#trigger warning Gassing

[gremoria411]

Trigger Warning: The following contains mention of Gassing.

Warcrimes: That was a bad analogy on my part, apologies. My general point is that both sides lost half their respective populations during the One Week Battle, with the Earth Federation having proportionally higher losses. Both sides uses nuclear and chemical weapons during this (there’s mentions of biological weapons in supplementary material, but little evidence of their use). The Principality of Zeon carries out Operation British in which they captured the Side 2 Colony, Island Iffish, gassed the entire population, and dropped it on Earth in an attempt to take out Earth Federation HQ in Jaburo in one fell swoop. The colony broke apart mid-entry and instead fell across the earth, with the front end hitting Sydney, Australia and completely obliterating it. This is absolutely horrifying, and has a massive death toll across the Earth. Just prior to the Gryps War, the Titans, an Anti-Zeon Task Force turned tool of Oppression against the Space Colonies will gas peaceful protestors in the Colony 30 incident, which will be a key reason for the founding of the AEUG. I’m not really trying to argue Operation British or Colony 30 as better or worse than the other, nor am I trying to gauge them based on population loss. The way they’re presented seems designed to draw comparisons between Zeon and the Titans, showing that both sides will do horrifying things, despite their absolute opposition to the ideals of the other. It’s a presentation of how there is still very much people with the ability and the will to carry such things out. Though the people and ideologies have changed, the methods haven’t. All men grew to fear their own deeds, indeed.

Contolism and motivation: It’s more that Contolism’s the philosophy that Zeon is built on, so it’s interesting to see how quickly it’s discarded by Zeon or how it survives and changes. Also a lot of characters will proclaim something as “for the glory of Zeon!” when it’s really more due to their personal motivations, so Contolist thought is a nice thing to come back to rather than having to untangle the individual motivations of a specific group. To be honest, if Unicorn didn’t directly reference it, I’d probably only mention it when talking about the Principality itself.

Zeon Remnants: I do see the wisdom in going for an ideological based approach, but I just don’t see that many non-Zeon armed groups in the interwar period between the OYW and Gryps. Even the few I can think of are just independent space pirates, and thus ideologically speaking, nothing. Space pirates typically show up as factionless grunts to fight the protagonists before the real threat comes along, and thus brook no real analysis. The Cima fleet are specifically Zeon Remnant Space Pirates, and throw in their lot with Delaz, even as they plot to betray him. However, they’re still defined by their relationship with Zeon, and thus I’m inclined to consider them Zeon Remnants (plus, they’re very organised and well equipped, above that of your average space pirate). I *could* look at the individual character motivations and feelings towards the Earth Federation, Zeon, colonial independence and the Newtype Theory, or I could just say “oh, they have a Gelgoog, probably Zeon remnants” and still be correct (and honestly, for the more interesting Zeon Remnant groups I’ll typically do that analysis anyway).

AEUG and Anaheim Electronics: Even if they are just an Earth Federation splinter group, the AEUG do retain a lot of materials and personnel, enough to justly threaten the Titans. While Anaheim does have ex-Zeon staff, I’m inclined to consider them more profit-motivated than anything, particularly since they’re primarily thriving of Earth Federation and Titans contracts - Axis Zeon is typically an in-house affair, and selling to Zeon Remnant Groups would draw heavy scrutiny for the Earth Federation. Selling to the AEUG on top of the other two enables them to cater to both sides - heavy pressure by the Titans is likely to threaten their profits, since they’ll heavily regulate the space colonies where Anaheim has most of its business (plus they might eventually start investigating Anaheim’s ex-Zeon workers). Selling to the AEUG will either alleviate the worst of that in the short term, or in the long term lead to less pressure on the markets, since the AEUG is primarily concerned with beating the Titans, not regulating the space colonies. Newborn Neo Zeon and the Sleeves both lack the manufacturing capabilities for their own mobile suit production, necessitating their patronage of Anaheim as opposed to in-house work.

Mafty Navue Erin and Hathaway Noa: I haven’t rewatched Gundam Hathaway in a while, so I’ll be focusing more on visuals here. I consider Mafty a completely separate organisation from Zeon. Mafty is an anti-federation terrorist group, but they’re primarily concerned with attacking the federation itself. The elites and the seat of government, not engaging with their military forces. They also seem uninterested in seeking independence for the space colonies, simply for the Earth Federation to govern more effectively. They might have some ex-federation or ex-Zeon personnel (or ex-titans, ex-AEUG, ex-axis etc), but they don’t really seem to bring much with them ideologically. Mafty shares an enemy with Zeon, but very little else. I typically look at Mafty’s goals not as evidence of a shared link with Zeon, but of evidence of how bad the Earth Federation Government are at their jobs.

As for equipment similarities - the only real equipment link would be the Messer, the main mobile suit of the Mafty organisation (I’m using the old art, because I don’t want to have to double check if it’s F01 or F02 type because Bandai decided the hover unit should be p-Bandai). It’s based on the Geara Doga used in Char’s Counterattack, and does look pretty Zeonic. However I’m very forgiving of this because a) the Geara Doga is amazing, and I can totally understand using it as the basis for a brand-new general-purpose suit. And b) what else could they have really done? There’s roughly two types of mobile suit design lineage - they look Zeonic or they look Federation. We don’t really see anything visually different until F91 with the Crossbone Vanguard, so any mobile suit is gonna fall into one of two camps anyway. Furthermore, the Messer was built by Anaheim Electronics, which is directly motivated to look as innocent as possible. So “hey, those new mobile suits look Zeon-derived, maybe this Mafty organisation has some ex-Zeon engineers to build them” is a better look for Anaheim than “hey, these mobile suits look like Anaheim built them, funny how they haven’t reported a theft to us”. Also, Mafty as an organisation only has 2 mobile suits - the very Zeon looking Messer,

And the other one, which is a member of the most famous federation mobile suit lineage ever produced.

Zeon Remnants: Why so many?

*Spoilers for most of the Universal Century Below*

So a common criticism of Universal Century I see is that it’s essentially all Zeon Remnants, all the time. That it every antagonist to the Earth Federation is either a Zeon remnant or related to such and it makes the universal century feel smaller.

That is 100% a valid criticism.

However, it’s not something I particularly notice as a problem, so I figured I’d make a post delving into my reasons why. I’ll be talking about each of the “main” Zeon groups (The Principality of Zeon, The Delaz Fleet, Axis Zeon, Char’s Neo Zeon and The Sleeves) and I’ll talk about why Zeon are so frequently the antagonist. Alright, enough preamble, let’s get on with it.

Why don’t I have a problem with Zeon always showing up, all the time?

Because I usually consider each Zeon group its own thing. Like, yeah the aesthetics and some mobile suits tend to match up but they typically have…. If not different goals, then different cultures. It’s not just the same thing all the time.

I’ll be dividing them by roughly four factors:

Motivations - *Why* are they fighting, how unified are they?

Size - big force or little force, since it affects how they fight.

Newtypes - Oh hey, it’s just possibly one of their more important contributions to the setting in general. Kinda important. Focusing more on how they’re used and how they’re seen.

Mechanics - Mobile suits and overall tech level for the time.

The Principality of Zeon

First up, the good ol’ Principality of Zeon. The P of Z, if you will. Founded by Degwin Sodo Zabi in the aftermath of Zeon Zum Deikun’s death in U.C. 0068. Rapid Militarisation of Side 3 (Munzo), the colonies composing Zeon followed, with what would become the One Year War being declared in UC 0079. It’s sometimes known as “The Duchy of Zion” in older translations.

It’s a little unclear *why* war was declared, but the official line and the view of the average citizen would be that it was a war of Independence from the Earth Federation. Zeon Zum Deikun (who Zeon was named after) was the father of Contolism, a philosophy that combines two major elements:

Elseim - The Earth is Sacred, and must be protected (The Earth is Humanity’s Cradle, but man cannot live in the cradle forever-type stuff, with a big focus on environmentalism).

Sideism - All Space Colonies should be independent from the Earth Federation (This is where all the “Those whose souls are still bound by gravity”-type stuff comes from).

And nestled riiight in the middle of those two is the Newtype Theory, which postulates that ascending into space is the next stage of mankind’s evolution, giving rise to a “new type” of individual, with the ability to communicate over great distances and divides.

Due to Class divides and economic disparity between the Earth Federation “elite” and the Space Colonists (particularly those in Side 3), Contolism was massively popular, with Zeon Zum Deikun being raised to leader of Side 3. However, he died suddenly and (apparently) appointed Degwin Zabi as his successor. Degwin would instigate a purge of Zeon’s most loyal followers, and place his children in high ranking political positions, ruling the Principality of Zeon as absolute dictator. It’s unclear if Degwin declared war as the logical conclusion of the Contolism Philosophy to wrest Earth from the Federation, if he viewed it as a way to secure greater power or if he genuinely wanted to rule the entire earth sphere.

What I’m getting at here is that your average Zeon soldier believes he is fighting for the Independence of the Space Colonies and the safeguarding of Earth against the Federation Elites who seek to exploit it. The higher command however, is incredibly fractious, since each one is operating under a different member of the Zabi Family, and so there tends to be a lot of friction. Even if Zeon had won the OYW, it’s likely it would’ve had to deal with a Civil War at some point or another (dependant on which members of the Zabi family survived).

Zeon is also notable in that it’s the single largest organisation here, and since mobile suit combat was relatively new, it fought with a lot more variety than any of its successors, such as tanks and mobile armours. It also had the advantage of, with the notable exception of the RX-78 and its derivatives, being far better off than the Earth Federation technologically, possessing advanced mobile suits and actual Newtype research (important note; With one singular exception, it is never suggested that Zeon’s Newtype laboratories are anything less than above-board. Are they under immense pressure to succeed? Absolutely. But crucially, they aren’t inhuman). It had a large variety of mobile suits - usually a few good “workhorse” units (Zaku’s and Dom’s) with a bunch of oddities on the side (like Gyan’s and Zakarello’s).

Lastly, the One Year War itself. This is a point I’ll be coming back to frequently throughout this, but; The Federation possessed a major population and material advantage over the Principality of Zeon for the entire war, and was able to deploy a staggering amount of enlisted soldiers into the war. Zeon possessed the advantage of mobile suits early on, but they were also forced to mobilise a great many soldiers. Both Sides of the One Year War lost half of their respective populations in the early stages of the war (The One Week Battle) and Side 4 Moore was utterly devastated. What I’m getting at is that there would be an awful lot of individuals with millitary training and/or technological know-how running around after the war, as occurred in the real-world World War II and Cold War (strictly speaking I’m looking at them being an easy source of millitary experience in genre fiction, but you get the idea). So you have a lot of Ex-Soldiers and remaining military equipment hanging around, and a lot of people with “legitimate grievances” to hate the other side (Warcrimes on both sides, The Earth Federation essentially doesn’t change, Zeon Remnants remain an active problem with several becoming pirates and there’s a lot of Federation “mop-up” teams going around, the precursors to the Titans).

So, The Principality of Zeon in a nutshell; Principled reasoning (i.e. Contolism), massive force, Newtypes rare and incredibly valued (since they’re essentially a living reminder of why they’re fighting and a massive force multiplier), mobile suits essentially brand new and largely experimental.

The Delaz Fleet (and Zeon Remnants in general)

The Delaz Fleet was formally created in U.C. 0081, being primarily composed of former Gihren Zabi Loyalists from the Principality of Zeon, led by Aigulle Delaz (above, left). They were most famous for Operation Stardust in U.C. 0083. I’m also going to be discussing Zeon Remnant groups in general here, since the Delaz Fleet is essentially just a very large and successful Zeon remnant group. Delaz’ goal is relatively simple - vengeance. Delaz wishes to deal a hefty blow to the federation, largely to avenge the Principality’s loss at a Baoa Qu, with much of his forces feeling similarly (note: it’s possible that, had their been less withdrawals of Gihren Faction Loyalists like Delaz, A Baoa Qu may have gone differently). The forces under his command is relatively small, to the point where he is forced to seek aid from both the Axis Advance Fleet (though this is largely in materials and recovery) and the Cima Fleet, which costs him dearly.

Delaz specifically embellishes the “cause” of Zeon, focusing less on the Principality’s totally necessary warcrimes and more on Zeon’s fight for Independence against the Earth Federation. This is relevant because Delaz reaches a wide audience, espousing his own Zeonic ideals, largely divorced from the original Contolism basis. He also blames the weakened political leadership of the time (read: that nasty Kycilia murdering his precious Gihren Zabi). Delaz is specifically the most successful of the Zeon remnants in his era, directly to the space colonies detriment, since his actions directly lead to the founding of the Titans, who brutally crack down on the Colonies.

Equipment-wise, Zeon remnant groups are a varied bunch, but typically fight using older or ad-hoc equipment - The Delaz Fleet primarily utilises upgraded machines from the One Year War - Zaku FII’s, Rick Dom’s and, most notably, Dra-C’s - mobile suits cobbled together from spare Zaku and Gattle fighter-bomber parts. Any other materials they use are either stolen from the Earth Federation or are acquired through other means.

Newtypes are kinda weird here, since there just aren’t any in 0083, and the general theme with Newtypes in other remnant groups around this time is typically that they’re either propaganda or just not very good. It’s possible that the Newtype philosophy was largely dormant for a while immediately following Zeon’s defeat - either viewed as propaganda or directly suppressed by the Earth Federation themselves (like Amuro). The Newtype philosophy likely experienced as resurgence with the emergence of the Titans, since it would have been a rallying cry for spacenoid independence once more. As such, Newtypes just aren’t a big thing in Zeon remnant groups around this era, at least as near as I can tell (Delaz is the only animated force we see, and I try not to rely too much on manga, at least for Universal Century).

So, Delaz Fleet (and immediate postwar Zeon remnants) in a nutshell; Varied Motivations (though typically vengeance or survival), Small Guerilla Force, Newtypes near non-existent, mobile suits either OYW cast-offs or stolen.

Axis Zeon

Which I admit I’m using because it’s more easily distinguished than Neo Zeon, Neo Zeon and Neo Zeon. Anyway, Axis Zeon is made up of the various Zeon remnants that fled to the Asteroid Axis after the One Year War, this includes several pilots, scientists and engineers, which ensures that Axis enjoys a massive technological edge for most of its existence. Axis, in contrast to Zeons prior, is primarily concerned with “The Restoration of the Zabi Family” since one of the people that ended up there is Mineva Zabi, daughter of Dozle and the Zabi family’s only living heir. Except Glemy maybe.

Since Mineva was of the Zabi family lineage, of course she’d want to resume their conquest of the Earth Sphere, and so Axis was reconstructed into a fortress for her to rule when she came of age, with a regent being appointed to rule in her stead, which eventually fell to Haman Karn. Haman was essentially able to use Mineva as a figurehead in order to mount an invasion of Earth, and struck at the end of the Gryps War, when both the Titans and AEUG were reeling from that conflict. It’s also notable that a lot of the Axis members we see are very young, so were raised on “The Glories of Zeon” without actually seeing the realities of the One Year War with their own eyes.

Neo Zeon also was able to develop and field newtype weaponry, with newtypes being a potent threat against the AEUG. However, they still weren’t common, and so Cyber Newtypes were fielded. In contrast to “true newtypes” who have naturally awakened to their powers, cyber-newtypes are those with Newtype potential who have been forcibly conditioned with drugs and implants in order to function for combat. Though deadly threats, they are very unstable. You may notice that this seems anathema to the Contolism Philosophy espoused by Zeon Zum Deikun, and is incredibly dehumanising to boot, signifying that Axis is barely even paying lip service to its ideals of spacenoid independence. Axis Zeon is also notable for utilising clones to supplement its Newtype forces, which…. I don’t think is strictly counter to Contolism? But it feels like it’s against it in spirit, if not in letter.

It’s especially notable that a great many members of Axis Zeon espouse things like “For the Glory of Neo Zeon” and “For the Restoration of the Zabi Family” without really understanding what they mean. It’s also notable that, barring links with surviving Zeon Remnant groups, Axis isn’t noted as being very popular with the colonial population, likely because they don’t really understand what the “Ideals of Zeon” mean, and the civilians recognise them as merely parroting Zabi rhetoric.

Axis Zeon would eventually be undone by a Civil War within the organisation led by Glemy Toto, coupled with the AEUG’s offensives. Unlike the political manoeuvring of the One Year War, the Glemy Faction coup occurs very suddenly and results in massive casualties in the organisation due to his command of the Newtype corps.

Technologically, Axis is absolutely cutting-edge. They really don’t cheap out on mobile suit development and are able to design and field a variety of units comparable to the Principality in its heyday. Axis forces are essentially the best-armed Zeon will ever be, helped massively by the sheer amount of Newtype weaponry they can deploy (they have three mainline mobile suits in the Neo Zeon War, all three seeing good amounts of production at various stages and they’re typically first pick for Zeon Remnant Groups in the U.C. 0090’s). They also have the facilities for Newtype cloning, as mentioned above.

Axis Zeon in a nutshell; Hollow Motivations (Restoration of the Zabi Family and Conquest of the Earth Sphere), large force, newtypes and cyber-newtypes prevalent, mobile suits many, varied and cutting-edge.

(I haven’t quite finished all of ZZ, so forgive me if this one’s a bit rough)

Char’s Neo Zeon/Newborn Neo Zeon

Sometimes also known as Char’s Rebellion. It was basically founded in order to accelerate space migration….. by plunging the Earth into nuclear winter and making it near-uninhabitable. Founded by our good buddy Char Aznable in U.C. 0093, there’s less to go on for this particular iteration of Zeon, basically just a movie and supplemental information. It is composed of various Zeon remnants and political factions under Char Aznable with the express purpose of instigating the Axis Drop in order to make the earth uninhabitable and stop humanity from damaging it. Which is a terrible plan, barely paying lip service to the Contolist ideals Zeon was founded upon.

That’s because it’s a lie.

Char is in fact mounting a suicide run on the entire Earth. Creating a threat so massive that Amuro will be forced to kill him to stop it. Which is rather informative. Char is essentially using his influence to hold the entire operation together, and it’s notable that a good chunk of his own forces actively move to counter his goal when the option presents itself. Consequently, there isn’t much in the way of ideals on display here - Char is famous both for being the son of Zeon Zum Deikun and for his Dakar Address when he was a member of the AEUG. It kinda seems like a lot of his support is coming from people who know him from that, as opposed to what he’s actually doing. Newborn Neo Zeon is basically headlined and held together by Char, and has the vibe of a desperate last gasp for Zeon. It’s also notable that the only time we see Char actually lead Zeon is when he’s using its name for his own ends.

Newborn Neo Zeon also has a great more political pull than many of the other groups - Char Succeeds in a lot of his goals because he’s essentially able to play the Earth Federation like a fiddle, while remnant groups happily provide him aid. Technologically he has the backing of both Anaheim and Newtype Labs. Char’s mobile suits are, while not cutting-edge as such, very well rounded. The Geara Doga and Jagd Doga both share components and a general body structure, and the only reason the Sazabi is unique is because they couldn’t make the frame suit Char’s abilities (there’s a bunch of prototype units that pave the way to the Sazabi). Newborn Neo Zeon also retains a number of Axis Zeon Remnants, which bring their mobile suits and technical skill as well. Newtypes, while not exactly common, are considerably more stable than their Axis predecessors, and are given Jagd Doga’s, which are probably the closest a Newtype machine has ever come to reliability and ease of use. There’s also the Alpha Azieru…. which is also there (I don’t really have a lot to say on it honestly, it’s just kind of another “big newtype weapon”). Unfortunately, I really don’t have much to go on here regarding how the force views its newtypes - they’re essentially just treated as a special branch of the forces, no contolist ethics here, which is genuinely pretty sad. Because it illustrates just how far Char’s fallen from the ideals he espoused at the end of Zeta, especially considering he’s the son of Zeon Zum Deikun.

Char’s Neo Zeon in a nutshell: Motivations lean Char-centric, middling force with a lot of soft power, Newtypes present and mostly stable, small mobile suit variety but what’s there is very good.

(The Geara Doga’s one of my favourite grunt suits, so I’m probably quite biased here)

The Sleeves

Last of the “main” Neo Zeon Organisations. The Sleeves is a melting pot of every Zeon remnant group going. Founded around U.C. 0096, they were led by the man called Full Frontal, known as the “ghost of char”. Due to their disparate status, they aren’t recognised as a legitimate organisation by the Federstion, instead being branded a terrorist group - which they essentially are, being an aggregation of a bunch of other informal Zeon remnant groups. This mixed nature leads to a similar diversity in views and equipment - you have die-hard contolists, Glemy faction remnants, newborn Neo Zeon cast-offs and everything in-between.

They are essentially a return to form for Zeon Remnant groups, but are able effectively leverage their limited assets to fight quite effectively, though again, they’re heavily reliant on soft power, such as their relationship with Anaheim and political connections. They don’t have the forces to steamroll through the Earth Federation, so they’re forced to adopt an almost cell-based approach (at least that’s my read on Full Frontal and Suberoa Zinnerman’s relationship). It’s an odd mix of the realities of a Guerilla war against the federation and hearkening back to Neo-Zeon groups past (who were themselves hearkening back to the days of the old Principality). I should also note that The Sleeves maintain links with several other Zeon Remnant groups, such as some of the forces that attack Torrington in Unicorn. This is interesting not just because it shows a greater deal of collaboration between these groups than seen prior (Delaz and Cima were not exactly trusting of each other), it also shows a different mechanical composition to pre-U.C. 0090 remnant groups.

They’re kind of all over the place. Which I love because it’s 1:1 with their philosophical composition - they’re remnants from a bunch of different forces and groups, so of course it makes sense that their mobile suits would reflect that. The Sleeves do possess the…. Not-quite-cutting-edge-but-at-least-new Geara Zulus and the absolutely fabulous Sinanju (s), Kyshatriya and Rebawoo, but that’s kind of all they’re at. Everything else is from at least Char’s Rebellion or earlier - there’s one-of-a-kind custom units, old axis castoffs, even some stuff from the One Year War and immediate postwar period (like that poor regelgu). A varied armament for a varied force.

However, it is notable that The Sleeves don’t really have much of an identity of their own, largely due to their patchwork composition. They’re the scattered remnants of previous causes, and this is both called out and used against them in-universe. It feels like an examination of Char’s actions during CCA - Full Frontal certainly has Char’s charisma, but he doesn’t have his drive as evidenced by his eventual goal, which isn’t necessarily a *bad* aim, it’s just not Char.

Following on from this they share Newborn Neo Zeon’s just general…. disinterest in newtypes. They’re like any other pilot, they can just use different equipment. All the Sleeves Newtypes we see are very well-equipped though, so how they precisely look at them is unclear. This could be viewed as another extension of Char’s attitudes in CCA.

The Sleeves in a nutshell: Motivations are kind of all over the place, middling-to-low-sized force, newtypes uncommon but mostly-stable (one exception) and very effective, massive mobile suit variety but quality’s also all over the place.

Conclusion

So yeah, I find each revival of Zeon different enough that I can consider them separately to each other - yeah, there’s crossover, but their attitudes change each time - the only thing that stays the same is the aesthetic and who they’re fighting against.

But why are Zeon so often the antagonist?

Out-of-universe, because they sell. But you already knew that so let’s talk about possible In-universe reasons:

Old Equipment - The Principality was *huge*. Masses of equipment, enlisted men and yes, mobile suits. We see several individuals that are able to survive on the Scrap alone - Kelly Layzner, Judau Ashta, even the AEUG utilize a Gelgoog at one point. There’s a lot of material out there, and its a hot commodity post war and the Earth Federation will be in a hurry to rebuild - they don’t have the resources to track down every case of assault rifles or damaged-but-not-irreparable mobile suit. The South Seas alliance in Gundam Thunderbolt is one such organisation, but there will be a lot of Zeon Remnants who are still functional.

Loss of Leadership, not force - Aguille Delaz personally blames the “weak political leadership” (IE Kycillia) for the loss in the One Year War, but we can extrapolate that further. The Battle for A Baoa Qu saw pretty much all the remaining Zabi High Command due within hours of each other - Gihren kills Degwin, Kycillia kills Gihren, Char kills Kycillia. These are three massive losses to the war effort in very short spaces of time. Gihren’s betrayal of Degwin would’ve been very costly for him even if Kycillia hadn’t taken revenge there and then. He deprived himself of both the Solar Ray and the Fleet that Degwin was part of. The fact he took out Revil as well merely would’ve made it an even loss - if it wasn’t for the Solar Ray being rendered unusable into the bargain. Kycilia’s revenge killing of Gihren deprives A Baoa Qu of forces as the commanders loyal to Gihren flee the scene - Delaz among them - weakening the defence overall. Finally, Kycilia is killed as she is attempting to flee to Granada, where she planned to continue the war. This leaves a great many well-armed forces at large, since their strength wasn’t spent at A Baoa Qu - forces that Axis Zeon will draw on. All it really takes to galvanise these remnants is a charismatic individual, something which isn’t exactly in sort supply in the Universal Century.

Corollary to the above - Unclear loss - A Baoa Qu was absolute chaos, so the precise mechanics of “why Zeon lost” might be difficult for the average soldier to grasp - particularly one lacking in reliable non-federation communication sources. It would be easy to look at the mess of A Baoa Qu, then look at the equipment beside you and think “Yeah, we could’ve won. Yeah, we might still win”.

Unchanged Status Quo - Zeon launched the One Year War, at least officially, in the name of Independence. The Earth Federation was governing the colonies poorly, and class inequality was high. This does not change, if anything, it gets worse, as groups like the Titans see the OYW and Operation Stardust as Carte Blanche to utterly suppress the space colonies, and carry out War Crimes at least equal to Zeon’s. A failed war might at least spark some change to prevent another one, but if anything conditions for spacenoids only get worse, so resistance groups would see an upturn in numbers.

Corollary to the Above - Spacenoid Independence doesn’t stop with the war - The Independence of the Space Colonies is still a hot-button issue which the Federation has reason to suppress. So any ex-Zeon soldiers that folded back into civilian life may get involved with Colonial Independence movements. Or, any colonial independence movement that finds the Federation isn’t listening to them might seek a way to *make* them listen - and might find Zeon Remnant Groups sympathetic to their cause.

Little oversight - Before the formation of the Titans, the Earth Federation government believed Zeon to be removed as a threat - small pirate groups, but nothing major. Operation Stardust changed all this, yes, but before that Zeon remnant groups could operate largely unopposed, especially in areas with lower federation presence.

Total Societal Upheavel - Half of the population of the Universal Century died in the One Week Battle. Side 4 Moore was completely destroyed. There’s going to be some serious societal reconstruction after that no matter how you look at it. (Sidebar - Polygamy is mentioned as being a lot more common in Gundam Thunderbolt after the OYW, due to the massive gender disparity - you could also read this as Universal Century also being supportive of Lesbians). It’s not necessarily a driving force behind Zeon Remnant groups, but it’s worth remembering.

Military Experience - The big one, in my opinion. You have a lot of individuals with military experience after the war, including Guerilla warfare. This includes all the forces that had to adapt to new environments, like fighting in space, in colonies or on earth. There’s also a massive postwar economic depression. That’s not going to breed contentment towards a weak government, especially one that wasn’t doing a good job before the war.

In a nutshell, Zeon has the experience, materials and drive necessary to continue being a problem after the One Year War, and the Earth Federation Government doesn’t have the institutional will to stop them until Operation Stardust, which leads to the creation of the Titans, which really don’t help the situation.

Feel free to mention anything I’ve missed!

[hayatheauthor]

The Anatomy of Passing Out: When, Why, and How to Write It

Passing out, or syncope, is a loss of consciousness that can play a pivotal role in storytelling, adding drama, suspense, or emotional weight to a scene. Whether it’s due to injury, fear, or exhaustion, the act of fainting can instantly shift the stakes in your story.

But how do you write it convincingly? How do you ensure it’s not overly dramatic or medically inaccurate? In this guide, I’ll walk you through the causes, stages, and aftermath of passing out. By the end, you’ll be able to craft a vivid, realistic fainting scene that enhances your narrative without feeling clichéd or contrived.

2. Common Causes of Passing Out

Characters faint for a variety of reasons, and understanding the common causes can help you decide when and why your character might lose consciousness. Below are the major categories that can lead to fainting, each with their own narrative implications.

Physical Causes

Blood Loss: A sudden drop in blood volume from a wound can cause fainting as the body struggles to maintain circulation and oxygen delivery to the brain.

Dehydration: When the body doesn’t have enough fluids, blood pressure can plummet, leading to dizziness and fainting.

Low Blood Pressure (Hypotension): Characters with chronic low blood pressure may faint after standing up too quickly, due to insufficient blood reaching the brain.

Intense Pain: The body can shut down in response to severe pain, leading to fainting as a protective mechanism.

Heatstroke: Extreme heat can cause the body to overheat, resulting in dehydration and loss of consciousness.

Psychological Causes

Emotional Trauma or Shock: Intense fear, grief, or surprise can trigger a fainting episode, as the brain becomes overwhelmed.

Panic Attacks: The hyperventilation and increased heart rate associated with anxiety attacks can deprive the brain of oxygen, causing a character to faint.

Fear-Induced Fainting (Vasovagal Syncope): This occurs when a character is so afraid that their body’s fight-or-flight response leads to fainting.

Environmental Causes

Lack of Oxygen: Situations like suffocation, high altitudes, or enclosed spaces with poor ventilation can deprive the brain of oxygen and cause fainting.

Poisoning or Toxins: Certain chemicals or gasses (e.g., carbon monoxide) can interfere with the body’s ability to transport oxygen, leading to unconsciousness.

3. The Stages of Passing Out

To write a realistic fainting scene, it’s important to understand the stages of syncope. Fainting is usually a process, and characters will likely experience several key warning signs before they fully lose consciousness.

Pre-Syncope (The Warning Signs)

Before losing consciousness, a character will typically go through a pre-syncope phase. This period can last anywhere from a few seconds to a couple of minutes, and it’s full of physical indicators that something is wrong.

Light-Headedness and Dizziness: A feeling that the world is spinning, which can be exacerbated by movement.

Blurred or Tunnel Vision: The character may notice their vision narrowing or going dark at the edges.

Ringing in the Ears: Often accompanied by a feeling of pressure or muffled hearing.

Weakness in Limbs: The character may feel unsteady, like their legs can’t support them.

Sweating and Nausea: A sudden onset of cold sweats, clamminess, and nausea is common.

Rapid Heartbeat (Tachycardia): The heart races as it tries to maintain blood flow to the brain.

Syncope (The Loss of Consciousness)

When the character faints, the actual loss of consciousness happens quickly, often within seconds of the pre-syncope signs.

The Body Going Limp: The character will crumple to the ground, usually without the ability to break their fall.

Breathing: Breathing continues, but it may be shallow and rapid.

Pulse: While fainting, the heart rate can either slow down dramatically or remain rapid, depending on the cause.

Duration: Most fainting episodes last from a few seconds to a minute or two. Prolonged unconsciousness may indicate a more serious issue.

Post-Syncope (The Recovery)

After a character regains consciousness, they’ll typically feel groggy and disoriented. This phase can last several minutes.

Disorientation: The character may not immediately remember where they are or what happened.

Lingering Dizziness: Standing up too quickly after fainting can trigger another fainting spell.

Nausea and Headache: After waking up, the character might feel sick or develop a headache.

Weakness: Even after regaining consciousness, the body might feel weak or shaky for several hours.

4. The Physical Effects of Fainting

Fainting isn’t just about losing consciousness—there are physical consequences too. Depending on the circumstances, your character may suffer additional injuries from falling, especially if they hit something on the way down.

Impact on the Body

Falling Injuries: When someone faints, they usually drop straight to the ground, often hitting their head or body in the process. Characters may suffer cuts, bruises, or even broken bones.

Head Injuries: Falling and hitting their head on the floor or a nearby object can lead to concussions or more severe trauma.

Scrapes and Bruises: If your character faints on a rough surface or near furniture, they may sustain scrapes, bruises, or other minor injuries.

Physical Vulnerability

Uncontrolled Fall: The character’s body crumples or falls in a heap. Without the ability to brace themselves, they are at risk for further injuries.

Exposed While Unconscious: While fainted, the character is vulnerable to their surroundings. This could lead to danger in the form of attackers, environmental hazards, or secondary injuries from their immediate environment.

Signs to Look For While Unconscious

Shallow Breathing: The character's breathing will typically become shallow or irregular while they’re unconscious.

Pale or Flushed Skin: Depending on the cause of fainting, a character’s skin may become very pale or flushed.

Twitching or Muscle Spasms: In some cases, fainting can be accompanied by brief muscle spasms or jerking movements.

5. Writing Different Types of Fainting

There are different types of fainting, and each can serve a distinct narrative purpose. The way a character faints can help enhance the scene's tension or emotion.

Sudden Collapse

In this case, the character blacks out without any warning. This type of fainting is often caused by sudden physical trauma or exhaustion.

No Warning: The character simply drops, startling both themselves and those around them.

Used in High-Tension Scenes: For example, a character fighting in a battle may suddenly collapse from blood loss, raising the stakes instantly.

Slow and Gradual Fainting

This happens when a character feels themselves fading, usually due to emotional stress or exhaustion.

Internal Monologue: The character might have time to realize something is wrong and reflect on what’s happening before they lose consciousness.

Adds Suspense: The reader is aware that the character is fading but may not know when they’ll drop.

Dramatic Fainting

Some stories call for a more theatrical faint, especially in genres like historical fiction or period dramas.

Exaggerated Swooning: A character might faint from shock or fear, clutching their chest or forehead before collapsing.

Evokes a Specific Tone: This type of fainting works well for dramatic, soap-opera-like scenes where the fainting is part of the tension.

6. Aftermath: How Characters Feel After Waking Up

When your character wakes up from fainting, they’re not going to bounce back immediately. There are often lingering effects that last for minutes—or even hours.

Physical Recovery

Dizziness and Nausea: Characters might feel off-balance or sick to their stomach when they first come around.

Headaches: A headache is a common symptom post-fainting, especially if the character hits their head.

Body Aches: Muscle weakness or stiffness may persist, especially if the character fainted for a long period or in an awkward position.

Emotional and Mental Impact

Confusion: The character may not remember why they fainted or what happened leading up to the event.

Embarrassment: Depending on the situation, fainting can be humiliating, especially if it happened in front of others.

Fear: Characters who faint from emotional shock might be afraid of fainting again or of the situation that caused it.

7. Writing Tips: Making It Believable

Writing a fainting scene can be tricky. If not handled properly, it can come across as melodramatic or unrealistic. Here are some key tips to ensure your fainting scenes are both believable and impactful.

Understand the Cause

First and foremost, ensure that the cause of fainting makes sense in the context of your story. Characters shouldn’t pass out randomly—there should always be a logical reason for it.

Foreshadow the Fainting: If your character is losing blood, suffering from dehydration, or undergoing extreme emotional stress, give subtle clues that they might pass out. Show their discomfort building before they collapse.

Avoid Overuse: Fainting should be reserved for moments of high stakes or significant plot shifts. Using it too often diminishes its impact.

Balance Realism with Drama

While you want your fainting scene to be dramatic, don’t overdo it. Excessively long or theatrical collapses can feel unrealistic.

Keep It Short: Fainting typically happens fast. Avoid dragging the loss of consciousness out for too long, as it can slow down the pacing of your story.

Don’t Always Save the Character in Time: In some cases, let the character hit the ground. This adds realism, especially if they’re fainting due to an injury or traumatic event.

Consider the Aftermath

Make sure to give attention to what happens after the character faints. This part is often overlooked, but it’s important for maintaining realism and continuity.

Lingering Effects: Mention the character’s disorientation, dizziness, or confusion upon waking up. It’s rare for someone to bounce back immediately after fainting.

Reactions of Others: If other characters are present, how do they react? Are they alarmed? Do they rush to help, or are they unsure how to respond?

Avoid Overly Romanticized Fainting

In some genres, fainting is used as a dramatic or romantic plot device, but this can feel outdated and unrealistic. Try to focus on the genuine physical or emotional toll fainting takes on a character.

Stay Away from Clichés: Avoid having your character faint simply to be saved by a love interest. If there’s a romantic element, make sure it’s woven naturally into the plot rather than feeling forced.

8. Common Misconceptions About Fainting

Fainting is often misrepresented in fiction, with exaggerated symptoms or unrealistic recoveries. Here are some common myths about fainting, and the truth behind them.

Myth 1: Fainting Always Comes Without Warning

While some fainting episodes are sudden, most people experience warning signs (lightheadedness, blurred vision) before passing out. This gives the character a chance to notice something is wrong before losing consciousness.

Myth 2: Fainting Is Dramatic and Slow

In reality, fainting happens quickly—usually within a few seconds of the first warning signs. Characters won’t have time for long speeches or dramatic gestures before collapsing.

Myth 3: Characters Instantly Bounce Back

Many stories show characters waking up and being perfectly fine after fainting, but this is rarely the case. Fainting usually leaves people disoriented, weak, or even nauseous for several minutes afterward.

Myth 4: Fainting Is Harmless

In some cases, fainting can indicate a serious medical issue, like heart problems or severe dehydration. If your character is fainting frequently, it should be addressed in the story as a sign of something more severe.

Looking For More Writing Tips And Tricks? 

Are you an author looking for writing tips and tricks to better your manuscript? Or do you want to learn about how to get a literary agent, get published and properly market your book? Consider checking out the rest of Quillology with Haya Sameer; a blog dedicated to writing and publishing tips for authors! While you’re at it, don’t forget to head over to my TikTok and Instagram profiles @hayatheauthor to learn more about my WIP and writing journey! 

[yanderes-galore]

I was going to do this at some point but others also wanted it... so! CatNap time! This is my version like with DogDay, so maybe read that one first to understand my AU? Pure brainrot, barely proofread, there may be mistakes.

🌙Yandere! CatNap Concept🌙

🐱(My Version)🐱

Pairing: Platonic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Stalking, Possessive behavior, Violence, Overprotective behavior, Drugging/Gassing, CatNap watches you sleep, Manipulation, Slight sadism, Blood, Implied murder, Slight gore, Forced companionship.

I'm just going to say this, the first thing I read about CatNap is he likes watching his friends sleep.

So that's how this starts.

As usual, CatNap has a cartoon/plush form and a monster form in my AU.

I talk a bit more about this in the DogDay concept.

CatNap, in his more innocent plush form, is docile, gentle, bashful, and highly impressionable according to the wiki.

CatNap can have an eerie presence but he is usually very calming.

He prioritizes proper rest, especially towards you.

When left all alone in Playcare, he becomes a hunting beast who worships The Prototype.

He's not Theo in this version, he's his own thing.

He's sadistic and enjoys the hunt in his more beastly form.

However... he isn't heartless... as in this concept he cares for you a lot.

Let's use this concept just to discuss his overall behavior like I did in the last one.

CatNap's plush/cartoon form still manages to get up to just about the waist of an adult on two legs.

Although the cat also likes to roam on four legs.

CatNap has a lavender smell in his fur, a scent known to calm and put others to sleep.

Although... that isn't exactly what he uses to put you to sleep.

Like in canon, CatNap has the ability to release Poppy Gas from his lungs.

Said gas creates hallucinations and even puts the target asleep.

CatNap likes it when his best friend sleeps....

So, the purple cat often likes to crawl on your lap, release some of the gas, and puts you to sleep as he nuzzles into you with a purr.

Yes, I feel I want to make CatNap purr in my version.

CatNap likes to wrap his long tail around you and follows you around loyally.

He wants to make you happy, healthy, and full of energy!

The only way to do that is a good night's sleep, right?

So let him help you.

CatNap definitely also uses his lavender scent to calm you, too.

He just wants his friend to hold him and sleep...

He'll watch over you like a good friend should.

Then there's the monster form.

He's still very dedicated to you, even when he roams the area like a stalking cat.

CatNap watches over you like a hawk, a caretaker at heart.

In his larger form he looks more unnerving, crawling on all fours like huge hunting cat.

He carefully stalks prey (and you) in the shadows, disorienting them with Poppy Gas before striking.

Unlike DogDay he doesn't bother hiding his predatory nature.

He doesn't care if blood or bits of flesh stain his purple fur when he eats.

His lavender scent still lingers despite the dirty blood smell when he's near you.

The large cat often tries to curl around you in his larger form, purring softly as he encourages you to sleep.

If you try to leave his long tail prevents it... he'll even give you Poppy Gas if you still struggle.

If you think about it... CatNap would be very similar to Moon from FNAF... except CatNap is more... religious?

Speaking of that, CatNap may view you as a gift from The Prototype.

His god has rewarded him for his loyalty!

He'll cherish you as his Best Friend....

CatNap would not hurt you as he views you as his gift and Best Friend.

He often swaps between his smaller cartoon/plush form and his monster form.

If he isn't on a hunt and doesn't want to scare you... he'll swap to his more docile form and encourage you to hold him.

Admittedly... his purr and lavender scent is enough to make you want to sleep anyways.

CatNap is mostly sadistic towards others, like DogDay and the other Critters if they were still alive somehow.

CatNap is possessive of his newfound pal.

He growls and hisses when you try to leave or if you mention any other Toy Mascot.

Even if you did escape, CatNap is hot on your tail, stalking you from the shadows.

Next thing you know the room you're in fills with red mist... you start to hallucinate... the last thing you see before you collapse is the monstrous form of a predatory cat.

Then you wake up back where you once were... with a purple plush cat wrapped in your arms purring away.

It looks like you aren't leaving the claws of CatNap after all....

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

The Quiet Ones 9

No tag lists. Do not send asks or DMs about updates. Review my pinned post for guidelines, masterlist, etc.

Warnings: this fic will include dark content such as dubcon/noncon, and other possible triggers. My warnings are not exhaustive, enter at your own risk.

This is a dark!fic and explicit. 18+ only. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Summary: You live a quiet life, but your peace is fractured by a chaotic man.

Characters: Lloyd Hansen, short!shy!reader

Note: in the land of delulu.

As per usual, I humbly request your thoughts! Reblogs are always appreciated and welcomed, not only do I see them easier but it lets other people see my work. I will do my best to answer all I can. I’m trying to get better at keeping up so thanks everyone for staying with me <3

Your feedback will help in this and future works (and WiPs, I haven’t forgotten those!) Asking for more or putting ‘part 2?’ is not feedback.

Love you all. You are appreciated and your are worthy. Treat yourself with care. 💖

Steam rises around you as you lower yourself into the water. It might be relaxing but your flesh doesn’t meet porcelain. Instead, you lay across the man who sighs beneath your weight. Just as soon as you recline, Lloyd’s arms are around you. 

You flinch as he grabs his other arm and squeezes you close. You tense as he remains completely lax between you. He’s relaxed and confident. He knows he has control. 

“Ah, jellybean, isn’t this nice?” He rocks you with him. “You have no idea how long I’ve been dreaming of this.” He’s right, you don’t. The more he talks, the more you suspect he’s been watching you for longer than you realise. And he talks a lot. “You and I. Happy. Together.” 

He unclutches his hand and it wanders up your naked chest. Goosebumps rise at the reminder of your nudity. He’s the only person who’s seen you like this. He’s the last person you would want to. You squirm as you feel him harden beneath you.  

His other hand walks to your thigh. He tickles your skin and pushes his fingertips firmly into your soft flesh. You shudder as his touch sends a tingle through you. 

“So, since we’re doing this the not-so-fun way, how about a trip to Las Vegas? We can hit a drive-thru chapel then stop at the casino. Gamble a little, fuck a lot--” 

“Vegas?” You echo. “I...” 

“Oh, yeah, you’re classy, aren’t you, bean? Yeah, that’s not right. Vegas. For my wife. Did you know you can get married pretty easily in Hawaii. And it’s gorgeous,” he purrs. “You’ve never been to Hawaii.” 

You wince. Each time he tells you how much he knows about you, you remember how little you know of him. Where did he come from? How did he find you? And what kind of man nonchalantly gasses someone one out after a whole stalking campaign? This is absurd. You just can’t believe it’s real. 

As he fondles your chest, you’re assured that it is very real. 

“Your heart’s racing,” he shifts his hand to spread flat above your tits. “You’re excited. Me too, bean. Me too. I promise, this ain’t just about the sex. Which I am very much rock hard about. No, jellybean, this is about us. About us expressing our love for each other. Sealing it. A pact to be together. Forever.” 

He laughs. You might even call it a giggle. He nuzzles your hair and hums. 

“Look what you’ve done to me. I feel like a teenager. I’m... I’m just... happy. I’ve never been more certain of anything, bean,” he purrs as he flutters his fingers down your stomach. “You know, I always thought marriage was stupid. Women, they were fun. Something to play with.” He pets your pelvis as he speaks. “I know, I know, I won’t mention the past. You don’t need to know about my mistakes. I was lost without you, jellybean. Stupid. Those women. Sluts. They mean nothing.” 

You stiffen and catch his wrist. His splays his fingers, then curls them. 

“I know, I’m getting impatient. Promise, I’ll be your good boy. I can wait.” He hooks his other arm around you. “Tell ya what. We’ll relax, get freshened up, then we can go book our flights, and look for a pretty dress.” He rambles on as you stare at the ceiling in horror. Everything you say is just a hurdle he easily jumps overs, “and some sexy lingerie. Only the best for my, bean, right?” 

It’s a good thing he can’t see your face. As clueless as he is, you think your disgust would be all too obvious.  

🩷

Lloyd has everything ready to go. Tickets, luggage you’ve never seen before, and even a passport. You never had a passport. You never travelled and you could never spare the money for the expense of it. That eerie suspicion rises again. How long has he been plotting to dismantle your entire life? 

The question hardly matters. You can’t go back. He’ll make sure of that. He already has. What is there to go back to? An empty apartment and no job. You doubt the company will buy the ‘oh sorry, I was kidnapped’ excuse. 

As unprepared you are for any of this, the airport is well beyond anything you can bare. As you enter, you’re struck by the sheer number of people and the noise alone is enough to make your ears itch. You stand in line with Lloyd, searching around for any sliver of hope. This is it. You get on that plane, and that’s the end. 

You cover your ears as your head begins to pulse. Lloyd nudges you as the queue moves ahead of him and you pull your luggage along. He hands over the boarding passes and your IDs, then helps get the bigger bags onto a cart. He retrieves his phone and the passports and leads you off towards security with only your carry-on. 

You shrink down as you’re crowded on both sides. Lloyd startles you as he rubs your back. You glance over at him with wide eyes. 

“Once we get through security, we can head over to the diamond long, jellybean. Less crowded there,” he keeps his arm around you, “only the best for wifey.” 

You turn your head straight and stare at the back of the stranger in front of you. You hate this. You never enjoy being among the general public but this is all too much. There’s so much sound and people and moving. It’s chaos. 

You hold your breath until your eyes threaten to bulge. You slowly let air through your nose as your eyes flick back and forth. You want to run but there’s nowhere to go. 

Lloyd ushers you forward and your feet drag. When it’s your turn, you walk through the scanner then stop for them to wave a wand around you. You wait as Lloyd collects his watch, phone, and wallet from the tray. 

He comes to you and takes your carry-on from you. He directs you around as you look around at the people rushing by. Faces blur and voices blare. You only move in hopes of being free of this. 

He leads you through a tunnel and the wall of noise fades behind you. You come into a lobby with a desk labeled Diamond Lounge. A woman greets you with a chirp but it’s much preferable to the chattering and yelling of before. 

Lloyd shows your boarding passes again. The woman says something but you can’t discern her words clearly. You're tugged by your hand into another room. 

The lighting is softer and the space is sectioned by leather seating and mounted televisions, and low tables. There are artificial fires set into the walls and pillows waiting on the cushions. You follow Lloyd to a couch and he sits you down beside him. 

“Hey,” he puts his hand on your shoulder, running his thumb up and down, “jellybean, you okay? You look foggy.” 

You look at him and cough. Your chest aches from holding your breath. You nod and sit back. His hand slips away from you. 

“Bean?” He murmurs. 

You press your tongue to the roof of your mouth. Another woman in a white blazer similar to the one behind the desk appears. She pours two glasses of bubbly wine. You watch her and say nothing. 

She leaves and Lloyd caresses your knee. You stare at his hand. The dress he put on you chafes. You want jeans and a tee shirt. 

“I...” you begin hoarsely, “hate people.” 

He stills his hand and covers your knee, “I know, baby. Me too. We’ll be okay. It won’t be so bad from here.” He drags his hand away and takes the stemmed glasses, “here,” he offers you one. “Cheers.” 

You take it and hold it up. He clinks his against it but you do not drink. He sips but stops himself. 

“This will be good for us, jellybean. Just think, a proper wedding would be overcrowded, overpriced, and overdone. You know,” he leans towards you and grins, “what I love about you, besides the fact that you’re gorgeous from head to tits to ass to toe, is that you like simple things.” 

You blink at him and take a gulp. This isn’t just a flight or a shotgun wedding, this is your whole life. This man, this maniac, is never going to let you go. 

“You need anything? You hungry? You want a blanket? You can relax, baby--” 

You think about that more. He’s as good as giving you a life sentence. With him. It’s not just terrifying, it’s enraging. He’s enraging. He never stops. 

“I need you to shut up,” you snap without thinking. 

He recoils and his brows arch, “jellybean?” 

Your mouth opens and you stare at him. You wait for him to explode. To say something. He just looks at you, stunned. 

“I said shut up,” you repeat shakily. 

“Oh? I’m sorry, bean. I know you get a bit stressed from everything going on--” 

“Shut.” You trace a finger through the air, “up.” 

He takes a breath then shuts his mouth. He nods and pouts. He bats his eyes at you and sits back. You watch him uncertainly. He just looks back at you. You turn your attention to the glass of wine and drain it. 

Finally, some peace and quiet. 

🩷

Every little girl, every woman dreams of their wedding. Don’t they? 

No. Not you. Not ever. Never. Not in a million years. And to that man? 

To your surprise, the plane ride is quiet. You have your first-class seat and a pair of earbuds and an almost worryingly quiet neighbour. Since you barked at him to stop talking, Lloyd has obeyed. The longer he stays silent, the more you worry.  

Is he angry? You don’t want to care if he is but this man is dangerous even if he is ridiculous. He did gas you out of your former life. 

You disembark and he gets the bags. All of them. He’s suffocatingly servile. He loads the rental car and opens the passenger door for you. The only words he utters are ‘jellybean’ or some other redundant pet name. 

You chew your lip as you stare out the window. It’s gorgeous. It takes until that moment for reality to hit. You’re in Hawaii. You’re far away from home. Further than you’ve ever been. The beauty of the island battles with your displacement. 

The hotel is just as immaculate as the rest of the scenery. Lloyd checks you in and sends for the bags. You go to the balcony and stare off at the ocean as he fumbles around the suite. 

“On its way?” He says into the phone. “Yeah, that’s great. And the minister? Mmhm, yes, right on the beach.” 

You slump and cross your arms. You want to just fold into yourself. Maybe if you bash your head against the window... 

“Jellybean,” Lloyd calls to you. You cringe at the glass doors and turn your head slightly. He approaches, almost demure in his posture. “I don’t want to ruin our special day but there are a few things we still need to get ready for tomorrow.” 

You face him fully and stare. Now he wants your input? 

“You know I love you, right, bean?” He says, his lips twitching. He smooths his mustache with his fingers then shakes his hand out. You don’t have an answer, just an endless stare. “I’d do anything for you.” 

Love? Really? Right. He knows you as much as you know him. Not much. He might know about you, but he doesn’t really know you. And do anything for you or to you? Or to keep you? Because none of this is what you want. 

“Your dress will be your something new, and something old is your ring. Did I mention it belong to Elizabeth Taylor?” He smiles sheepishly, “so you just need something blue... I was thinking a garter? And something borrowed...” He puts his hands together and wiggles free his pinky ring, “you can try it on? Or just put it on a chain.” 

You squint at him. He’s crazy. That’s obvious but he really is. He thinks this is a dream come true. Not just his, but yours. This is an actual nightmare. 

“Well...” he takes your hand and presses the ring into your palm. “I know you need to rest before the big day so there’s some wine and whatever in the mini fridge. I can get you some champagne? Or something else? Are you hungry?” 

You shake your head and pull your hand from his. You turn away and look back through the window. You watch the coast and the peaceful lapping of water. You can’t be there right now, not mentally. So in your head, you’ll run out into the waves until they swallow you up. That’s much preferable. 

“Jellybean,” he says, “I’ll shut up now.” 

[serxndgifites]

(#116 GIFS OF TAREK YASSIN ' TAZ SKYLAR ' in GASSED UP 2023 )

in the SOURCE below you'll find #116 gifs (sized 268x150) of TAZ SKYLAR as dubz in the film gassed up. all gifs were made by me and are for roleplaying purposes. he's hispanic, lebanese , and caucasian. please cast accordingly and use appropriately! feel free to make into gif icons, add psd coloring, add into edits. please DON'T claim as yours and add to other gif packs. reblogs and likes are appreciated!! enjoy.🫧 TRIGGER WARNING : KISSING & WEAPONS.

[ask-the-critters-survival-au]

Let us see the tea hoppy

Okay so quick note before I show this post to you guys. In this post, Kickin writes down some s*icidal thoughts that may or may not be triggering to some of you guys. If it triggers you, I advise you not to read. I’m so sorry if this trigger warning applies to you. I hope you have your time to heal. ❤️

…What the fuck? N-No…this was after I left. I think I skipped a little too far. I’m gonna go back a bit. “November 4, 1997. Bubba got gassed. Badly. I’m so worried about him. We don’t even know why, we just walked in the room and there he was, laying on the ground with scratch marks all over him. How could CatNap have done such a thing? He’s sick. Just sick. I’ve been taking care of him now. I don’t want to leave his side. I’m worried that if I leave for a moment that something will happen to him. Hoppy’s been making me stay active. Sometimes she’s the only reason I keep going on. It’d be so easy just to end it all. She’s there for me though. I love her. God, I love her. I never want anything to happen to her. But I know something’s going to happen to her. That something’s going to happen to all of us eventually. When it happens to her though, it’s gonna happen to me next. I promise it will.”

[kirbybecomesastarwarrior]

Alright, we're going to be entering some murky territory. And I do advise you (if you are not kept up with the lore please read

The Wart of Them All, Prologue & Lady Celestine's Bio

I still wanted to put this out there as a common courtesy.

I watered down the original script to make it safer... so that everyone could read it nothing too graphic but super emotional (since this contains important lore for both Arthur & Celestine)... But just so nobody misses out on lore here is the safe comic clip.

@kirbyoctournament

The Start of Something Great

Before their official meeting, Celestine was just known as an unknown rogue vigilante without a name (and had intended to keep it that way). It wasn't until she received Kirby's prediction she (and realizing she was running out of time) had to make contact and step into the spotlight...

She spent a week prior preparing for this first meet-up to find "the Match...." in her prediction. But she forgot to give her "Rouge Mage Self " a proper name... whoops.

~

And background info on Arthur's situation with Uther.

Trigger Warning: The following will contain (Implied-physical) and, emotional abuse. So if you are sensitive to the following topic, please tread carefully.

Other than that please continue reading the uncut comic if you choose to... and enjoy the story~

The Start of Something Great

Stay tuned for the continuation~ (Merlyned- basically the first time Celestine & Arthur officially meet)

Prev. (Prologue)- Next

~

Anonymous asked:

What do you mean by Sir Uther kept Sir Arthur starved for affection... what exactly does it mean?

~

I spent so much time rewriting the script being... tried to be careful with the characterization for everyone. The uncut comic strip is mostly getting into the topic of why Arthur was so brainwashed by Uther for so long and answering this question.

So in summary:

Originally he was the weakest... and one day managed to become the strongest and became Uther's righthand. And receives the first piece of affection from Uther. A simple pat on the head. And it was these small moments of praise and acceptance that Arthur lived for... even though he was living for scraps. The guy was basically putty in Uther's hands...

To confirm Sir Arthur is the creator of the sword beam... and it was created just to impress this heartless man. And you can tell how vain Uther is: even as he's rewarding Arthur the man is gassing himself up. (UTHER YOU SUCK!)

Uther always made Arthur feel he had to earn ... his place, cause he could so easily take it away.

Apart from Arthur always knew he was being used by Uther, but he had been at the bottom for so long... and he was so afraid to be thrown away again.

Celestine was the first person to give him real unconditional love...

Well, I hope you all enjoyed the story... I'm really having a blast competing in the tournament. I'm getting so much inspiration for my story thank you for riding this wave with me.

Took longer than I thought but I just wanted to make sure it was the best version it could be. More content soon! I can't wait to share the next part of the story... Look forward to it!

[they-them-that]

The mishandling of Jinx's mental health/illness

Trigger warning: s*cide, depression, ableism, ptsd

(edit: I did a bit of rewriting to make the post more cohesive but the same points are made for anyone looking back and seeing changes)

There were a lot of issues with the Arcane season finale. Writing quality aside; discarding the Undercity storyline in favour of an apolitical conflict (Viktor and Ambessa), the "we just need good cops" agenda, the unaddressed abuse that transpired between Cait and Vi, the questionable difference between how Ambessa (an older butch black woman) and Caitlyn (a young feminine wasian) were treated committing the same offences, the overall disjointment of the black characters' storylines, the poor portrayal of physical disabilities and prosthetic limbs, and probably more... What I want to focus on right now is Jinx's storyline and the absolutely harmful trope of "redemption through sacrifice".

In the first arc, Vi believed Jinx had to die and told Caitlyn to "take the shot" when the opportunity rose, essentially consenting to Caitlyn killing her sister and not considering peaceful alternatives (as if that's her choice to consent to). When Jinx calls out Vi for turning "blue belly" and gassing the Undercity, Vi responds that "she's not taking responsibility for Jinx's actions anymore" even though these are Vi's actions. She also tells Jinx that it's Jinx who "killed her sister".

In the second arc, Vi calls Jinx "delusional" and says "at least our parents will never get to see what a psycho their daughter turned into". She also refers to Jinx's psychosis as "fantasies" and treats it like an annoyance rather than a real mental illness Jinx can't control.

I get that Vi doesn't understand the complexities of Jinx's mental illness, she's mad with her and it's understandable, she's not gonna forgive terrorism. Jinx also ended up putting Vi through an abusive and traumatic experience at the end of season 1 so there's no reason for her to be sympathetic towards her. However, I did find the way Vi talked to Jinx to be... triggering as someone who has experienced gas lighting and made to feel like my own mental illnesses made me delusional or bad.

The language Vi used was ableist!

It ends up feeding into the harmful idea that mentally ill people are dangerous and need to be eradicated rather than victims of circumstances who need support, resources, and human empathy. Although yes, everyone is responsible for their own actions and human empathy can only go so far, associating a lack of morality with mental illness and seeing it as an individualistic moral failure is ridiculously harmful! I've been constantly seeing the internet diagnose random people with narcissism, bipolar disorder and even schizophrenia because they act in ways that aren't considered socially acceptable or they do something problematic (not all being intrinsic or only explainable through mental illness!). Even worse is that none of these diagnoses come from a place of concern or well meaning, it's an insult and it's to justify bullying and devaluing these people because of the idea that mentally ill people are too "far gone" to be worth compassion. It's an incredibly dehumanizing and ableist stigma that still persists. Mentally ill people still deserve to be listened to!

If Vi was gonna be mad at Jinx, she could've just stuck to the terrorism and her working for Silco, actual tangible actions worth holding her accountable for. Weaponizing her mental illness isn't that, it's just plain ableism!

Finally, we get to the end where Jinx and Vi can finally properly heal and rebuild their relationship but Warwick loses control and Jinx ends up sacrificing herself to save Vi. The s*icide ideation song picks back up as she makes the sacrifice...

At the end of the second act, Jinx loses Isha and Vander and we end up spending the entire third season seeing Jinx lose the will to live and it's incredibly distressing. We see depression eat her alive, we see her harming herself picking at her nail bed, we see her asking Cait to kill her already. We get a soundtrack literally about accepting death while Jinx attempts to take her life in slow motion with artistic visuals. Then we see her pull the pin multiple times as Ekko rewinds time. Big yikes! This isn't the first time Arcane portrayed s-cide attempts/ideation (Jayce, Viktor, Marcus) however the way it's done with Jinx felt far more brutal and romanticized that genuinely distressed me.

What keeps Jinx alive for a little longer is... joining a war. Prior to Jinx's s-cide attempt, Vi tells Jinx she can essentially redeem herself if she helped Piltover in their war against Noxus. Jinx very clearly heads off to k herself instead yet Vi interprets it as Jinx refusing to risk her life to protect her oppressors as if that's a crappy thing of Jinx to do. We later end up seeing Jinx helping in the war, redeeming herself again to Vi, as if she has to make herself useful to be of value.

I hate this ending, it doesn't even matter if she possibly survived in the end. What's insinuated is that her s-cide was inevitable and even necessary for her to be redeemed and find peace. The "Sacrificing yourself for redemption" trope is already bad enough as is but the fact that we've seen Jinx want to escape life makes it far more upsetting because it ends up being posed as the ideal ending for Jinx. This also perpetuates the idea that our worth is in our value to society; Jinx, a mentally ill impoverished hazbin with no one left, needed to be sacrificed for Vi, someone who's already met her potential to society with a partner, career, and patriotic conviction.

All of this ends up telling me that being mentally ill causes the suffering of people around me and that their suffering is on my conscience. That I should be expendable for them to make up for it. It's fucked up, I hate seeing Arcane perpetuate these ideas from the perspective of Vi who's values are portrayed as absolute. Joining the war and helping Piltover was the "right answer". Let's just forget there was supposed to already be a civil war between Piltover and the Undercity where Jinx was on the "wrong side", the thing that catalyzed Vi's ableist.

I needed a story of someone like Jinx, someone so misunderstood and traumatized, to find happiness and not just in an alternate universe or some hint that she might be alive. It was so painful to watch Jinx be robbed of any meaningful connections and relationships in a way that felt like she was being punished for how she turned out. When mentally ill people are socially isolated and vilified, we desperately need stories that allow them to bathe in the sunlight. I'm so deeply upset and heartbroken that Arcane ended up following an immensely ableist troped "fate" for Jinx...

[gremoria411]

If I may, I’d like to use this sentiment as a springboard into the question of “Why are Zeon used as Protagonists so often in Universal Century Works?”

Enemy soldiers in Gundam were always shown to have some form of personality and even humanity, making them personable, affable and giving their deaths tragedy and meaning - emblematic of real-world wars, where there are heroes and tragic deaths on both sides. By humanising Zeon and establishing them as fighting for their own cause, it demonstrates that the “other side” is motivated by the same things as our protagonists, furthering the notion of war being this uncontrollable, hopeless thing that man is drawn into, as opposed to being master of.

So, Zeon then. They’re the villains of the piece, and obviously have heavy influence from WWI and WWII Germany (aesthetically they’re more WWI, but Gihren and the Island Iffish Gassing place them firmly in WWII territory). The fact that the Iffish Gassing is downplayed compared to Operation British proper (IE the Colony Drop) is something I would like to see addressed at some point, but a lot of our series protagonists are from Earth, so the Colony Drop itself affected them more. (I think Shiro Amanda from 08th MS team is stated to be an Iffish Survivor, but I don’t really recall it ever coming up). I think it’s main failing is that it’s typically a background detail (with the notable exception of The Origin), and thus very rarely addressed. Island Iffish is also particularly important because it demonstrates that Zeon’s lofty Ideals of Colonial Independence from the Earth Federation are not held on all levels, seeing the colonies as tools to be used in their war against the Earth Federation, not brothers in arms. In brief; Zeon Footsoldiers yelling about independence? Probably Genuine, since they would likely believe in Zeon Zum Deikun’s philosophy. The Zabi’s or Zeon High Command yelling about it? Probably a motivational smokescreen and nothing more. Both Zeon and the Earth Federation also used nuclear weapons during the early stages on the One Year War, which is the main thing that led massive population losses, in addition to Operation British. I bring this up specifically to illustrate that while neither side are angels, Zeon has more atrocities to its name.

(Note: it was later revealed that at least some of the forces (IE Cima Garahau’s team) carrying out the Iffish Gassing were lied to by their commanders, being told that they would be using sleeping gas to allow the colonists to be freely evacuated. It’s not clear how prevalent this was though, so I’m only noting it here to cover all my bases)

So. We have a large army of idealists, fighting for what they believe is a just cause, in an unfamiliar environment, with command that ranged from the incompetent to the fractious. We can neatly contrast these characters to other members of Zeon who are considerably more kill-crazy, showing how war affects some people (and providing an opportunity for our characters to stick to their ideals). Alright, alright, what else?

Speaking of Zeon High command - while they are full of personality that makes them fun to watch, they’re not really that important to Amuro’s story. With the sole exception of Dozle (Garma is killed largely by accident), he never really meets any of them. They’re comparatively a background element. As such, this provides an excellent opportunity for expansion. Garma’s Forces are young and Idealistic, Dozle’s forces are tough and Honourable, Kycilia’s forces are cunning and sneaky, while gihren’s forces are wild and fanatical. There’s also ample opportunity to sneak in a Zeon commander working under one of them, and have them take actions (Kycilia sponsored Noisy Fairy, the Invisible Knights and the Midnight Fenrir Corp, and that’s just off the top of my head). It works very well from a storytelling perspective if you want a small, tight-knit commando team with varying skillsets and some fancy units (IE Efreets). It even has historical precedent, way waaaaay back in the early Gundam setting books, we learn about Johnny Ridden and the Chimera Corps, Zeon’s own, personal squadron of Crack-aces, who got the Early Production Gelgoogs.

Okay okay, so cool Mobile suit designs (so we sell lots of models), interesting and conflicting commanders, which enables us to say something about the personality of our force in shorthand. Historical precedent of a *Bunch* of prior special forces teams (even with mobile suits, the Earth’s a big place, plenty of room for others), even a doctrine that favours them (The Earth Attack force does brilliantly until the Battle of Odessa, whereupon they’re soundly beaten on Earth. Any forces that couldn’t evacuate would be largely cut-off from support and forced to adopt Guerilla tactics. Furthermore, they’re fighting defensively against a superior foe, since by this point the Federation has mobile suits of their own, and that’s the sort of adversity that can make for an interesting story. It shows a reversal of fortunes of the characters part, mirroring the wider problem that Zeon is having). But surely it wouldn’t be such a stretch to apply some of this to the Earth Federation forces too? Gundams and GM’s are cool too after all.

Ah, and here (in my opinion) we come to the crux of it, the reason why Zeon are protagonists (or at the very least, interesting antagonists a La 0083, so often).

Pathos.

We, as the audience *know* that Zeon will lose the one year war. The absolute best fate for these characters is to retire once the war is over and never pilot again. But it throws everything they do in a new light. The bright-eyed, young pilot who is horrified by the war? All the more tragic, because it was all for nothing. The political officer who’s a hard-line Gihren-loyalist? Well, they’re in for a rude awakening. One of my favourite Gundam manga with Zeon as the protagonists is Acguy: 2250 Miles across America. Because it shows these two characters just trying to reach evacuation off earth before they’re stuck. It’s not one of the many things detailed above no, but it casts them as human above all else. They don’t decide to go out in a blaze of glory fighting the federation. It’s the story of their evacuation, and the adventures they get into on the way there.

It’s a lot easier to sell the tragedy of war if the situation is already bleak for our characters. The Earth Federation starts out bleak, then gets better with the introduction of mobile suits. Zeon starts off great, then gets bleak with the introduction of enemy mobile suits. However, on a small-scale, the introduction of Zeon’s new, shiny and highly-marketable advanced mobile suits (IE Efreets) can tip the tide on a small scale, enabling them to appear badass even as Zeon is losing the wider war.

I’m excited for Requiem of Vengeance, but I really wish we got more Universal Century content that wasn’t the One Year War.

[widowsofchaos]

8 with steve rogers please🥺🥺♥️ thank you

𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐢𝐧

synopsis: a mission goes wrong, and all there is left is pain. but, there’s always light.

ao3

a/n: “You take me instead, do you hear me? Give her back and take me instead!” requested 8 from this dialogue prompt list, with Steve Rogers. sorry tumblr ate the inbox message.

warnings: mention of SA, ptsd, minor angst, recovery.

The ruins of ghosts’ past haunt you.

You were once as pure as a church, clean and holy —- now desolate, abandoned, and corrupted. Ruined. Broken pews where little children once bowed their little heads in prayer.

All these disregulated nerves alight with fire, and terror. Cautiously awaiting for the monsters to come out of the darkness, and finally devour the remaining carcass.

Five months ago.

Armed to the teeth with strapped weaponry, and confidence. An abandoned Hydra base left to rot in the middle of wilderness.

Cautious steps tread the corridors with precision, and stealth. As your husband was scouting the other end of the base, he entrusted you to be safe.

Found a laboratory, old vials of chemicals, and gasses. Dead silence hung over you as a wet blanket—- ears straining, faint footsteps near.

It was a blur.

All you can recall was the acidic scent of gas, shouting, a kick to your ribs, and your name being shouted through your comm.

His sweet voice bellowing, pleading for your life, sweet Steve. ‘You take me instead, do you hear me? Give her back and take me instead!’

Held onto those words wound tight, as if you could weave them between your fingers from it’s vibrations, pull the static itself and wear it as brass knuckles.

Endless days of pain, stripped of your sanity, stripped to the marrow of nothingness. Girlflesh licked and bit at, one eye swollen shut, and upper lip plumped to a ripe bruise.

Split knuckles, torn and raw. Calculated blows bled to feral clawing, and biting, punches earning cherry stained ivories. Pinned to the cold floor by your wrists, and ankles by filthy palms, multiple men snickering in German, as they hovered over you, thrusting as swine.

Locked away to rot, no sunlight, no fresh air, only the stale scent of your urine, and … other bodily fluids. Every few hours, another agent came, and beat your weakened state.

It was hell.

Time was nothing but imagination.

Until finally, yells and gunfire erupted from the outside. A man’s skull smashed against the door, bursting the metal door wide open.

Light surrounded his blonde tresses as a halo. Towering over you, with soft hands.

He gently held your body, causing you to shrill in agony. Steve silently cried over you, whispering ‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry’ under his breath, pleading for forgiveness for every wail that seeped from you.

Steve held you all through the ride on the jet. Friday’s monitors checking over your vitals, and not even blinking away.

Once the doctors at the compound told him the extent of your injuries, and what was found inside of you. He nearly broke into a rampage that only settled with Bucky tackling him into a bear hug.

The mental scars weren’t healing. You felt pathetic, and weak. You never lost control.

Tiresome training that stretched itself through hours, day after day, demanding for the most brutal discipline from Natasha. Demanding for more and more, barely any water breaks—- for a moment to breathe.

Compulsive need to feel the pain, to bare your teeth in reaction, triggering fear which led to lashing out and screaming—- and a concerned Natasha.

Eventually, this habit led to a halt with a towering Natasha hissing, enough . Her green eyes lidded, with concern. Hands at the jut of her hips.

“Replacing the grief with aggression, isn’t going to fix it.”

“How would you know? You’re the world’s deadliest woman.” You snarked back, monotone and sarcastic.

A pregnant silence.

“I wasn’t always.”

Her tone is soft, and speaks with an unspoken feeling. You understood, but didn’t dare ask. Ending the conversation at that.

And it was never brought up again.

-

Sex only brought revulsion, not towards Steve. But towards yourself, all you saw was ugliness. A mere touch brought you back to that dark cell.

Vices became familiar habits again, smoking, and rarely eating.

Every-time he touched you, you cried. Bawled as a child, hysterically. Hyperventilating as all he can do is watch, and guide you through it, just like the therapist instructed.

Days not spent on training, are held up in your bedroom, blankly staring up at the ceiling, tailbone aching from oversleeping.

The waves of stress crash against the strong willed ship that is your marriage. Irritated to even talk, disconnected from everyone, every mirror has been smashed.

Now you lay here, in the dark.

From the corner of your oculus, faintly in the crevices of your mind, there is an inky black mass—— just staring, always near.

And yet, somehow, you’re convinced that it’s real, that you must respond to the plaguing thoughts; but the body doesn’t recognize false visions, only fear.

The bedroom door quietly opens. Taking most of the entrances' space, divine shoulders squared, and those knowing blue pools with murky green swirls.

Coiffed blonde hair, and tender blue eyes. A nose that rivals a roman god, a man that would be mounted in a church, the face of a saint.

Your saint.

Century old eyes that seen more than it can bear, ever so knowing. Perhaps, he heard your thoughts, and came to your aid.

His footsteps dull against the carpet, gently coming towards you. His hand hesitatingly stretches out, unaware if touch is right.

But you yearn for it, silently asking for comfort.

Gently his hand lays on your chest, circular rubs to soothe the haggard breathing. Shooing away the bad thoughts as a mother would.

“Deep breaths.” Steve says, “It’s okay.” Filling your chest with gusts of air, being guided by his voice, with the lulling twang of that Brooklyn accent.

You want to break through the fog. You yearn to heal these angry wounds.

Watery sigh escapes you, eyes never leaving the ceiling, and for a fleeting moment, you wish you died in the cell. Then maybe, you wouldn’t subject your husband—-

“Mama?”

—- and your daughter to your troubles.

A creek at the door is followed by small footsteps. Her small body shuffles and ruffles on the blanket at the edge of the bed, quickly lifted by Steve by her belly.

Steve gently shushes her, a reminder saying, ‘be careful, remember, mommy isn’t well’. Soft snuffles, and grunts follow with each tug of the blanket, and your legs as support.

Climbing over your body, your daughter’s little chubby hands dents onto the flesh of your body. Slowly the black mass evaporates, its suffocating presence dissipates into nothing.

As a fog clears from your mind, and a small smile forms at the corner of your mouth. Steve smiles a little, his hand caressing her little head.

“Mama, are you okay?” Her baby voice lulls you, and brings tears to your eyes. “Yeah,” your voice raspy, “Mama’s okay.” Nodding weakly.

What was it your therapist said, again?

‘There’s always light at the tunnel. You just have to find it.’

Her little cherub brown cheeks puffed, and plump. Ripe for kisses. Her little fingers toying with your face.

‘And if that light isn’t your husband,’

Your eyes gaze up at Steve, love emitting from his blue hues. Your weak hand shakingly moves to his cheek, he leans into your touch, closing his eyes.

‘Then I’m damn sure, it’s your little girl.’

Slowly, your eyes sheen wet at the brim, looking at such innocence. Untainted, and pure. Life doesn’t end, it just changes, like the seasons. Some good, and some bad.

‘You don’t have to heal today, and I don’t expect you to heal tomorrow. But remember what we have created. She’s so much more than us.’ Steve’s words from therapy ring in your mind.

It doesn’t end.

“I love you, mama.”

You inhale a watery breath, smiling from ear to ear. A relief curling in your chest.

“I love you too, my little bubble.”

[enhashoutout]

Plot Holes in High and Low We Need to Discuss

@tiredlittlewriter always gassing me up 🤭🫶🏼 @cheshirecatuniverse @mrskenpachizaraki @books-n-guns

Thank you so much everyone tagged for staying up and talking about the movies with me last night😂❤

Trigger warnings before you start reading, this ramble posts contains spoilers for the movies, cuss words, mentions of character d3aths, mention of SA that happens to a character, and other violence and cr!me associated with the H&L franchise. Please don't read if you do not want to see any of these.

Anywaysssas as you can tell by the title of this post and this screenshot, we are talking about plot holes in the High and Low franchise that we need to talk about because they BUG THE SHIT OUT OF ME.

I would like to start by saying that I do love this franchise, it is my everything. It's not like I have anything bad to say about it, I love it as it is, but some of the stuff within the franchise definitely could've been more thought out. It could've been worse! So I am thankful it wasn't bad but there are some things I wish the writing team did a little differently.

Also, I do attribute a lot of the plot holes to 1) the creators not being entirely sure whether or not they would get a green light on more movies, 2) trying to make sure the movies made money (it's a business unfortunately and not just art), and 3) High and Low is a multi-media franchise so some stuff is probably explained in the mangas, TV shows, games, etc. I will contradict myself and discuss this more in detail as we keep going.

These are in no particular order, just what comes to mind first

S.W.O.R.D Era

1)Noboru and Miho's story

I have beef with whoever on the H&L writing team thought that condensing the 2 seasons of Story of S.W.O.R.D into Road to High & Low was a good idea. "It's both seasons condensed into one movie" THAT'S A FUCKIN LIE. So much of what is in the shows is cut out from the movie.

Tell me why I learned here on Tumblr that Noboru actually spent a while in a coma in the hospital after getting body slammed by a Kuryu car? And then Cobra and Yamato had to do the "IF YOU DIE I'M GONNA BE SO MAD AT YOU" speech you always see in Asian dramas to get Noboru to wake up?!

And tell me why I learned from a fanfic on Wattpad that Miho isn't dead?! She literally comes to visit Noboru while he's in the hospital. Road to High & Low frames the situation to make it look like Noboru goes to beat up Miho's SA perpetrators after he finds he d3ad in her apartment. Then when I brought this up a couple weeks ago the Discord besties told me she broke up with him through a letter😭 A LETTER GIRL?! HE WENT THROUGH ALL THAT FOR YOU! IF I WAS YOU I WOULD'VE KEPT HIM. NOBORU. GIVE ME YOUR HAND IN MARRIAGE PLEASE GOOD SIR💍 (I'm completely joking I don't think anyone is entitled to another person's feelings, love, affection, etc. I'm just delusional because I love Noboru and Keita Machida)

Then I learned last night from Discord that Miho needs serious therapy because she was working for Doubt and it was addressed in season 2 of the show. Like HUUUH?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN?!

I do think the storyline between them as a couple and their stories individually definitely could've been explored and explained more. It was probably explained better in the show than RTH&L but I don't have access to the show so idk... which brings me to my first contradiction!

LDH AND EXILE TRIBE PLEASE MAKE YOUR MEDIA MORE ACCESIBLE GOSH. IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SUB IT THAT'S FINE AT LEAST MAKE IT EASIER TO FIND SO THAT WE CAN GET FAN SUBS OR I CAN JUST WATCH THE RAW FOOTAGE AND PRETEND I KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING. There's so many films like the 2 DTC films, the Mighty Warriors film, the shows, even the manga that a lot of us don't have access to😭 Yes this franchise is multi-media but at least make the media accessible😭

2) Mighty Warriors working with Doubt

In the first and second High & Low movie MW and Doubt work together... AND THAT LITERALLY DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE. Last I checked Mighty Warriors don't fuck with tr@ffickers in general so I don't even know why this happened.

And last I checked, MW rescued Sarah from Doubt so why would they work with Doubt when one of their members was literally a Doubt victim? That just doesn't make sense to me. Like yes the MW tend to just take up whatever whack-ass jobs for money they can get considering they fought with literal children (Oya and Rude Boys. I'm like 99.9% sure the Rude Boys members were all 16-19 and that is the age of children. Smoky might've been 20-22 which is not exactly a child but he's still young compared to the MW who were all mercenaries and in the military before they were musical bandits alluding to the fact they are older) but you would think that people who claim to have a club that is a utopia with music that is supposed to impact people positively and save their lives just like music saved the MW members' lives, they would have more moral and standards than to work with Doubt.... but I digress.

3) The alliance with a foreign mafia

This one I can kind of understand but also can't.

I understand that MW take up whatever job they can to make money. It's said directly multiple times in the movies by a MW member that there is no use doing a job for someone without getting paid so they do a lot of stuff just for the money. I also understand Doubt take whatever job pays them but also benefits their tr@fficking business. Hence why they took this job because not only were they getting paid by Lee who runs the Korean mafia but they could kidnap women in the S.W.O.R.D district which worked in their favor.

What I can't understand though is how this alliance even came to be. Hear me out. MW and Doubt will probably do whatever to get money, but where did the trust come from? Like how did they trust that a foreign mafia of all people would uphold their deal and pay them? Was it because Kohaku was made the front-man/face of the plan? Like did they believe that it would be fine because Kohaku was the one "leading" even though it seemed like Lee was pulling a lot of the strings? DOES KOHAKU EVEN HAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO BE PAYING EVERYONE?! I SWEAR EVERY TIME WE SEE HIM THAT MAN IS JUST LAYING ON A SOFA IN A JUNKYARD! WDYM DOUBT AND MIGHTY WARRIORS BELIEVED THIS MAN WAS THE ONE WHO WAS GONNA GIVE THEM MONEY?!

4) Who the fuck are Bulge? And what happened to Kuryu?

In End of Sky, we learn that Bulge are interested in the fight between Doubt, Prison Gang, and White Rascals and would sponsor Prison Gang. That's why the scene where we see Jesse fighting with another prisoner, after he kicks him down the guards tell Jesse that Bulge wants to see him to. This is why Jesse and Prison Gang are released early. When Jesse goes back to Funk Jungle he's asking if Mighty want to join but Ice says that they are gonna focus on promoting Funk Jungle, but like he's a liar they show up at the fight anyways lol.

A the end of Final Mission, the movie closes off with a dramatic shot of Mighty Warriors and a typed out message stating "Hello, everyone. This is Bulge. The takeover plan has begun." We never get an explanation of who they are, what they do, etc. I did learn from Ryu's Wiki Fandom page however that "It is presumed that he and Bulge orchestrated the fall of Kuryu Group. In the music video of the MIghty Warriors' new song "Warriors Anthem", it is revealed that he took over Kuryu as the leader after the events of Final Mission, and having Mighty Warriors occupy the remaining 8 heads of Kuryu."

So who exactly are Bulge? How are they powerful enough to be able to take down all of the original Kuryu members who have been seen as indestructible the whole franchise? Why did they allow Ryu to be the new leader?

After Final Mission, the next media pieces that were released were the DTC show and DTC movie, and then we moved into The Worst era with High&Low: The Worst Episode 0 along with the two Worst movies that followed.

I had made the assumption that around the start of the Worst era the creators probably wanted to integrate more of Jr.Exile into the franchise because of their 1) popularity and 2) new stories. The popularity of Exile members like Hokuto and Kazuma would probably bring in more viewership which does good on the numbers and money side because as I said above, unfortunately this is also a business not just art. The H&L creators probably also needed new stories to follow because they can't keep adding to S.W.O.R.D

Vis said that they think the Mighty Warriors were probably dropped because we haven't seen anything from them since the third movie, but Taiga also brought up how the new Mighty Warriors music video was also dropped right around the time the most recent movie Worst X was released. This probably means they are trying to figure out the story within S.W.O.R.D behind the scenes and it's just taking a while to do the world building. Tired also brought up a good point that considering most of the actors in H&L are also Exile members, they have to also continue their jobs as artists so tours, making music, schedules, etc. are probably also clashing with filming and working on High and Low.

Hopefully that is the case and we see more because I have too many questions and no answers.

5) Wtf happened to Rude Boys, Nameless City, and Nikaido?

If you read my fics, you know that when I write about Nameless City after Smoky's passing, I write about how the Rude Boys, Lala, and Eri go and visit Smoky's grave all the time. About a month ago the besties in the Discord made it known to me that Smoky's gravesite and like 3/4 of Nameless City was completely blown up. I was like 😧when I read those messages because it wasn't even like a head-canon thing I genuinely thought that only a small section of Nameless City was blown up so we were fine BUT APPARENTLY WE AREN'T FINE. So what does this mean for the Nameless City residents?

Did they get government housing to stay in while they got tested for the disease from the pollution? Did the residents get released back into Nameless City after the whole casino project exposure? If they were released back into Nameless City, are they all just cramming into that little 1/4 of Nameless City that wasn't blown up?

What happened to Rude Boys afterwards? Are they all back in Nameless City? Or did they move to a different area? Where would they go though? Little Asia? Did Eri get adopted afterwards? Are they finding ways to make money like how they mined the crystal to get money to rebuild Nameless City? Do they even want to return to Nameless City considering the pollution from the toxic waste was causing the disease that killed their leader?

Wtf happened to Nikaido/Cain? Is he finally happy now that he purged his past? Was purging his past and killing his brother worth it? If Kuryu was overthrown and taken over by Mighty Warriors, what does that mean for Nikaido? Is he working for them? Was purging his past worth anything if he didn't even gain anything from it because MW took over Kuryu? Again, so many questions and no answers😭

6) Give us a more clear timeline

This isn't a plot hole, just something I wish the creators would do is give us a clearer timeline. We're never given any clear timeline of how much time has past between each movie or even how much time is between the S.W.O.R.D and Worst era. I'm always trying to calculate the timeline or everyone's ages based off of the only two characters we get ages for and Noboru's school timeline.

The only two characters in the whole franchise that we get ages for are Chiharu and Seki. At the start of the series we know that Chiharu is 20 because when he joins Sannoh, in the scene at the bar Cobra offers him a drink but takes it back and says "wait but aren't you underaged?" to which Chiharu replies that he is 20 (which is the legal adult age in Japan) and Tettsu makes fun of him for still being in high school as an adult (in good fun of course not in a mean way).

When we first are introduced to Oya, the narrator tells us that Seki is the oldest part-timer student there at age 25.

Noboru, Yamato, and Cobra were high schoolers while Mugen was still active. This is deduced by the scene where Yamato drops Noboru off in front of the school for the day he takes his exam, then when he opens up his college acceptance letter with them. I'm assuming Yamato and Cobra dropped out to be apart of Mugen and take care of their parents' shops. Then, we see when Noboru starts college but doesn't make it super far into his bachelors degree after getting sent to jail. We don't get to see how long he was in jail for, just that he was released early because Kuryu paid to get him out early.

I always use these ages and Noboru's vague school timeline to try and figure out the character's ages and shit but they are just estimates because we never get clear timelines from the creators. Like why couldn't they at least tell us how much time passed between the end of Final Mission and the start of The Worst?!😭anyways.... onto the next thing

The Worst Era (mainly X)

Like I said in the screenshot, The Worst isn't my favorite movie out of the franchise but I think it was the best executed in terms of plot out of all the movies. The plot was clear, very concise, and relatively had no plot holes. (I haven't seen The Worst Episode 0 so if there is something that is missing plot wise please let me know)

It was fun to see the cross with Housen and the themes and messages we got from not only the plot but also from each character were all really good too. It was a solid movie, no complaints.

The Worst X however... I have questions. It's not to say it wasn't good, I still liked it and obviously it was good considering I watched it with no context and it got me into the whole H&L universe, but I feel like it fell a bit short. There was more the writers could've done for not only plot development but character development.

1)How did that 3 school alliance actually even start?

From the movies, it seems like Kohei Amagai is well known as "the annoying son of the Amagai group". Like EVERYONE knows him and knows he throws around money to get people to work for him. And like yeah, we see when he is able to take control of the school with the beige uniforms because Senomon, Kamasaka, and Ebara are quite literally beating the shit out of them, but how did Senomon get Kamasaka and Ebara to cooperate?

I refuse to believe that Amagai was able to get Kamasaka who fight with weapons like brass knuckles and metal rods and Ebara who are all literal gym bros to join his stupid ass plan with just money. As dumb as I think boys are I don't think Reiji, Ghandi, Shoji, Raijin, or Fujin are actually dumb enough to join an alliance for money. Even if this alliance did win and take over Oya, what would they have done with each other afterwards? Those dudes have so much pride we all know that there is NO WAY they would all continue working under Amagai. Amagai is also stupid as hell if he thought he could be at the top without someone from Kamasaka or Ebara trying to overthrow him if he had taken down Oya like Kohei.... be fuckin for real bitch.

I need more of an explanation to this like someone from the H&L writing room please sit down with me and answer my questions so I can publish it in an interview for all of us we need answers.

2) What the fuck is the story behind Todoroki and the dudes from Ebara?

The whole time Fujin and Raijin are running around screaming about how they're gonna crush Todoroki and I literally sit there like

👁️👄👁️Why? No matter how many times I watch the movies because we never get an explanation! Idk was this in the show? Someone please tell me.

And like the scene after Todoroki beats up Fujin and Raijin, Shoji goes "you're different now" and I'm always like "Different? DIFFERENT HOW?! DON'T BE SHY SHARE WITH THE CLASS PLEASE"

Todoroki responds with something along the lines of "now I have friends to protect" which is so wholesome I love that, but what is the detailed history of him and the guys from Ebara? We never get that explained to us. I remember reading somewhere that Todoroki trained hard to beat his bullies and because he got so strong that's why he always tried to fight for the leader position because he believed he could beat Murayama. I also saw a clip on Youtube where when Murayama is fighting with Todoroki, he sees his old self in Todoroki who is being reckless which probably adds to Todoroki's character development.

Did the guys from Ebara bully Todoroki? Were they old friends who fell apart? Did they just have a bad run in when Todoroki was being a little shit and fought but now hold a grudge because they are teenagers with a lot of pride and anger issues and it's not that deep? Idk🤷‍♀️The thing that bugs me is the fact that their feud was added a solid amount to the plot and why Ebara joined then dropped the alliance so I don't know why we didn't get at least a vague explanation of who these characters are to each other.

3) Questions and what I want to see next movie

This obviously isn't plot holes but just some questions I have and what I want to see in the next installments of the franchise.

Why were these high schoolers doing THE FUCKIN MOST to see who was stronger?! The first time I watched I was so confused because why was this movie serious but also so unserious?! They did not need to be doing all that.

Why didn't Amagai get in any trouble for anything?! Is it because he has money?! Like how did this man commit literal crime and everyone was like okei. He literally kidnapped Tsukasa and tortured him for like half a day and 1 night...

How did Tsukasa not die?! The was literally beat over the head with a metal pipe, kidnapped, tied up, tortured, and then dropped from a balcony. I digress, he probably has plot armor as Sun calls it because how did he not die or at least end up in the hospital for a long time.

I want to see the movies circle back to the S.W.O.R.D plotline so it would be really cool if Amagai's little plan was part of a larger plan to break down the peace in S.W.O.R.D. It wouldn't be the first time the adults used kids to push their agenda. Kuryu originally wanted to use Murayama to tear down the peace in S.W.O.R.D because he used to look up to the man who was the head of Iemura but because he chose not to do it, they went after Noboru.

Maybe MW are thriving as the new heads of Kuryu so someone on the outside is trying to take over and Amagai's family is apart of that. Or maybe his family is trying to gain favor from Mighty and are working for them. Idk but it would be cool if we circle back to S.W.O.R.D and see the new Oya characters have to integrate into the S.W.O.R.D world also.

I also want to see a segment of how Rude Boys and Oya adjust to their new leaders.

I want to see what happened to the rest of S.W.O.R.D after the third movie. We saw Oya in The Worst era but what happened to everyone else? Which I also know these are probably kind of far fetched considering the Exile Tribe member who played Rocky is retired from the entertainment industry now... but a girl can dream I guess.

You made it to the end! Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to read this big rant. This wasn't proof read and is kind of everywhere but thank you for reading it anyways! ❤️

[hannahhook7744]

I Don’t Know Why All The Trees Change In The Fall, But I Know You’re Not Scared Of Anything At All;

Cover:

Summary: Isabela’s son is a mama’s boy. Trigger Warnings: Confusion, fear, jealousy, thoughts of violence, swearing, blasphemy, anger issues, and repeated use of the word ‘stupid’. Encantober 2024: Leaves. The way Isabela is thinking of Pedro is based off this wonderful fic: https://archiveofourown.org/works/37560733/chapters/93751921

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Arlo Emo Marquez Madrigal, son of Isabela Rojas Madrigal and Bubo Marquez, at five years old didn't yet know why all the trees changed in the fall (or why the leaves changed whenever his mother wanted them to). 

Or whether Snow White's house was near or far away. 

But one thing he did know without a doubt was that his mamá wasn't scared of anything at all. He knew this because he'd seen it first hand, on multiple occasions.

He'd seen her chase off the mean old dead fish lady with a cactus after she insulted his mamá’s Tío Bruno. 

He'd seen her chase off his papá’s mean old papá and hermanos with an Épée. 

He's seen her chase the donkey farmer with a chancla after he tried to ask Tía Luisa to help him catch the donkeys again on Christmas morning. 

Arlo had even seen her pick up spiders with her bare hands and had seen her wrestle one of her potato people out of Parce’s mouth  and send the jaguar to the corner. 

So, yeah. Arlo or Mi pequeña flor, as his mamá liked to call him, knew that his mamá wasn't scared of anything at all and he'd even wager all of his allowance with Primo Camilo on it if he hadn't been banned from gambling by his padres. 

Which was exactly why when, during his gift ceremony, his hair went from soft and dry to liquid-y and move-y he ran in terror straight for his madre without even glancing at his door or his siblings’ new doors because he knew she'd protect him from whatever his gift had done to him and make Casita fix it.

And he knew she would because he had the bestest mommy in the Encanto. “¡MAMI! ¡MAMI! ¡MAMI! ¡MAMI!” 

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To Arlo’s disappointment, mamá couldn't fix his hair. 

His hair, that had gone from wavy and curly and pitch black (like both his parents) to teal water with live, moving goldfish in it—because apparently his gift could affect his appearance far more than just making eyes go from hazel to green like it had with Tío abuelo Bruno. 

Arlo hated it. 

He hated his stupid new hair and wanted his cool old hair that made him look like his parents’ clone back. He hated his stupid Hy-dro-kin-esis or his water bending as Tío abuelo Bruno and Primo Cy called it. He hated that his head was always wet and that he could feel the fish moving, and that his papá and mamá couldn't play with his hair anymore. He hated that he couldn't cuddle with his parents or his siblings and cousins without his hair dripping everywhere. 

Arlo hated his stupid water-filled room that drip, drip, dripped non-stop no matter the time of day. He hated how the water rose when he was upset and how people he didn't know in town kept trying to touch his hair. 

He hated everything about his gift and he hated the miracle and he hated Casita and he hated his Tía Mirabel for handing him her magical door knob during the ceremony.  But most of all he hated his siblings and cousins for getting gifts they loved when he was stuck with one he hated that kept giving him ear infections that Abuela Julieta’s food couldn't heal. 

Why did his hermano Miguel Jr (or Smiley or MJ as he had been nicknamed) get to make shields out of thin air? Why did Miguel Jr get to make a shield bubble that he could run into walls with, without getting a boo-boo when Arlo was stuck with water bending?

Why did his hermana Zoey get to talk to and fix machines that he could befriend while Arlo was stuck with water bending?

Why did Princesa get to make different gasses?

Why did Elmira get to play with music and make things happen?

Why did Claudine get to turn invisible and why did Rachel get to make things come to life by sewing?

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Why did Cesare get telepathy and Cornel get to see the dead and Cy get to see the future like Tío abuelo Bruno did?

And why did Rick get to tell when people were lying?

Why was Arlo the only one with a gift he hated?

Why did Casita and the miracle hate him?

He didn't want this gift. He wanted something cool, like being the next miracle holder or his mamá’s gift! Preferably something like his mamá’s gift. Not a dumb ol’ gift that ruined his hair and ruined his room and ruined his cuddles!

Arlo couldn't even draw the leaves on his mamá’s vines and plants anymore without the water from his hair dripping onto his drawing and dampening the paper!

It wasn't fair!

He wasn't even allowed to swim anymore either ‘cause the adults and bigger kids were scared that they wouldn't be able to see him ‘cause of his hair if he drowned. He loved swimming and now he couldn't. 

He couldn't play outside while it was cold either or sleep in someone else's bed with them without getting everything all wet because of his hair anymore either! It wasn't fair. 

It wasn't. 

And he didn't know why his mamá couldn't fix it— didn’t Casita know that his mamá was the bestest mamá and that she had to listen to her? Didn't the miracle know that?

Arlo hated them for not listening to his mamá and he hated that his mean old gift made his mamá sad. He even tried to hide how much he didn't like his power after he saw how much it upset her but the fish haired boy wasn't sure if he was successful because she kept trying to tell him that he'd grow to love his gift to make him feel better.

That abuelo had picked it out just for him. 

That water was the reason her leaves and vines and leaves and flowers and leaves could live. That his water could save her plants in a drought. Whatever a drought was. 

But it didn't make him feel better—because he knew that his mamá was just lying for his benefit; something that only served to make him despise his gift more because it had turned his honest madre into a liar —which he knew was a bad thing because his bisabuela Alma said that lying was rude and not good and not nice, and that they shouldn't lie. 

And if his madre was a liar because of his gift, then his madre was bad and he didn't want his mamá or his papá to be bad. 

But they were. All because of his useless, awful gift.

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“See how green and lively the water makes the leaves, hijo? Isn't it nice?” Isabela asked, trying to keep the desperation out of her voice as she kneeled in front of her five year old with a big fake, painfully forced smile on her face. 

Hoping that her son wouldn't notice that she was trying to fake it till she made it. It, in this case, being love for her son’s gift. 

Since the mad scientist of a florist, quite frankly, despised her poor little son—who was so much like her that it hurt—’s gift. Maybe the artist would have liked the gift given to her little mini-me if Arlo himself had liked it but she would never know because her Arlo didn't like his gift and didn't want it.

El infierno, her little flower had even gone as far as begging for Casita to take it and his room back. 

It killed her and Bubo to see their son in such pain, especially since they had done everything they could think of to ease the boy's misery with absolutely no results other than Arlo trying to hide how much he was rejecting his gift from them. Which neither of them wanted in the slightest. 

Dios, the first thing Isabela was gonna do when she died was strangle her abuelo for giving her poor flower such a dreadful gift—if he was even responsible for this whole ordeal, that was. Not that the artist doubted that her grandfather was responsible for the miracle and their gifts; oh, no she was fairly confident that that was the case ever since Mirabel had suggested it. Mirabel was hardly ever wrong these days and Abuela had even confirmed that it did sound like something her Pedro would do. 

El absoluto imbécil.

And Cornel did say that Pedro had even admitted to being responsible for choosing the gifts each of them had gotten. 

Oh how she couldn't wait to ring his neck for the gifts he'd given her triplets and for the mischievous nature Camilo had undoubtedly inherited from him. El bastardo.

Dios, Isabela hadn't been this mad since she found out while giving birth that she was having triplets. 

Arlo scowled at the potted plant—something he'd never have done before his disaster of a gift ceremony—scrunching up his nose and hugging what was now his stuffed flower. Glaring at the plant as if it had done something to personally offend him as a fish attempted to swim out of his hair. “ No. ”

Oh, juro por Dios, she was gonna murder her abuelo for a second time when she next saw him.

[yanderes-galore]

DogDay vs Catnap from Poppy Playtime rivalry concept??

Sure! As usual, using my form of the characters. Deviates from Canon of course.

☀️DogDay Concept☀️

🌙CatNap Concept🌙

Yandere! DogDay vs CatNap Concept

Pairing: Platonic - Rivalry

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Jealousy, Overprotective behavior, Kidnapping, Blood, Violence, Murder mentioned, Drugging, Isolation, Stalking, Possessive behavior, CatNap eats DogDay in one end, Forced companionship(s)

Naturally, cats and dogs aren't usually big fans of one another.

While these two used to get along, as the years have passed they no longer do.

Far from it, actually.

CatNap becomes a predator, a creature that hunts other toys for food and fun.

DogDay, meanwhile, is a lost pup in the facility ever since all the workers were slaughtered.

There's actually two ways to view the rivalry.

You were a kid of one of the caretakers who created the Smiling Critter experiments.

That, or you were one of the creators of the experiments.

Either way allows both experiments to know you before the Hour of Joy... and potentially after the Hour of Joy.

Before the Hour of Joy, you knew the two experiments and their other friends.

CatNap and DogDay were the main ones who took to you.

If you were a child, the two often acted like babysitters.

Using my version of the two, they often stayed in their plush forms for you, regardless of if you worked there or if you were a child.

DogDay always acted like a guard dog while CatNap would put you to sleep and lay on your lap.

The two originally got along together.

There were some petty arguments, maybe barking and hissing at each other, but the two usually were fine once given attention.

Things are fine in the beginning.

In their young plush state you could look after them well or play with them.

DogDay would always follow you, barking like an excited dog always wanting to play.

CatNap, however, preferred to stay quiet.

He would always crawl onto you and purr when not putting you to sleep.

However, CatNap liked to be the one who put you to sleep then cuddled you.

Back then the two were well-behaved and many paid attention to them.

The smell of vanilla and lavender were always comforting scents during your time at the Playcare.

The only signs of rivalry were the occasional arguments or fights the two had before you separated them and gave them attention.

When you return to the facility after the Hour of Joy?

Everything's different.

Including them.

CatNap is a hunter who stalks through the facility, claiming Playcare as his territory and hunting grounds.

Meanwhile DogDay tries to stay out of the way, scars and blood covering his fur from previous fights.

The two used to never use their monster forms.

Yet once abandoned, it was their safest bet if they weren't hiding.

The other Smiling Critters either died of natural causes or due to them fighting with one another.

Now it's just DogDay and CatNap.

CatNap became the apex predator in Playcare, having a large den and being capable of gassing his prey with Poppy Gas.

DogDay, however, had learned to stay out of the way of the purple cat.

Soon, you make your return to the facility.

The two experiments back where you left them.

You're either a child all grown up who lost their parents here, or an old employee wanting to know where your coworkers went.

One way or another, you come searching for the truth.

Except... You end up finding old friends.

How I imagine the dynamic for the rivalry goes is this;

DogDay acts as your guide through the facility when he finds you again... while CatNap hunts you both down.

CatNap has tried to hunt DogDay down for a long time now.

Yet the dog has managed to evade the cat for the most part.

Most of the time DogDay has had to hide in his smaller form, only using his monster form when necessary.

DogDay finds you by accident... but thankfully he was the one to find you first.

He at first watches you from the shadows, unable to believe you're really... you.

DogDay hasn't seen you, or any human, in years.

All the ones he knew of were dead.

Yet here you are... alive... alone.

Why are you alone...?

DogDay would hesitate on approaching you at first.

Although, once he feels he's scouted out the situation enough...

He approaches in his plush form.

At first, you're nervous as every other toy here has tried to kill you.

Yet despite the scars and the blood... You remember this one...

This is your DogDay.

The reunion is quick yet cute.

You end up scooping the small orange dog into your arms, cuddling him close.

Vanilla and blood fill your nose, a strange combination, yet you can only focus on the adorable hound in your arms as he excitedly nuzzles you.

DogDay becomes your companion after this, refusing to leave the only friend he has now.

Plus... What if CatNap decides to hunt you?

Speaking of which... CatNap no doubt picks up on a familiar scent in his hunting grounds.

From the shadows you are followed by the much larger purple cat, body skeletal as he hunts.

He smells that dreaded dog... but he also smells you.

You are a figure he hasn't seen since he was a much younger cat.

Your scent still relaxes him... Until he notices DogDay nestled in your arms.

The rest of the rivalry would probably go similar to the game... with some changes.

First of all, DogDay is a constant companion you carry around as you explore and try to find an exit.

CatNap isn't hunting you to eat you... No... He's hunting you to keep you to himself.

While both of them have monster forms, a rivalry is a bit one-sided for one reason.

Poppy Gas.

CatNap could easily put you and DogDay to sleep if he wanted to.

Except... The cat has always enjoyed a good chase.

DogDay would lay down his life to protect and care for you.

He's as loyal as a dog can get.

He loves you as his beloved friend, his angel.

There's times when you two think you're alone he's swap to his monster form just to keep you cradled against him when you need a rest.

Although, he prefers staying small to not scare you.

He may also just like being held by you.

DogDay isn't all that violent, but he'd do anything just to make sure you aren't taken.

Unfortunately... CatNap is a clever cat.

He stalks you two like you're both prey... Just so he can pounce when you two think you're safe.

While I personally think CatNap may come out on top in this rivalry, this could go two ways.

CatNap wins... or DogDay wins.

Eventually CatNap is going to get tired of stalking and waiting.

A confrontation would be the peak of this little game you're all playing.

Unfortunately... You're screwed no matter who comes out on top.

Let's talk about the more unlikely option... DogDay.

If CatNap finally decided to pounce and attack you and DogDay, the loyal dog would fight no matter what the outcome is.

Both experiments would fight tooth and nail to keep their beloved friend to themselves.

They've become animals, feral monsters that only know one thing.

Hunt.

Somehow maybe DogDay will come out on top, pulling away from the purple cat with blood around his mouth and paws.

He looks... terrifying after this.

He has his hunting instinct in full swing and only seems to soften once he sees his angel.

I feel, even though DogDay said he'd bring you to the exit and protect you... He ends up turning back on his word once he realizes he no longer has to hide.

He's in control of Playcare now, that and you;ve come back for him... You're all his!

Unfortunately... The dog would no longer wish to bring you home or out of the facility.

He apologizes for betraying you, but he doesn't want to be alone anymore.

Now... Now you have to stay with him.

DogDay promises he'll take care of you...

But your new home becomes Playcare, your loyal hound now at your side for as long as you live.

Then there's if CatNap wins.

He's been waiting ages to properly hunt this dog.

But now... CatNap has a new treat to play with.

CatNap would begin his attack by drugging you both.

With one big breath, Poppy Gas fills the room, leaving you and your loyal dog exhausted...

Before you eventually pass out.

By the time you wake up, you're in the purple cat's den.

He's curled around you, long furred tail wrapped around you like a snake.

You smell lavender wash over you... and the scent of blood... rot

You dread what that means... Yet as you look at the cat's sleeping face, you can see red around his mouth.

He's purring away... He no doubt devoured his friend before taking you in as his precious toy.

It terrifies you, the beast having not only found his prey...

But his old friend.

CatNap will never hurt you, even now he still cares for you.

However, you won't ever see the outside world again.

Once again... Playcare becomes your new home with your new forced furred companion.

Either end is a horrible way to be condemned to your fate.

You wish you could go back in time... to when these monsters were merely cute toys...

In reality, unfortunately, they were probably always monsters in the end... Just waiting to make their move.

[mentallyilllittleguy]

AU where everything in the world is the same, except Soap can read minds. PART TWO (trigger warning for descriptions of gore, violence and extreme levels of stress, anxiety and fear displayed by a character)

Meeting Ghost is what makes Soap's walls of desensitisation come crashing down around him. From the moment he sets eyes on the man, his head is flooded with thousands of images of violence beyond comprehension. He sees himself in Ghost's eyes and the vision burns itself into Soap's retinas, as painful as looking directly at the sun.

In Ghost's mind, he sees his own silhouette. A shape that is vaguely his own, covered in blood spatters, bullet holes riddling his chest, stomach torn open.

It dawns on Soap that this isn't an intrusive thought. It lingers too long, appears too sharp, doesn't feature any real violence - only it's aftermath.

His face is covered in paint. Black and white cuts his features into only a skull, one with blank and glassy eyes. It does not blink like he does. It does not breathe like he does. It does not indicate any form of thought or feeling.

Ghost imagines him dead, and he can't help but wonder why.

There's no time to mull over it before they're up and moving, a thousand other thoughts from team mates invading Soap's mind in the meantime, but despite it all he can't forget the way it felt to see himself in that dark man's eyes. He was dead, torn apart... but why the skull?

---

For months, Soap is haunted by that image. Everytime he stands near Ghost, he sees it as a whisper in his mind, his lieutenant's gruff voice chanting in his ears, "He's dead, he's dead, he's dead."

Soon, he can't take it anymore. The smile on his face hurts too much when it's this fake.

He confronts Ghost in the dead of night. It's stupid, he knows, but he's desperate. He barges into the man's room and slams the door shut behind him, making his presence known.

Ghost wakes up, swinging a knife in front of him, his eyes flying open.

And suddenly, Soap isn't himself. He's a middle aged man, tall and thin, with the hollow face of a junkie.

Ghost springs out of bed like a wild thing, ducking down behind the bed. Eyes flashing in the moonlight from the window, he assesses the situation at hand. Soap watches as his deathly appearance melts back into existence, the strange man disappearing from Ghost's mind with a painful, tearing noise.

As though that display of fear never happened, Ghost stands up. His hulking figure would terrify anyone who wasn't Soap - the haze of his mind is gassed out with fear, infecting every tiny part of him, every thought and feeling. With that knowledge, Soap ignores his own perception of that terrifying visage, discarding his instinct to run, reminding himself of what needs to be done.

"Ghost, I need to ask ya a question," he announces, stepping forward.

"Whatever it is, Sergeant," he says, spitting the rank title out like a curse, "I'm sure it can wait."

He's backed himself into a corner now, his knife still held warily in position.

Soap presses on.

Part three coming soon!

[intertexts]

oh god i just realized I forgot to send you this. behold: the worst trivia ask out of all of them:

EPISODE 22 TRIVIA:

- they spend the first. 9 whole minutes talking about the logistics of snapping someones neck irl only to learn that its not actually possible and thats just something that was make up for movies

- "this is the most guy talk we've ever had at the beginning of a rolled. i feel like we need a trigger warning for boys"

- bizly wanted them seeing tide again to feel awkward and weird! like you're going back to your parents house after not seeing them for a really long time

- talking about how dakota has so many parental figures now and grizzly goes "except for ms. g. she has my whole heart" and WITHOUT missing a beat charlie goes "no. *i* have your whole heart"

- there was apparently a group of people on twitter who made a VERY long VERY well researched document about how all the medical stuff esp involving william would work and kept tagging bizly in posts asking how things would work and hes like "man i dont know!! i write a silly superhero show im not a doctor! it all comes down to his parents built a very strange machine that was designed to view worlds unseen!" (<< quoting the dp theme song in the most EXASPERATED voice possible.)

- "WILLIAM WISP SHOULD HAVE FUCKIN WORMS IN HIM. if we were playing this realistically william would be fuckin LOCKED UP with rigor mortis and COVERED in worms and FULL OF GASSES. he should be FOUL. and FULL OF WORMS. and I DONT WANT THAT" << hes a coward for this. btw. i feel like william should be grosser

- they just keep saying more things about how william should be so grotesque. at one point charlie goes "please dont draw this. its so gross". me, looks at my 4/7 jrwi freak week canvases that are william wisp themed. um. well.

- WARM BODIES MENTION. i love that movie. charlies like "thats how i want william to work hes undead but hes like. pretty about it"

- bizly: "because we've already explored this plot thread of William Being Dead so much, i dont want him getting a heart to just automatically fix that. its not like hes just magically alive now. i havent thought of the exact consequences yet but i want there to be some drawbacks to this to keep things interesting"

charlie: "william is just thrilled right now to be feeling stuff. i dont think hes considering the possible drawbacks"

- "ive never been prouder of any of my characters than when william wisp dented drywall"

- "why didnt vyncent get a fun surgery too" "because I'm a coward"

- they were on some absolutely insane energy for this rolled they keep going on like 5-10 minute long tangents and BARELY talk about the episode other than to mention how william should be a rotting corpse. I REMEMBER NOW that this was a SIGNIFICANT factor in my being frustrated with the heart surgery thing LMAO

- THATS IT. THATS LITERALLY IT. THE ROLLED IS OVER NOW. THIS WAS NOTHING !!!!!

TERRIBLE rolled youre right!!!!! help!!! this is so funny. great rolled guys lets wrap it up. william should be wormy and u cant snap peoples necks. good job everybody. it is really funny to me that people were... expecting medical accuracy?? how do u really seriously research putting one guys heart and another guys blood inside a body that's been dead for several years. frankly i would love to see it i'm very curious.

LOWKEY I'M GLAD HE *ISN'T* A BLOATED LOCKED UP DECAYING CORPSE!!!!! PERSONALLY!!!! i fully respect ur rights and taste to think he should be rotting and worm filled and stinky but frankly i'm on charlies side w this one. hes undead and pretty about it <33

anyway. i still have many thoughts about wiwi's soul/body/wisp relationship that i will NOT start talking about now because it would get LONG. but. its always great hearing their thoughts on it. eyes emoji. but yeah i really don't want him to be just magically fixed and alive now.... we'll see!! we'll see how it goes!!!!

[meowww-ffxiv]

Mordred disliked mentioning it, so no one mentioned it, but his health had never been good.

Asthma was common enough, even among those who risked their lives for gold like adventurers. For the first few years that Theodore knew Mordred, it wasn't even that bad. His triggers were specific -- cold fronts, and noxious gasses. So long as they avoided those things, or Mordred had ample warning and could cast his bubble-head filter spell, he was fine. He was careful with physical exertion and always carried medicine on him. His health was therefore tacitly declared to be his own problem and no one else's.

But then there had been the Bloody Banquet. The Dragonsong War. Ala Mhigo. Doma. Battlefields crawling with the dying and the screams of warmachina. Stress and crying made Mordred's lungs seize. Y'shtola, her senses heightened since her Lifestream strip, pressed her hands on his back and said quietly, "There is scarring in your lungs."

"From the fire," Mordred rasped. He already knew.

The fire?

"Calamity. When everything burned."

There are scars elsewhere too, Theodore thought. Under Mordred's skin, on the tapestry of his memories. But these were the ones made self-evident when one traveled with him for years and watched him unable to stomach or even smell roasted meat, watched him wash his hands until they were bleeding-raw. Mordred liked fish partly because it was his preference, partly because it smelled nothing like red meat or people or the horrific, metallic bitterness of Garlean machines' combusted fuel.

Mordred didn't say this to anyone either. He most certainly didn't say this to Theodore. It was just that, sometimes his soul wept and Theodore managed to catch the notes with his Echo.

The breaking Light gouged something else out of him; his body reacted to large fluctuations of aether far worse and far more dramatically now, as though his very flesh and bones remembered the searing invasion of that deluge of Primordial Light. Mordred inevitably went down with a high fever after every occasion where he needed to expend a large amount of aether. He had the reserves -- the question wasn't about his reserves. But rather how his body reacted whenever he set about using them.

The backlash also existed when Mordred transposed the flow of his mana to quicken its recovery, or from the Umbral phase to the Astral phase.

He told the Scions all this very calmly. And, for Theodore's and Estinien's benefit, who were not learned scholars, he added, "I can no longer use black magic without consequences." A sigh. "I'm not going to be as strong as I was before."

The room was silent. Not because they were especially worried about Mordred losing out on perhaps one-tenths of his sheer power, but rather because they had known him long enough to realize that for him to tell them about what amounted to a disability for him was significant. This person, who held his shattered innards together after battling Shinryu above the Ala Mhigan Quarters, and went untreated for hours just so he could reassure his comrades and affirm their victory, before finally collapsing.

Eventually, Alisaie said, "Thank goodness we are all here, then."

"Maybe we can even get a shot in edgewise, if the Warrior of Light can be compelled to hold back a tad like this," Thancred added, tone light.

Mordred stared at them.

Then he heaved a long, long, relieved sigh.

After, when it was just him and G'raha, he went to Mordred's side and sat with him, and said, "It feels good, does it not? To look around yourself and realize that you are among good friends."

"They already are," Mordred replied. "But I just thought... I think too little of them. I was worried that they'd feel nervous to hear that I'm wearing down. Like some weathered old pillar. But we've been holding this sky up together for years. It was me who patronized them."

G'raha chuckled dryly. He glanced out the window, his red eyes faraway. "Chessamine's mother thought the same of me when I first fell sick, in the Crystarium's earlier years."

Mordred tilted his head, thinking for a moment. "I can still use black magic, but--" he began.

"No," G'raha cut him off firmly.

"Fine. But arcanima is alright. The built-in arrays actually make it much easier to regulate the aether I'm expending." Mordred fiddled with his tail, trying to suppress the sulk from being scolded. "And white magic is, ironically, the best for me. Amdapori practices fortify the caster as they use their spells."

"That is all well and good," G'raha agreed, "but, Mordred."

"Yes?"

"So long as you understand that there is nothing you must do where we cannot help, that's the most important thing."

G'raha looked at him, expression placid and firm, leaving no room for doubt. There was none of the usual blushing nor skittering, not even the gentleness he always afforded Mordred, no matter the topic at hand.

Mordred thought of the young man who teased him in that arduous, cross-country fetch quest. He thought of the pouting and arguing about being allowed to go on the Crystal Tower's expedition, how Rammbroes had brutally shot G'raha Tia down, saying he was no fighter. How G'raha had sulked yet had agreed to in the end -- he had known his limits.

He thought about power bought with blood prices. Power, and agency, and the ability to change one's fate. The Crystal Exarch's sparkling neurosis. The Crystarium and all it had cost to raise that place up from the stasis of despair, brick by brick.

"Alright," Mordred said. "I will be counting on you."

G'raha smiled, with such warmth it brightened his heart.