandred]

Am I the only one that truly recognizes Carter for a victim AND a villian (idk how else to word this 1st sentence but this isn't pro carter, or even anti). He keeps making choices and going down this bad path that he was undoubtedly groomed into at one point. Declan has proved to be worse/more powerful. My take is that it's only fair that Declan gets his comeuppance (haven't watched the new episode yet so idk); presumably he will though possibly after a long string of acting as the villian arc going by Hollyoaks' way of doing things. Carter was once a young boy that was taken advantage of that has years and years of a poor and incorrect belief system to guide him into his own kind of monster, but the thing is the show paints that idea for you. It's more subtle, but it does acknowledge how he was a victim, giving you information on his childhood/context clues (i dont need it spelled out). The parallels with Lucas are obvious and intentional. I do think his fate/ending was always what it's going to be. His relationship with John Paul was always purposeful to his character arc. It served as a useful tool to show a softer side and make you feel for his painfully closeted life. But he was always going down a deeper hole and dark path, because not only was he terrified and lying to himself (understandable), but he would go to the furthest lengths for his own benefit if he had to from the start. He used Maxine to send a message to JP inviting him to see them after sleeping together, he blindsided him more than once, tried CT on him, only went back with remorse when he wanted to hook up, and generally intentionally hurt people if it'd meant it'd protect himself. With JP, what started as a hopeful union between the two was tainted with Carter lying, setting out to trick him, and literally using him down to his weak, yet selfish desire of his lusting after JP following his mistreatment towards him time and time again. Like did Carter ever ever care about JP at all, or did he just have an understandable desire to explore his sexuality as a closeted, non-admitting man, so that's why he pursued anything? (also note the "relationship" started too quick and crashed /burned just as fast, which was the point whether they ever worked out or not)

It's entirely possible for adults to have gone through their own kind of trauma as a child that contributes to their experiences and behaviors and for that behavior to not automatically be demonized because of the long-lasting effects trauma can have, but that's a case-to-case judgement. Maybe Carter would turn out better had he had help and a good support system, long long ago, a juxtaposition to Lucas. But that's the thing, experience makes different outcomes and that's not what happened; once xyz happens the course of time is changed forever and sometimes you can't go back and people that go on to do awful things don't get an eternal permit of an explanation as to why they did the bad acts, meaning you should go easy on them; this happens often when 1 goes on to be the abuser or utilize their power dynamic. My thing is, it's okay for Carter to be recognized as a victim in his own right [please, please do (don't just take 1 part of this post & misunderstand)], but that doesn't have to be mutually exclusive to his villian status that has been well on it's way since the beginning; it is possible for a character to be recognized as a victim without the promise of a redemption arc.

[mintojaa]

House Episode Master List

Here is my recommended house episodes my credentials are that I have watched house 3 times and the episodes that I remember are worth it and the ones I don't after 3 times must be bad. If you are really bored you can watch them all; you can play spot the celebrity. I was going to describe them all but that's pretty spoiler-y so I will not......

Season 1

S1.E1 - Pilot Classic. You can see how baby Wilson is in the beginning.

I actually don't remember season 1 too much. You can just watch the whole season to get a sense of the house cast. I don't care much for the Volger subplot; he's just House's villian.

If you want to speed run it: S1.E5 / S1.E8 / S1.E10

S1.E21 - Three Stories Fun episode

Season 2

S2.E1 - Acceptance Gotta watch the first episode of every season I guess

S2.E5 - Daddy's Boy I admit I don't remember this episode but some House backstory for you.

S2.E6 - Spin Making you watch an episode for a crumb of Hilson

S2. E7 - Hunting Gaydar

(I skipped a lot of episodes; House has a arc with his ex and I don't care. There may be some Hilson sprinkled in)

S2.E14 - Sex Kills Hilson at the end

S2.E15 - Clueless Hilson

S2.E16 - Safe Oh good more Hilson

S2.E17 - All In Fun episode where they play poker

S2.E18 - Sleeping Dogs Lie Ok this episodes kinda funny at the end

S2.E19 - House vs. God Cute Hilson moment also some Wilson lore

If you want to find out why I hate Foreman feel free to watch S2.E20 & S2.E21

S2.E22 - Forever Sure. This episode could be hilson if you squint.

Season 3

S3.E1 - Meaning First episode of the season babyyyy

S3.E2 - Cane and Able

S3.E4 - Lines in the Sand

S3.E5 - Fools for Love

S3.E6 - Que Sera Sera

S3.E7 - Son of Coma Guy Oh I like this episode. Good hilson and a fun case.

S3.E8 - Whac-A-Mole Start of Hilson drama

S3.E9 - Finding Judas

S3.E10 - Merry Little Christmas

S3.E11 - Words and Deeds

S3.E15 - Half-Wit

S3.E21 - Family

S3.E22 - Resignation ngl I don't remember this one but the wiki says hilson so on the list it goes

Season 4

S4.E1 - Alone

S4.E2 - The Right Stuff

S4.E3 - 97 Seconds House does a little game show type of game to hire a new team; if you like it keep watching if you find it boring go ahead and skip. Olivia Wilde is in them and she's hot so I find them fun.

S4.E4 - Guardian Angels

S4.E5 - Mirror Mirror Hilson; don't blink or you'll miss it.

S4.E8 - You Don't Want to Know I will make you watch this episode for the tiniest bit of Hilson

S4.E9 - Games Hey it's that guy

S4.E10 - It's a Wonderful Lie

S4.E11 - Frozen

S4.E12 - Don't Ever Change

S4.E13 - No More Mr. Nice Guy

S4.E14 - Living The Dream House is just like us fr fr

S4.E15 - House's Head

S4.E16 - Wilson's Heart

Season 5

S5.E1 - Dying Changes Everything

S5.E2 - Not Cancer

S5.E4 - Birthmarks Hilson lets gooooooooooooooooooooo

S5.E5 - Lucky Thirteen I'm an Olivia Wilde apologist

S5.E7 - The Itch

S5.E9 - Last Resort

I hate Foreman!!!!!!!! BOO TO EPISODES 10-15ISH

S5.E17 - The Social Contract

S5.E18 - Here Kitty

S5.E19 - Locked In

S5.E22 - House Divided

S5.E23 - Under My Skin

S5.E24 - Both Sides Now

Season 6

S6.E1 & S6.E2

S6.E3 - Epic Fail WE HATE FOREMAN!!!!!!!

S6.E4 - The Tyrant

S6.E7 - Known Unknowns I don't remember but wiki says Wilson so

S6.E8 - Teamwork If you think Cameron and Chase are funny feel free to watch this one

S6.E10 - Wilson LETS GO WILSON EPISODEEEEEEEE

S6.E11 - The Down Low Hilson off the charts

S6.E12 - Remorse

S6.E15 - Private Lives Hey its that girl. Also she's just like me fr fr

S6.E16 - Black Hole Hilson

S6.E17 - Lockdown Thirteen gets along with the gays

S6.E18 - Knight Fall Thirteen is the best because House doesn't hit on her and simply goes to her for Wilson troubles.

S6.E20 - The Choice House and Wilson might be gay but this show is still h*m*ph*bic

S6.E21 - Baggage

Season 7

House and Cuddy date and it's awful and boring and makes no sense. You may watch the first few episodes if you wish but this show cannot write straight romance to save its life.

S7.E3 - Unwritten

S7.E5 - Unplanned Parenthood

S7.E12 - You Must Remember This

S7.E17 - Fall from Grace

S7.E18 - The Dig

S7.E21 - The Fix

Season 8

I do not care for season 8.

S8.E2 - Transplant Hilson

S8.E9 - Better Half The one hilson scene is so. much.

S8.E16 - Gut Check House and Wilson are in it.

S8.E17 - We Need the Eggs

S8E18 - Body & Soul

The rest of the episodes are Hilson so finish them up!