#villainous breakdown

[ultraericthered]

Energy's pretty similar here.

because everyone needs a manically laughing Loki on their blog.

[ultraericthered]

She's a STAAAAAR, and he IS A SURGEON!

[themattress]

Angry Joe’s mighty breakdown at the recent Henry Cavill / DCEU news.

[ultraericthered]

The most heartbreaking narcissistic collapse ever or the goofiest depending on how you look a it.

[starry-bi-sky]

on a completely separate note; shizun luo binghe with a disciple shen yuan who fell into the abyss??? *thinks about LBH canonically stealing SQQ's corpse for 5 years* he'd hallucinate i think. like, like visual and audial hallucinations.

Keeps thinking he's seeing SQQ in the corner of his eyes, or wandering between the trees, amongst a group of disciples. Thinks he hears him calling for him, but its just the wind or another disciple.

Gets Xiu Ya reforged but patently fucking refuses to make a sword mound. Because his disciple Is Not Dead :))) There was No Body. He's Not Dead. And If You keep Insisting That He Is, He's Gonna Skewer You :). He's holding onto Xiu Ya so he can return his most favored disciple's sword when he returns. It's on his hip right next to Zheng Yang where it's supposed to be.

Also this motherfucker?? does not sleep btw. He has the image of SQQ, wide eyed and hysterical and standing at the mouth of the abyss burned into his fucking eyelids. Can't use the dreamscape to escape it either because he keeps trying to save him and either he does and it's an incredibly cruel trick to wake up to, or he doesn't and he gets his heart broken in several different pieces again.

There is no convincing this man that Shen Qingqiu is dead. Absolutely nothing at all. He is buried so deep in denial that moles would be jealous of how deep he is. He keeps making tea for two in the bamboo house only to remember that it's just him. SQQ's fans are hiding everywhere, little reminders of his presence. He goes to wake up SQQ on the mornings he sleeps in-- only to find the room empty.

[bigfatbreak]

everyone: what happens next at the gala! me, following Miraculous' iconic episode schedule: now lets see how Adrien and Marinette met!!

[ultraericthered]

Like almost everything in Smoke and Shadow, this ain't it. This is something that needed more pages and words to really sell, rather than having the characters go from 1 to 100 in the span of two pages. It gets a great point across, but it does so way too easily. Ursa seeing Ozai for what he always really was the whole time and getting this closure, and Ozai's lapse into complete derangement and panic over his threats being empty and his self image crumbling, were too significant to be given a rushed job near the very end.

You. I see you. After all the years, I finally see you, Ozai. You're just a small, small man trying with all your might to be big. Your heart is so small, you've no room for your son or your daughter, or your brother... or even yourself. [Avatar The Last Airbender: Smoke and Shadow]

[onionninjasstuff]

this is part one! | next

[woman-respecter]

people in real life: hey man, how’s it going?

[akqrus]

Me defending Marinette from the ppl who say ''OOH but it's HER fault that Gabriel Agreste was a SHITTY father and killed himself instead of owning up to his mistakes, so she chose to let Adrien live carefree instead of living the rest of his life known as a villain's son!!'':

[gremlinisjay]

There's your ghost in a mirror.

A scene from chapter 17 in To extend our reach to the stars above, by @cinnamin-is-a-star

[nenoname]

looking over the shots of the murder hut/the early mystery shack and noticing details like the unibear being in gift shop from the start and stan rolling out the bill carpet and later putting bill in the mystery shack sign himself

the wires/machinery/door not being changed yet but it seems like the vending machine was there since early on

[juliaswickcrs]

Reyna & Aegon + Tragedy

"Bards would sing songs of King Aegon II and his Dornish paramour. Just as poems would be written and plays composed across the narrow sea. The artists would have you believe it was a love for the ages, two people divided by class and kingdom overcoming all odds to be with one another regardless of status or thought for others.

Some believe the affair to be purely manipulation on the Evenstar’s part. A witch beguiling the King with spells and potions. A ploy to sit herself on the Iron Throne. Queen Helaena’s letters to her younger brother, however, tell a different story.

She writes of the King’s nigh obsession with the Dornish girl and her rebuffs to his advances. It was only when he took her riding on Sunfyre their love story truly began to unfold. Queen Helaena would claim her handmaiden was just as smitten with the King as he was with her.

It was said when Aegon II was poisoned, so was the last of Queen Reyna’s good will. And she let out a scream that shook the very foundations of the Red Keep. Some claimed it could have cracked the moon.

But the truth has been lost to the history books. All that remains is the dagger the two used to bind their blood on their wedding day. Dragonbone and Valyrian Steel, it was last seen on Prince Rhaegar's body at the Battle of the Trident. Robert Baratheon later took it in the spoils of war."

@bisexualterror @foxesandmagic @iron-parkr @camiemendess @a-song-of-quill-and-feather

@arrthurpendragon @starcrossedjedis @drbobbimorse @kingsmakers @noratilney

@stanshollaand @astarionbae @darth-caillic @mystic-scripture @aliverse

@misshiraethsworld @asirensrage @eddiemunscns

HOTD TAGLIST: @misskatiewrites (wanna be added? Lmk!)

[themattress]

Also good: if the one hero whom everyone underestimated deals the psyche-crippling blow.

I think my all time favorite Trope is the Villainous Breakdown. Especially with Magnificent Bastard villains who, up till that point, had complete control of everything in the story.

Then the hero pulls on the one loose thread of their schemes and the entire thing unravels right in front of their eyes.

The disheveled hair, the twitching eyes, the mental calculus trying to figure out where in the fuck everything went so wrong.

It’s just (chef’s kiss).

Bonus points if our hero has prepared a goddamn slideshow presentation to explain to the villain, in exact excruciating detail, why they lost.

[whump-and-other-misfortunes]

Whumpuary 2024 Day 14

14. (Jan 27-28) Flinching / Breakdown / Sleep Deprivation 

cw past trauma, implied noncon/torture, hurt/comfort, aftermath of whump

“You’re slower than usual,” Hero teased when they pinned Villain to the wall. “Lost your edge after that little vacation you took?” 

Villain was breathing heavily. Their hands grasped at Hero’s, which were fisted in the front of their suit, but Villain lacked their typical strength. “Wasn’t a vacation, you jerk,” they huffed. “And I’m doing my best here.” 

Hero pulled one of their hands back, and their heart jumped when Villain flinched away from them; they’d never reacted like that before. The instinctual fear was clearly visible in their eyes.  

“Whoa, hey,” Hero said softly. “I was just gonna—your mask is slipping.” 

Villain looked down, frowning. “Sorry. I just...go ahead.” 

Hero raised their hands slowly and adjusted Villain’s mask, noting the sharp intake of breath when Hero’s fingers grazed their cheek. As they put it back in place, Hero could see a dark bruise hiding under the mask. The slightest bit of purple spread up their cheekbone. 

Villain was trembling when Hero stepped back. 

“Are you okay?” Hero asked. Logically, they knew they should take advantage of Villain’s weakness and bring them in. But they just couldn’t bring themself to be that cruel. 

“When I was gone this week,” Villain whispered, “I was...Supervillain took me hostage. I’ll spare you the details but...they did some shit to me I wouldn’t even do to my enemies.” 

Hero felt their heart ache at the admission and the pained expression in Villain’s eyes when they looked back up. “I’m sorry, I—I had no idea.” 

“Not your fault,” Villain said with a shrug. They tried to force a smile as well, but it didn’t quite work. “But it messed me up pretty good. I can’t sleep. I can’t move without remembering their hands on me.” 

A sick feeling curled in Hero’s stomach as they imagined what the normally collected Villain must have been through to have them on the verge of tears at the memory. They slowly reached out, giving Villain enough time to stop them—but when they didn’t, Hero pulled them into an embrace. “It’s over,” they muttered into Villain’s hair. “You're safe now.” 

Their words seemed to open the floodgates, and suddenly Villain broke down. Hero didn’t know what to do, so they just held their nemesis as they cried. The fact that they’d been in the middle of a fight passed through Hero’s mind, but it didn’t matter now. They were a hero—their job was to help people. Even if those people regularly made their life hell. 

“I’m sorry,” Villain choked out. “This is pathetic. And I—I deserved it.” 

“No one deserves to be hurt like that,” Hero said, rubbing their back in soothing circles. 

Villain tried to steady their breathing as they looked up at Hero, eyes glistening with tears. “Thank you. Just—give me a minute, and we can get back to it.” 

“What do you say we get a rain check,” Hero asked with a small smile, “and you let me buy you a coffee instead?” 

Villain sniffled and rolled their eyes. “As long as you promise to reschedule. Because I was looking forward to kicking your ass.” 

Hero laughed. “Okay, deal.” 

Although the coffee may not have truly fixed anything, it was a welcomed comfort. 

taglist: @morning-star-whump

[swan2swan]

What a loving father.