#twilight analysis?

[arcanespillo]

fav twilight character NOW i DEMAND TO KNOW

top 5 in order. bella jacob alice charlie rosalie.

[powdermelonkeg]

Trying to figure out TP Link's diet based on his environment.

Livestock-wise, we've got cuccos and goats. That means

Eggs

Milk

Butter

Cheese

Potentially meat, but I don't think they get eaten unless they're old. Too valuable otherwise | EDIT: Oh yeah you need to breed goats every couple years to get milk. Add in cabrito veal!

And we know for a fact that Ordon Goat Cheese specifically is a thing. Stamped wheel and everything.

There's also fish

And bees/hornets(? It's called bee larva, but the enemy is a Hylian Hornet)

Useful for bait, but Link can eat them.

Did some more research, and apparently in Japan they eat wasp larvae? Specifically in Kushihara. So I'm counting it.

Then plants-wise we have pumpkins

And...corn. Somehow. I've never seen corn growing, but Link has some hanging in his house, so it exists.

I'm choosing to believe it comes from these plants that grow in patches around Ordon.

That gives us a lot. We've got

Cornstarch

Cornmeal

Corn oil

Corn shoots

Pumpkin seeds

Pumpkin seed oil

Pumpkin flour

Pumpkin blossoms

No source of sugar, but depending on how the pumpkins in Ordon taste, they could be naturally sweet. Like pie pumpkins. Also corn syrup is a thing if it's a sweet corn. So corn syrup needs cream of tartar which comes from grapes and apples and such. It's a byproduct of wine. No corn syrup.

Edit: Malt sugar, though!

Now for hypothetical foods.

Ordon is surrounded by pine trees, so that adds pine needle tea and pine nuts to the mix. I was a little worried about species, but apparently there are a lot of pine trees that make edible seeds, so on the list it goes.

Then there are frogs near Rusl and Uli's house, wild songbirds on cliffs, and a squirrel that talks to Link directly, so those are huntable sources of meat.

Is horse grass a cattail? Maybe? Initially, I thought it was—the ends look like cattail seedpuffs, but the leaves are completely different.

I want to treat them like cattails. Cattails that also are probably the main food source for Epona and the goats.

If we do that, that means, on top of all the other uses cattails have like stuffing and tinder and antiseptic, we get

Roots

Shoots

Ground seeds

Can't find a good match for hawk grass though. Concluding that that's not edible. Equivalent exchange and all.

Side note, how do you think horse grass spreads? It's almost always in groups of two or more plants, so that suggests rhizomes, but the image of Link picking one up to blow and stuffing flying out the end of the horseshoe is hilarious to me.

Up next, there are ferns, primarily near trees. After very careful and way-too-deep analysis of a pixelated fern's leaves, I think it's bracken fern.

Which is mildly poisonous.

And also edible.

On the list it goes!

Then finally, Sera has some kind of herb hanging in her shop.

I don't know what it is. I'm calling it Ordon Spice. Congratulations, Ordon Pumpkin Spice is now a thing.

[sophiamarieispinkbunny-chan]

Twilight's Habit of Observing Yor and Anya

I just noticed how often Twilight observes these two interacting with each other, the anime is inclined of highlighting this since most of these are not in the manga and I love them for that.

Look at how fond his face is when he's looking at Yor and Anya's genuine affection for each other. I think he can saw glimpses of him and his mom through them.

Yor and Anya share a true mother-daughter bond, even though they don't share the same blood. In his world as a spy, where deception and pretenses rule, Yor and Anya's genuine bond is a breath of fresh air for him. It was something that is very much real and it's something that is under his care regardless he is Twilight, Loid Forger or his true self. He was the one who united their family and I think it makes him wonder how an epitome of deception like himself can build something as authentic and genuine as this.

That face he makes, the longing warm stare directed at them. I can't explain it but his eyes are really different when he's looking at them. It's soft. Yep, this man is already into deep.

Also, it makes me wonder, judging at how often he observes these two, how could he not tell something was definitely weird about them? At this rate he must've been constantly and intentionally ignoring those😂

More Yor and Anya interacting with each other in Loid's view:

They were always so bright in his view. I think he associates the both of them as his source of light. That's just so sweet and wholesome😭❤️

[dreamsy990]

you know i used to think it was weird how sora and roxas have such different personalities for supposedly being 'the same person' but after playing a few games i sort of realized that they do have similar personalities, because roxas acts how sora does when he's under extreme stress.

compare roxas to sora in, say, kh1. that's where a lot of peoples idea of sora's personality comes from. sora is generally very upbeat and optimistic in that game. not very similar to roxas, right?

but let's switch the game and talk about a game where sora is ABSOLUTELY GOING THROUGH IT. chain of memories.

sora's resting state is melancholy in com. he only ever cheers up in short bursts, usually when he's joking around with friends. just like roxas.

he's quick to anger, and tends to lash out at the organization members. best example of this is when larxene makes him 'remember' namine, and he swings at her repeatedly, even after she's gone. he only stops when jiminy is able to snap him out of it.

you know what scene that resembles?

sora, while a bit more on the angry side and less sad, continues to act like this in kh2 when he's in stressful situations. (he also has a tendancy to insult people which, while it's not very related to the point, is very funny and sora saying 'gonna cry?' to xigbar is great.) i cant comment any further than that about kh2 off the top of my head.

so, roxas acts like sora does when he's stressed, right? but why is roxas always acting like that? to which i say, he isnt!

he only ever acts like that when he's also in fucked up and stressful situations, which happens to be a CONSTANT in his life. but when he's hanging out with axel and xion, a decidedly NOT stressful situation, he's a lot more like sora. he's teasing his friends and insulting his coworkers and joking around and acting like a normal kid. not really important, but unless i misremembered some sora lines which is VERY possible, both roxas and sora respond to friendly insults with "oh thanks!" a lot. just a funny little detail that felt relevant.

the biggest differences between roxas and sora boil down to environment and... i dont know how to put it besides volume? roxas is very quiet and tends to keep most of his thoughts to himself, while sora is very loud and expressive in comparison.

there is one other huge difference i noticed, which is less character based and more story. sora wanted to get off destiny islands and explore with his friends, but roxas just wanted routine. sora wants adventure, and roxas wants things to stay the same, for days where he gets off work and eats ice cream with his friends to last forever, to keep having conversations about nothing and watching the sunset. roxas wants normalcy, sora wants excitement. it's just interesting seeing their contrast.

not sure if this is very well said or anything i just wanted to talk about my boys

[alasse-earfalas]

Guys wait... I think I just figured out something very important about this panel.

Y'all remember how protective Twi is of his village kiddos?

Yeah, threatening Twi's village kids is like threatening Sky's Zelda. If you're smart, you don't. Because their respective Links will hunt you down and murder you in protective rage.

Now then... what, exactly, did Wild do, again?

Oh. That's right.

He hunted down Dink and tried to murder him in a protective rage.

And Twilight knows that.

Prior to all this, Twilight was more serious and stern with Wild, attempting to model Time, which Wild never jived with.

But now Twilight understands where Wild is coming from. Wild doesn't view Twilight as a mentor: he views Twilight as a friend.

As a brother. As family.

Wild has lost so much that he is murderously protective of anyone he has left. And now Twilight sees that. Viscerally, he understands what it means to go into a blind rage because that person you just hurt is mine and I will not allow it. He knows that because he's been there. And now, he knows that that's how Wild sees him.

And so now they can be brothers.

[lassify]

Twilight's Guilt

*Spoilers for Spy x Family Chapter 107*

I haven't seen anyone talking about this yet, but I just can't get it out of my head.

Chapter 107 is a real goldmine for Twilight The Spy. All these amazing connections! All this potential intelligence! He can finally feel like he is extracting what he can from Anya's hard-won connections at Eden, and he is fully using every opportunity possible to squeeze what he can for Operation Strix.

And then Jeeves had to go ahead and say this:

Jeeves really hits the nail on the head here.

He probably knows about the responsibilities and expectations that are put on the Eden kids by all of their parents - of which he understands Damian's position the most intimately - but at this point in time, Jeeves (likely) has no idea of the extra burden that has been put on one child in particular.

That is, Twilight's burden on Anya.

Not just the burden of becoming an Imperial Scholar, and doing well in her tests, and making friends with the right people: only Twilight knows about the burden of being a fake family, of having to complete a mission, and dispose of her when it's over.

"How I hope that these children are to remain forever unburdened by the statures and standpoints of their parents..."

This is what I love about Endo's storytelling so much: so much is said with so few words and gestures.

Because after Jeeves says his piece, we get a look from Twilight. It's interesting - he almost looks bored, but the lack of response is by itself so telling, even when the other parents express their remorse.

To me, he looks exhausted. This pretence must be so exhausting.

Then his gaze turns towards Anya.

And: he's guilty.

Twilight knows that Jeeves is right; that by taking up a fatherly role for this child, he has automatically burdened her with his own goals and expectations.

Which then leads us to this panel:

I love this panel so much. I honestly felt myself tearing up looking at it.

The first thing that the reader notices is the vast expanse of negative space: everything and everyone else has faded away, and now it is only them. Without the bustling festival and rowdy kids and background characters, suddenly the reader is so aware of the distance between Twilight and Anya. We know that this distance is emotional as well as physical; because Twilight has put himself in the position of the 'onlooker', he is separating his emotions and keeping himself distant from Anya as a person.

I also couldn't help but notice that this panel, unlike every other one on this spread, did not have a border. Endo intended the negative space around them to be endless and borderless, to show that the guilt has the potential to swallow Twilight entirely.

Finally, the size difference between them: while we can interpret this as distance, I also see their physical forms as an illustration of their difference in power. In that sense, one could say that Twilight is larger in this panel, because he overwhelms Anya in the power that he holds over her. He is her 'father'; the man who took her away from the orphanage; and the man who could put her back without a second's notice. Twilight is fully aware of all of this.

(Despite his ignorance of Anya's telepathic power, the scale is still very much in Twilight's favour.)

We even see this side of Anya as though from Twilight's perspective: suddenly, Anya is just a child that caught up in something so much bigger. With our view just of Twilight's back, we can imagine the weight that this must have on his shoulders, bearing a burden that only he is aware of.

And yet, here you are, Twilight...

Despite the attention paid to Twilight's guilt in this double-page spread, Twilight is still very much back to 'business as usual' within the next couple of pages after this. After all, he has a mission to complete. As a spy, he should be adept at compartmentalising his emotions by now...

... Or perhaps, his only option is to keep squashing his guilt down, before he drowns in it.

[lace4forest]

The Chains Ages in Linked Universe.

I saw people talking about the Chains age in Linked Universe, and I have my thoughts on them.

I've done a LOT of research on the Links and how old they were, I even tried to figure out how long Legend was in Koholint for. (We go with old Canon because new Canon doesn't make since,(Footnote 1) but basically that's the last time we see Legend in normal Zelda Canon)

Anyways-

This is from Jojo's QnA doc on the Linked Universe Discord- ^^^

And this is my thoughts on their ages. Side note, I'm not going off of looking up their ages through google, I'm going off info you can find in game and cross referencing it with other games and the Hyrule Historia and Encyclopedia. Time was 9 in his game and that's about 20 years later so he would be 29. (Unless if we counting Majora's Mask, then he could be 30-32)

Twilight was a "Late Teen" (Also it does state hold old he is) so 17 making him 21 to 22.

Warriors is also "Late Teen" (He was a trainee at the beginning of the war) making him 22 to 26

Sky is also stated to be around 17 making him 18 to 19

Wild is 117 and this would make him either almost 118 or just turned 118.

Legend just became "Of age" in ALBW and that's 16 in his era making 17.

Hyrule we know is 16 making him 18.

Four is 15 or 16 in Four Sword, but he isn't "Of age" so probably 15. making him 17.

And we know Wind is 13 almost 14. (He said it himself)

I just find it very funny the Toons are the youngests. Age explanation and footnotes below cut.

Time - He is 9 at the beginning of his game and becomes an "Adult" 7 years later at 16. This is one of the times it proves that 16 is "Of age" in the Zelda series. We aren't sure how much time has passed between Oot and MM, so we can guess he's 29 to 32 (Making Link in MM 10 to 12 as a good guess.)

Twilight - It's stated in a guide that he is 17. His game also was originally supposed to be a continuation of Oot and MM in the Wind Waker style, with Time all grown up and living on his own. But they changed it to what it is now. So it's just 17+4 or 5 making him 21 to 22.

Warriors - There is no official age and you do NOT need to be 17 to wield the master sword. All we know is that he's "Late Teens" making him between 16 to 19. Making his age in LU between 22 to 26.

Sky - He is stated to be around 17. Making him 18 or 19 (Even if we say he's 16, then he would be 17 to 19.)

Wild - he is 117 years old. We know this. it's been "Less than a year" so he could be almost 118 or already be 118, he probably doesn't remember his Birthday, so there is no saying exactly. (His Zelda should know though. Maybe.)

Legend - SO. I feel like people are gonna fight me on this, but I got the math and hours of research to back it. At the beginning of ALTTP, some guards say that Link shouldn't be out here or that he's too young to wield a sword (Or even start learning to) In BOTW Wild got the Master Sword at 12-13. And people said he was still very young and a prodigy, which means he was already learning the sword by that time. and we also know that in BOTW they think of "Of Age" as 17 instead of 16, meaning they probably make them learn stuff when they are a little older. There's also the connection to Oot, In Wind Waker its stated that Wind is the same age as Time when he Defeated Ganon (Making Wind Canonically 16) And Twilight is the age of what Time should have been when he decided to settle down, making him 17, which leaves us with Legend's age. Most likely taking Times age from the beginning of his game. LONG STORY SHORT- In ALTTP Link is between 9 to 10. NOW. The Oracle games, Link is still a CHILD, so before "Of Age" (Aka less than 16) A LOT of people call him a CHILD and wonder why he has a sword! making him most likely around 11 or 12. Same things with Link's Awakening. (FOOTNOTE 1). Then we have ALBW. Link has a job now and is learning to become a smith. so most likely after his return home, as well as he needs to learn this stuff before becoming a full adult, but then again he lives alone, so we could accurately say 15 to 16. SO LONGER STORY SHORT. We can say 16 and be GENEROUS. Making Legend 17 in LU (but probably closer to 16).

Hyrule - It's literally a plot in his game he is 16, making him 18 in LU.

Four - He is a Child in Minish Cap (So less than 16) and same with Four Swords. He has to be older than 12 because he was given a sword willingly. So between 13 to 15, but we can be nice and say 15 in Four Swords, making him 17 in LU.

Wind -

I do want to say, it's literally stated in his game he is the same age as Time when he KILLED Ganon as an ADULT. It's just the art style of the game.... He JUST turned 16, so people are still calling him a child. (Like how people call 18 year olds children in rl) But also he does look 12 in game... ART STYLE WHYYYYYY (also thats what Twi was supposed to look like lmaoooo)

---

FOOTNOTE 1 - The Encylapedia has wrong information that's easy to disprove and I want to throw it out a window. It also switched the order of the Oracle games and Link's Awakening, even though Oracle of Ages LITERALLY ENDS With Link taking the boat out to sea to head home, and LITERALLY Transitions to Link's Awakenings Opening. ITS THE SAME BOAT. I'm Gonna Cry- NINTENDO WHYYYYY.

[whateversawesome]

Maybe I'm overthinking this (probably I am) but...

You know that scene in Code White where Twilight (while disguised) grabs a woman's leg and then we realize that this is probably a honey trap?

And then we see that the woman is asleep (or unconscious).

My question is: why didn't he just sleep with her?

I'm sure he's done it before. What's different this time? 😏

Yeah, now he's married.

Now, there's Yor.

My headcanon is that Twilight is a bit demisexual. Someone demisexual is a person who feels sexually attracted to someone only after they've developed an emotional bond with them. In other words, Twilight needs to be in love for him to want sex. I even wrote a fic about this a while ago.

In my opinion, before meeting Yor, Twilight didn't care whether he had sex with someone or not. He did whatever he had to obtain what he wanted and protect peace. Sex was just a tool, not something he wanted or pursued.

But now things have changed, and the fact that he didn't sleep with that woman is very telling. Why was he faithful to his "fake" wife? I mean, that woman was part of his mission, he was wearing a disguise and no one would ever know. So why not just sleep with her?

Could it be that he has developed feelings for his wife?

It's very subtle. Blink and you'll miss it! But his behavior has changed.

Bonus: I love how gentle he is with Yor. This man is in love with his wife.

[piosplayhouse]

Wwx is the only mxtx main protagonist who would not be a my little pony fan. But he does own a 20% cooler shirt

[helioraesol]

[Spy x Family Chapter 86 Spoilers] What I believe Twilight's unfinished thought would have been.

"...Which is why-- I'll make a world where that won't need to be true."

Twilight has built up this reputation of being the perfect spy who can put aside emotion and feeling for the sake of the mission. Yet with Operation Strix, it's the first time that a sliver of his real self behind the Twilight identity he has became, buried deep within his subconscious, is forced to shine. And it's this dim light peering through the walls of his heart that, for the first time in his career as a spy, inadvertently ends up helping his mission. Operation Strix progresses when the hint of real feeling is allowed to take control. He's so used to being the perfect spy who never gets anything wrong and never lets his emotions guide him. Yet, when he acts as Twilight, the man who puts his goals above all else, it strains the relationship between himself and Anya and Yor, and by consequence, the mission.

There's a reason Yor's smiling face is front and center in the panel. He's thinking about her. The mission to capture Winston Wheeler is the first time Twilight gets close to acknowledging that she has affected him. But he's never able to outright say it, because if he did, then that would completely shatter the mask he's worked so hard to maintain. Yet, instead of unpacking the Pandora's box that are his feelings, in his conversation with Nightfall, he re-frames his decision to avoid the reality that the Twilight mask is slipping.

It's at this point that even if Twilight himself doesn't recognize it yet, it's clear he's fallen for Yor. The Yor who is incredibly dense. The Yor who is a terrible cook. The Yor who gets easily flustered; who doesn't understand how to be "normal". That Yor.

Twilight has been with countless women for the sake of missions before. Undoubtedly, he's been with some of them far longer than he has with her. They're certainly not perfect either. So what makes Yor so special? It's because, for the first time in his life, he's able to be his real self, even if partially. And that is terrifying for him. He believes it's a weakness, and in a lot of ways, he has a point. His job is too dangerous for letting his feelings get in the way. And yet, it's those feelings of his that help him advance Operation Strix.

He doesn't want the imperfectly perfect Yor who means too much to him now to go. He will build a better world for her sake.

[a-bit-too-much-of-a-zelda-fan]

This is one of those moments where Twilight Princess feels like a modern (for the time) successor to Ocarina of Time. Not in the superficial ways that everyone cites, but by using the camera to flesh the subtext of Link's emotions.

I wish I had screenshots of it, but I'm thinking of the scene in OoT where Link returns to the Sacred Forest Meadow as adult and the camera lingers on the stump where Saria used to be. The camerawork serves an obvious purpose: make sure the player knows Saria is missing. But it also serves to give a glimpse into what Link is thinking. He is dwelling on the fact that his friend is not where he expected her to be. He feels the passage of time, that things which used to be certain no longer are. This is something that would be lost if the camera didn't behave the way it did.

Twilight Princess is a lot more generous than OoT generally when it comes to showing Link's emotions. It may be due to the limit on his facial expressions as a wolf, but it is difficult to parse what he is feeling here at first. But the camera could have focused on Colin the whole time. Instead, after he says his bit, it switches to Link. It reminds the player that Link is there, but it is also telling the player to think about what Link is feeling while he witnesses this.

(actually, my screenshots don't do justice to the scene because after Colin says the first bit, the other characters silently react in their own ways before he finishes and the camera switches to Link)

Midna says something afterward to the effect of "wow, sure sucks that your friends don't even know you're there and won't remember that you saved them." And yeah, maybe that is exactly what Link is thinking. But Midna is also an unreliable narrator, at least in the beginning. She's selfish and looks down on Link for being as kind and selfless as he is. She might be projecting onto him. What if that's what she would feel if she were in Link's position?

I think there's truth in what she says, but I think Link has more going on up there here. He reflecting on how he is watching his timid young friend hold onto hope and comfort a girl who is normally not particularly kind to him. He's proud of Colin, but is upset that he can't show it. Plenty of other times in the game, Link shows his affection for Colin through just a simple smile, which the younger Ordon kids hardly afford him. Link wants to smile at Colin, but even if he could be seen, he would be a terrifying beast to him. But hey, maybe I'm projecting.

[triforce-of-mischief]

beyond "pup and cub": analyzing twilight and wild's relationship

beloved by most, twilight and wild's relationship is one of the pillars of linked universe. the two brothers, closer than anyone else in the chain, who trust and keep each other in check. even before the events of jojo's comic, these two links knew each other from the same quest.

right? in some aspects... wrong.

(one extra note before we start, considering everything that goes through the fandom on a regular basis: this is not a trope-bash. sure, their fanon relationship isn't everyone's cup of tea (it sure isn't mine), but my goal is to share an analysis based strictly on canon, nothing but real observations and the honest truth.)

for the sake of everyone's dashes, this will be under a readmore but it's a really important read for the entire fandom so i implore you to click through.

x

it's well-established canon that wolfie was a major part of wild's journey. even though wild never knew that the wolf was a fellow link, he trusted the "blue-eyed beast" with his life.

x

on what could be twilight's deathbed, wild tells him, "you've got so much to live for". he then reminisces back to his own quest, and the wolf he knew then. there's something crucial to note there, which the fandom did spot when the comic was released;

x

during the events of botw, wolfie was old. really old. grizzled and shaggy, a rusted chain shackled to his paw that was eventually removed. compared to twilight's wolf form we see in lu, we can make the conclusion that wild is telling twilight that he needs to live for his own future.

wild knows twilight before they meet in lu. twilight does not.

by the time i finally post this, there is even more canon evidence besides these panels. justification has been a long time in the making, and i've been drafting this post since february. we'll get to the additional waves of evidence later on, but for now, let's do a major reset analysis of their relationship throughout lu so far.

twilight gives reasonable advice to wild:

x

twilight doesn't scold wild for wanting to kill for the sake of it? wild doesn't sneak off and hunt his own game? absolute blasphemy... but it's canon.

mutual praise/bonding:

x x

after trying twilight's soup recipe, wild doesn't even have any hard feelings.

everybody loves a brotherly hug :)

mutual respect/bonding:

x x x x x

notice the lack of pushed boundaries, even when the two get on each others' nerves. wild and twilight tease more openly than some of the others, but wild is good at backing off.

instead of rolling his eyes or telling everybody how "stupidly dangerous" it is to nock three arrows at once, twilight simply smiles as he watches wild demonstrate his cool technique.

twilight choosing not to scold wild:

x x

that's right, folks: twilight respects wild as a person with his own agency. it's not wild's fault that he can only scavenge weak blades, and nobody was thinking rationally during the fight with the iron knuckle.

twilight scolding wild:

x x x

that's not to say that twilight always holds back. yes, he isn't pleased with having to track him down, or taking a dangerous hit to the face, or wild's... interesting way to use his swords. wild stands up for himself, though, and twilight still respects that.

the word you've all been waiting for:

x x

yes, i know how to admit when i was wrong. the word 'protege' has been used to describe wild's relationship to twilight. but don't get so smug yet- this hasn't been said in canon, and what jojo specifically says is that wild is "unofficially" twilight's protege. it's pretty clear that their relationship isn't defined by the boundaries of mentor-protege, and even if it was, there's no sign of the unhealthy power imbalance that is found so frequently in fandom.

brotherly teasing:

x x x

this style of teasing is commonplace in lu canon. i'd be surprised if i saw this much lighthearted banter from a "mentor twilight" who thinks that wild is a feral infant, or a "protege wild" who is rightfully scared of the short-tempered twilight's every move.

backstory stuff:

x

twilight is still trying to figure out how to approach being there for wild. he doesn't know as much as wild thought he does, so he relies on relatability with his own story.

sunset + moving forward

x x

and so we return to this panel in its entirety, and additional proof of what i wanted to say all the way back in february. i think wild says it all perfectly himself; he's used to twilight guiding him from afar, letting him make his own decisions and mistakes. this may be something that both of them have to (re)learn during this adventure, but wild knows what he needs and how to communicate it.

x

i'll leave the analysis here. it's been a long time in the making and quite frankly i've forgotten any additional points i would have made. i'm a member of the patreon so i am tempted to wait yet again... but maybe, those who made it to the end of my post will look at wild and twilight with new eyes themselves.

never stop inventing headcanons, but i think it's important to take a step back and reevaluate what we've accepted as the truth every once in a while.

[stormysprite]

throwing my thoughts about the lu dungeon teams at your dash …

latest lu post(s) spoilers ahead!

Team Want Snuggles, Get Struggles (Sky and Twilight):

this one caught me off guard at first, but it makes total sense and shows a lot about Time’s character now that I think about it. Aside from being kind, Sky’s arguably the best fighter in the Chain (not counting op items like Time’s masks). Unlike Warriors or Time, Sky doesn’t have any set expectations about Twilight and his recovery. Likewise, Sky struggles enough with running that Twilight can’t push himself too far, too fast. I think this matchup’s going to give them both some much-needed space to breathe, and I’m excited to see how they fight together!

Team Magically Bad Decisions (Legend and Hyrule):

I totally get why Time’s frustrated at the Downfall Duo atm, but I am so. excited. for this matchup. We’ve all imagined/drawn/written about the connection between Legend and Hyrule, but I don’t think we’ve really seen the Downfalls BE a real duo in the comic before. And the fact that they have the trickiest, most out-there job out of the crews is the cherry on top. Maybe they’ll finally figure out that Rulie is Legend’s successor…

Team Doomed by the Narrative (Warriors and Wild):

yeah. This one’s gonna blow up in EVERYONE’S faces. Wild’s been uncomfortable with Warriors from the earliest comics (even before there was a full-fledged story!), I’d be surprised if he doesn’t see Wars as what he “should” have been. I think it’s only gotten worse since then—look how much Wild sweats whenever Wars turns to him! And add Wild’s creativity to Warriors’s military training, it’s going to be a train wreck. Side note, I’m wondering if this matchup means for the first time in lu, Warriors doesn’t seem to have a clear head. The only 2 Links without traditional dungeon experience? On their own? Wars isn’t doing this for strategy, he’s doing it to talk to Wild about something in private (*shiver*). Or Wars is overestimating the Chain’s abilities to come out on top. Either way, it’s not going to be pretty. At least they both wear blue tho

Team Worst Best. Day. Ever. (Time, Wind, and Four):

they’re already adorable your honor. Personality AND fighting style wise, this trio’s great together. We’ve already seen Four and Time fighting together using both their sizes in awesome ways! I’m sure Wind will catch onto it fast, if he hasn’t already. Plus Four’s experiences with teamwork in a group about their size should make them gel really well. And they each have (about) two adventures apiece! Out of everyone, I’d be the least concerned about this group…which means I should be very, very concerned😳 feels like a false sense of security to me

anyway thank you for coming to my ted talk and reading through this monstrosity

[sophiamarieispinkbunny-chan]

Loid "Cannot be separated to his wife without missing her for even just a couple of minutes/hours" Forger

This man didn't even touched his cake since he's waiting for his wife to come back so they can eat the cake together while Anya is already devouring her piece 😂😂 It's sweet for him to have this habit that he eats when Yor eats as well. What a husband attitude. And did you see how he defended Yor's innocence in this chapter?

He always gets so defensive when it comes to Yor, since Camilla's party, he defended her in front of her coworkers, in the Eden interview when Swan badmouthed her ability as a mother, he defended her and he was genuinely upset with the way Swan embarrassed his wife, when Nightfall said that Yor's being uncooperative and she should be replaced as his wife, his tone and glare changes into a defensive demeanor. Loid always comes to her defense without missing a beat, and he wasn't calculating those reactions, he did these without the mission on his mind.

This man is already slowly falling in love with her from the very beginning and I think by the time Yor's secret would be revealed to him, not even her real identity as a killer would stop him from being with her for he's already and irrevocably down bad for her

[hero-of-the-wolf]

poke poke I’m poking you for your thougyts on the update in return 👀

-Sky floor

*is poked* oh!! sure thing >:3

this update got me literally VIBRATING in excitement I'm ngl skshsksvsksbks

So!!! We start out with Wild and Four chatting; it's been really lovely to see them growing closer over the last couple of chapters :)

And Wild immediately picks up on the fact that Four is worried!!!

Four expresses his concerns about Twi and we cut to this totally not ominous and significantly colored panel—

I don't think I've seen a lot of people talk about this part, but I really love this conversation in the beginning. Wild has so much faith in Twi, he's got his back, he even brings it up to Time!!!

Skipping around a little bit, look at these two nerds analyzing the architecture. They're so smart....

and yet so dumb at the same time 😭

(I love them sm)

.... I feel like this is more me pointing excitedly at the pretty pictures but !!!!!!!! We've been getting SO many good character interactions lately and I can't wait to see how Jojo handles the upcoming pairs going forwards :D

all pictures @/linkeduniverse

and tagging @skyward-floored as well :)

[lintwriting]

How to Write a M/M Romance: Scum Villain's Bingqiu

Where Masculinity and Teacher/Student Intersect

Teacher Student Romance is the APPEAL, NOT a Plot Convenience

Easily the most problematic part about Scum Villain (beyond the dubcon papapa to save the world) is the teacher/student relationship baked into the main romance of the work—the one between Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe. Not only is it pervasive, it's not even brushed aside for the reader to forget about, the way the problematic aspects of other medias often are.

In fact, unlike the way age is brushed aside in fantasy dramas that have "teenage protagonists" for marketing reasons, such as The Vampire Diaries or Re:Zero, where the age is only there to draw in a teenage audience and otherwise the characters act like young adults, Scum Villain's Teacher x Student is purposely highlighted in a way that makes it clear that the dynamic is part of its main appeal.

For one, Luo Binghe's main form of address for his romantic partner is "Shizun," calling him teacher in a super respectful, almost worshipful way. This is the opposite of weakening the unbalanced dynamic. It's elevating the Teacher/Student power imbalance (in ways that make the reader suspect it's a kink thing for Luo Binghe LMAO).

For two, Shen Qingqiu is cognizant of how bad it looks to be called Shizun in a romantic context, feeling textually weirded out when it happens during romantic relations. Despite this, most of the ways he shows affection to Luo Binghe are very paternalistic (milf-coded), such as scolding him in fond exasperation or kissing him on the forehead like a father. In addition, Luo Binghe is specifically noted for not having older male authority figures in his life other than Shen Qingqiu, as his adopted mother was a single woman and his bio father could not care less about the son his late wife gave up her life for (seemingly for no reason, BUT I'll get to that in a different meta) (AND despite ample evidence that he CAN be a good father to Luo Binghe's cousin).

And while one aspect of it is that the Shizun/disciple dynamic is a genre-wide trope thanks to the influence of the early work, The Return of the Condor Heroes, wherein the Confucian taboo of the teacher/student romance is a source of tension and excitement within the novel, I wouldn't say that that's the whole of why Scum Villain (SVSSS) emphasizes the teacher/student romance.

Why are We Hot For Teacher: Return of the Condor Heroes vs Scum Villain

For one, within Return of the Condor Heroes, the romance is between a male student and a female teacher (because it's a het novel, lol), but SVSSS is a BL novel and wouldn't necessarily need to play into such tropes to create this "taboo"-evoking tension.

A lot of BL novels already play into the way being gay is marginalized or frowned upon to accomplish this, for instance, SVSSS's author's latter work, Mo Dao Zu Shi (MDZS) (The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation), wherein the main character has compulsory heterosexuality.

For two, the dynamics of the Return of the Condor Heroes is playing with heteronormative ideas about the roles of men and women in romance. It's notable that the student is the male lover, and the master is the female lover in this relationship, playing with non-traditional ideas about who is submissive and who is dominant—while simultaneously using it to reaffirm traditional pursuer/pursued dynamics.

This male pursuer/female pursued dichotomy is not usually explicitly stated within media as that can seem sexist and clunky, rather it is usually implicit and portrayed through various contrivances. Xiaolongnu is a "cold beauty" who therefore must remain pure/aloof, which is accentuated by her role as a teacher, and while she is "dominant" as the teacher setting the terms for their relationship, it's mostly to emphasize the lengths that Yang Guo, the student, would go to pursue her. He becomes extra romantic for pursuing her while accepting her lead on choices like separating for 16 years.

In addition, the teacher/student relationship is a contrivance that affirms society's implicit bias about gender by giving textual, non-gendered excuses for the man to pursue. In this case, it would be an abuse of a teacher's power for Xiaolongnu to make the first move. Thus, traditional gender dynamics where men are the ones pursuing women are reaffirmed without making clunky statements about gender, even through nontraditional dynamics like a teacher/student relationship where the woman is dominant.

But, again, SVSSS is a BL, so the two main characters are both men, meaning there is no societal answer on who should be pursuer and the pursued. However, it is notable that SVSSS does play with this same dynamic of "cold, aloof teacher" and student who would go to extreme lengths to pursue them, while also purposely describing Luo Binghe as the "peak of masculinity."

This is where we start getting into SVSSS's intersection between Masculinity and the teacher/student relationship.

Because while although Condor Heroes uses the teacher/student relationship to affirm the heteronormative dichotomy of the male pursuer/female pursued, SVSSS's usage of this dynamic is in service of satirically demonstrating the "acceptable" avenues of affection when living as a man (since there's no women, and they're both men lol).

Teacher/Student Romance as a Way to Escape Restrictive Masculine Gender Roles

Teacher/student dynamic is a huge aspect to SVSSS because it’s a way to escape the masculine gender roles critiqued within the work. This is on the face of it obvious. Shen Qingqiu lets Binghe act bizarrely clingy under the assumption that he’s merely taking care of a filial or needy child. The understanding that "masculine men have to be straight" and the understanding that "Binghe is the most manly person within the novel as the stallion protagonist" intersect to ensure that any affection between them is strictly platonic, which is a double edged sword.

Because Shen Qingqiu allows Binghe close to him with the reassurance that Binghe HAS to be straight (a surprisingly common way for straight men to interact), that means that as Binghe ages, his access to affection will also get cut off, since he's supposed to be aging out of the role of a clingy student and into the role of stallion protagonist.

This is even grafted onto the scum villain/protagonist dynamic, as exactly at the point where Binghe's on the cusp of becoming an adult, Shen Qingqiu is forced to be the opposite of affectionate and become the villain by throwing him down into Xianxia hell. Which, to him, means that he's killed his baby student and replaced him with a stallion protagonist out to take him out.

So when Binghe becomes an adult, he loses access to affection along two axises within Shen Qingqiu's mind. The first being that he's now vengeful stallion protagonist out to get him throwing him away, which is the explicit reason Shen Qingqiu rebuffs him. And the second being that he's now a straight adult man who isn't supposed to get affection from his old teacher, which is also a factor.

This loss and transformation into a protagonist causes him to become insane to almost comical proportions, indiscriminately killing people and so distraught that at any point he's liable to self-destruct—all because he's constantly being rebuffed when seeking affection from his teacher, who thinks he wants to take him out for throwing him into hell. It's notable that any time Shen Qingqiu rejects him, Binghe lashes out in an almost stoic anger, rather than with the vulnerable crybaby tears that Binghe used as a kid. All this is highlighting the consequences of toxically masculine gender roles—where a severe lack of emotional vulnerability creates only violence and status as ways to express yourself, leading to severe emotional issues.

Now this is where it gets to the satirical aspects. Because all that before is pretty angsty and not very funny, but Scum Villain is a comedic satire. This is because it's not from the perspective of Luo Binghe—it's from the perspective of Shen Qingqiu.

The Point of Scum Villain's Meta

To all of this, Shen Qingqiu is totally oblivious, as he is still under the impression that everything was platonic. Which I'd argue he SHOULD be, considering that Binghe was a young student in his care that he was only trying to groom into being nice, person not into a sexual relationship 💀💀. Now, the ethics of fiction about raising your spouse is a whole other issue outside of the scope of this discussion, but within the universe of Scum Villain, where we know his intentions, he gets the pass from me!

The reason Shen Qingqiu is oblivious is because one, as the most terminally online hater on the Internet, he's read about stallion protagonist Luo Binghe way before transmigrating into the story. And the Luo Binghe of the original story was a miserable sack of shit who got an unhappy ending despite being the peak of what masculinity "should" be.

A harem of women to show his virility, a stoic facade, and a constant stream of face slapping for hundreds and hundreds of chapters. He's an alpha male to the point of farce because Airplane needed to appeal to the lowest common denominator of teen boys on the internet—Andrew Tate's main demographic. It's not just a satire of YY novels—this, too, is part of Scum Villain's critique of toxic masculinity.

The second reason Shen Qingqiu is oblivious is because he's homophobic, sexist, heteronormative, etc. etc. etc. He was an INTERNET TROLL for a reason. And while people like to joke that he was a feminist king on the forums, I feel like it's more in line with the themes of the story to take him reading this schlock at face value because it's part of Scum Villain's trap! Anytime you feel like complaining about Scum Villain's hack writing, you're one meat bun away from an uno reverse card. The instant you start complaining, the author can hit you with a "Cucumber-bro calm down," and BOOM you're done! Never comment again!

And this is so effective because none of us want to be an un-self-aware, terminally online, trash-reading hater like him.

So, the satire of the novel is taking this kind of guy—both the Andrew Tates of the world and his basement dwelling followers—and wondering "Would gay sex fix them?" And the answer is YES, WHICH is HYSTERICAL to play straight in a romance like this. It's "Fellas, is it gay to like women?" but make it into an actual romance.

On a thematic level, being gay is indeed antithetical to a masculinity that upholds having sex with tons of women as the ideal, so it's doubly poignant for this closeted gay man to realize that the only thing he needed to do to live was to accept himself and the people around him by giving up his need to fit them into boxes—both on a meta "they're not fictional characters to him anymore" level, but also on a "toxic masculinity shouldn't define us" level.

Climaxing

The old Shen Qingqiu is dead. Long live Shen Qingqiu. Gay sex to save the world. Luo Binghe is back to his crybaby self. All is well in the world.

One thing I love about this teacher/student romance that it portrays Bingqiu afterwards as really happy and in love. Logically, nothing about that makes sense — 45 year old stepfather marries 25 year old stepdaughter from a bad home who idolized him, even while he acts like he's embarrassed to be around her and encourages her helplessness—but it makes perfect sense because it's a perfect marriage between all these different layers.

The "bird leaving the nest" conflict

Qingqiu is allowed to be affectionate with a scary adult Binghe because Binghe can be both a clingy student and an adult

2. The scum villain/protagonist conflict

Binghe never wanted to kill Shen Qingqiu, only to be loved by him.

3. The comphet conflict

Binghe never intended to go out and get a harem of women as a sign of masculine status, he just wants to be gay with Shen Qingqiu.

4. The "should I treat them like real people or fictional characters" transmigrator conflict—

Binghe is a real person separate from the character of Luo Binghe because he's no longer that unattainable masculine ideal—he's human and happier for it.

All solved with a student/teacher relationship in service of critiquing toxic masculinity. Now that's economical writing!

(I love the inclusion of the original Luo Binghe meeting them in the Extras, and that Luo Binghe is pretty evenly matched with him. I feel like the idea that someone "is automatically stronger with the power of love, and therefore that's why love is better" is pretty shallow, as it plays into the toxically masculine idea that strength is all that matters. Luo Binghe may not be stronger than the toxically masculine ideal version of himself, but he doesn't feel the need to be because he's happy the way he is. And his ideal self is jealous of him for that—not vice versa.)

On their own, these resolutions would probably still feel as creepy as Lolicon, but in the context of critiquing masculinity, it makes a lot more sense. Masculinity, I think, fascinates as a writing tool because there's a lot of mini tools baked-in its structure, like Shen Qingqiu's comedic plausible deniability thing, as well as assumptions about power.

For instance, since Binghe is quite literally the God-emperor of his world, it feels more like a kink thing for him to call Qingqiu Shizun, and not like he's actually less powerful than Shizun in their dynamic. His bouts of learned helplessness come off as traditionally feminine Sajiao, NOT like the learned behavior of creepy pick-me pedophilia. It's like a cat showing its belly, because we all know it's a murder machine showing its vulnerable side out of trust, not because it feels the need to degrade itself. So, while his behavior emphasizes the Teacher/Student imbalance, the reality is that he's doing it mostly for kinky reasons and that the two of them are on a pretty level playing field. It's extremely funny when people joke that he and Qingqiu are the same age due to all that time Qingqiu spent dead, because they are Not Wrong.

Problematic Kinks

Romance fiction is usually about ways to get certain needs met in ways that would never be possible in real life, which is why a lot of it is problematic. Virginity kink is not about real life virgins, but the idea that your partner is guaranteed to think you're competent in bed. Bodice ripper stories do not reflect the reality of getting raped, but is more about the idea of getting sexually satisfied with none of the shame of "being slutty" for desiring sex, since it was "against your will." Or they're about controlling the fear of getting raped within this safe romantic fantasy where everything turns out all right. Or various other things because kinks are personal.

Shen Qingqiu is the perfect example of this, where he functions as a great insert for female readers who might have shame around sexuality, since he's a "prude" without actually being one, hence his parallel with Xiaolongnu. Instead, he's just comedically under the misconception that he's straight or that Binghe's only platonically in love with his teacher—that's why he's always ashamed and putting on airs. It's a comedic/unrealistic version of comphet, so you don't gotta think about purity culture while reading your silly little stories.

And Luo Binghe is the self-insert fantasy of readers with daddy issues. His strict father who criticized him all the time actually secretly thought he was the bestest-westest, most handsomest boy in the whole wide world, and there was a secret understandable reason he had to be mean to him, and he secretly loves when he acts like a crybaby because that just means an excuse to pamper him.

And while in real life, many of these would be incredibly dysfunctional—within fiction, we can make these fantasies work anyway. If your romance manages to hit at one of these underlying desires in a fantastical way, you've got a hit with one audience of people! Whether that be by making them EVEN MORE dysfunctional (papapa to save the world) or by having them somehow communicate it out into a healthy dynamic (the extras, presumably).

All this to say, if you're a man frustrated with your love life, all you need is a gay, milf-y male teacher to ruin your life.