#lots of hints and characters!

[looseleafteeaves]

Facing the Krayt, part 2

Leia, in the time after poisoning Jabba, waited in silence. Her back burned with pain like knives, the perfectly parallel lines from the elctrowhip pulling and stretching as she breathed.

First dawn passed, sky alight with pinks like Nabooian lake lillies. No one came to pull her out. Second dawn approached, red like blood staining the sky. A pair of guards approached and grabbed her arms yanking her from the cellar she was locked in.

Jabba’s majordono greeted her.

“The Mighty Jabba has decided your punishment. You will be facing the Sandstorm. If you survive, you will return to misting, little girl.”

Leia’s eyes burned, and her ears rang with the rattle of bones, the roar of a Krayt Dragon. She said nothing.

Bib Fortuna appeared almost disappointed.

“Put her outside the gates. She will walk into the Dune Sea. After the sandstorm passes, we will track her chip and return her- or her body.”

Leia’s face becomes like a nabooian lake. Placid, calm.

Unfathomably deep. Filled with dangers. She walked between the guards, listening as the call of the burning sands grew louder, snippets of words beginning to become heard.

She was shoved out the back gate of the palace. Her sheer clothes providing nothing to stop the wind. Her enslaved sisters had placed what few things they had set aside outside the walls, hidden beneath a rock with a tzai plant. She covered herself in the long, midnight blue cloak. Her barefeet covered in sturdy shoes. She armed herself with protection from the Burning Suns.

Then she walked.

As both suns reached the peak of their arc, the sandstorm was seen. The whipping winds, the knife like sand, the wall of darkness.

Leia saw its approach. She pulled goggles over her eyes, a sheer scarf over her mouth and nose. She breathed as the front running dust blew past. One last breath, and the storm was upon her.

The world turned black. Her clothing ripped into by wind. The world turned red.

A voice calling from deeper in the storm.

“Come, my child. Face the storm. Face your brother. Find your soul.”

Leia reached inside herself. The fathomless deep lake. The eternal mountain storm. The endless desert. A wall cracks.

Shatters.

Her mind fills with light. Even in the midst of the sandstorm, ghosts walk beside her, their beautiful presences splitting sky from sand.

“Hello there, little ghost.”

Leia smiles. “Ben!”

Ben- Obi-Wan- smiles and starts to speak, but is yanked into the wind.

Another flash- a red bird- there and gone again.

“Oh, darling.”

Leia’s eyes fill with tears. “Daddy.”

Bail Organa smiles, and his ghostly form embraces her.

“Face your Trial, daughter mine. With courage, strength, and wisdom. Your soul is of three peoples. You honor them all.”

Leia reaches out with grasping hands, tears freely flowing.

His ghost vanishes. Leia presses onwards. A woman, face hosting crows feet and the beginning of laugh lines. Her mouth moves, but no sound escapes. Her blue shaw flaps in the sandstorm’s breeze as she vanishes.

A beautiful woman, chest filled with lights like lightning bugs, appears. “Leia… Daughter… Child of Many. What do you seek?”

Leia, crying as she smiles. “Freedom. Myself. Hope.”

Breha Organa’s face becomes more real. “The go daughter. Lukka The sandstorm has your answers.”

“Wait- Momma- don’t leave yet- I’m sorry I failed-“

Though her blue glowing figure was gone, her voice rang like the wind chimes on Alderaan. “Oh Beloved. You could never have failed. You upheld the best parts of Alderaan. You protected hope. You survived. Thats all Bail or I could ask.”

Leia knew she wouldn’t find them again in this storm.

Before her, an orange flight suit covered in jedi robes runs forwards. Luke’s curly hair bouncing as he laughs joyously. Leia chases him.

The Krayt chases the Sandstorm. The Sandstorm chases the Krayt.

He vanishes. The little red bird is hopping before her, the barest of outline. It’s beak opens.

“Why do you walk the sandstorm, Child of Me?”

“I face the storm for a call, for a punishment from Depur.”

The redbird changes, becoming a brunette with a scar and a metal tube at his waist.

“The walk, Daughter of the Desert Lakes Mountains. The Mother awaits.”

Leia walks. The Dune sea laid out before her. Far in the distance, a rock face with plants blooming out of it is visible.

Directly before her is a woman dressed in layers, a pouch with a starburst and a bronze braclet is waiting.

“Water, Seeker?”

Leia nods and drinks deeply. “What is your name, Grandmother?”

“Shmi, granddaughter. I have wondered where you were when your twin crossed the sands.”

Leia blinks. “Shmi, I think you are mistaken. I have no twin.”

Shmi smiles. “I could never be mistaken. Lukka is only given as a name when there is a Leia beside him.”

Leia is stunned. Shmi gives a small secret smile. “Walk onwards, Granddaughter. Face your mother and yourself. Walk onwards, Leia Organa Ekkreth.”

Shmi vanishes.

Leia does as bid. Sitting before the cave in bloom is a women Leia has only seen in dreams. Long brown hair, so like her own. Deep blue dress. White, star-like flowers dotting her hair and dress.

“Hello, Padmè Amidala.”

“Hello, my daughter.”

And the area fills with light. A thousand snippets of a moment. A thousand chances to see what could have been. A moment with who was.

She sees Luke being taken away, sees Bail hold her for the very first time. Sees her mother breath her last. Sees her father and her mother breathe together, love each other.

Sees Vader.

Padmè kisses her forehead and says “Face yourself, my beautiful daughter. You must remember.”

Leia grasps her hand one last time as she fades. The cave, with blooming flowers and jagged teeth. A shuddering breath like a death rattle blows past.

Leia steps forward.

———

Leia never shared what she learned in that cave. It is a small, secret vision she keeps from all but one.

But she learned. For Leia the Krayt Dragon, Elder Sister, was waiting there. And Leia knew her soul. For no chain has been made that can bind her to not escape, and none ever will.

Leia returns after 7 days in the desert. She walks through the gates of Jabba’s palace, and they did not need to track her. She was in perfect health.

Lukka Luke came the next day. Leia strangled Jabba with the chains he thought would bind her, would break her.

She freed herself and her sisters. Her sisters embraced her as she left to face the Depur of the Empire.

Lukka looks at Leia, and they both know the other like a forgotten friend come back into your life.

The Krayt chases the Sandstorm. The Sandstorm faces the Krayt.

Leia, after freeing the Empire, brings Lukka back to Tatooine. The Burning Twins help their people take back their planet.

[t-4-twissy]

The Master regenerating into Missy and wearing skirts and doing makeup and using her "feminine wiles" (her words not mine lol) to do evil with her silly little Mary Poppins aesthetic vs the Doctor regenerating into 13 and just. Continuing to wear pants and eat dirt. I love them both so much

[chloesimaginationthings]

FNAF Movie Mike got mixed signals from Vanessa..

[undyingdevotee]

Doodled some designs on a magma with my friends. I took up the entire canvas by accident (I usually do)

Shameless headcanoned one below cut

[hasello]

Hi hi 👋🏻 I just wanted to ask about the Forced to be besties au, I get the basic premise of it, but could you tell us more about what Eggy and Sonic's ultimate goal is? 🤔 Cuz with how much most of the main cast (Shadow, Silver, Blaze, Rouge, Omega) are willing to put on the line, including there allegiance to GUN for Sonic's sake, and even willing to interact with Eggy, I can't help but feel like either Eggy and Sonic have some ultimate goal that's like Saving the world from some unseen threat no one else believes in, or that GUN is gone evil in this war you mentioned in one post, even if they're still keeping up appearances or something like that 🤔 anyways these are just the vibes I was getting but I'm not so sure about them so I was hoping you'd clarify whenever you had the time 😊 I'd also like to take this moment to say your art is so very cool and I love how creative this AU is!!!!

Did you perhaps peek inside my head…? 👀 You’ve got A LOT right!

Tho jokes aside - I feel bad for posting so little about this au SO have a peek of my concept art. There IS a bigger threat lurking and here it is:

[starryeyed-seer]

me: I'm not a bat

Mr pages: (stuffing novels under its robe): I must abscond

[peace-hunter]

also regardless of whether soundwave becomes a decepticon or not in the baby prime orion au, he still sends optimus every recording he has of the primes. especially the ones where they're with him as a baby. the ones where they talk about him. where they're gushing about him learning a new word or how to run or just a fun thing he did that day. the little things that no historian would think to record but that a close friend may treasure.

he couldn't keep his primes safe. he couldn't take revenge on the traitor who murdered them. he couldn't stop him from taking their legacy and molding it to his whims. but if he can keep the memory of them alive, if he can make sure they are remembered as how they truly were, if he can give optimus back a little bit of the family he lost... maybe that can begin to make up for his failures

[abnomi]

EVERY REASON (that i can think of) AS TO WHY TURBO/KING CANDY IS NEURODIVERGENT 💥💥

i would like to make a disclaimer first and foremost about the obvious, being that Turbo/King Candy is heavily implied to have narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) and antisocial personality disorder (ASPD). Very often, characters with these disorders are portrayed as villains, and Turbo is no exception to this. There's nothing wrong with antagonistic characters having said disorders, per se, but when the only representation available for people with these conditions are found in characters you're not supposed to root for, it can be really disheartening. i won't be erasing these parts of him because i feel it would be in poor taste to gloss over those core elements of who he is, but plz keep in mind that having any kind of personality disorder doesn't make anyone inherently evil!!!🌞 your ACTIONS make you, not your brain

Also if anyone has any suggestions or other ideas for his neurodiversity, i would love to hear them! please do share!! I LOVE PSYCHOANALYZING CHARACTERS AND HEARING OTHER PEOPLE PSYCHOANALYZE THEM !!!! YAY🎉 if u agree or disagree with any of my points I'd love to discuss them further :-]

without further ado... click read more to find out…😈 be ready for a lot of reaches

💥 ADHD 💥

STIMMING

Turbo's constantly moving around in some way; he's a very expressive character! even as King Candy, he can't seem to conceal his frequent giggling. it's a big habit of his; he seems to do it involuntarily to regulate himself, including when he's nervous or uncomfortable.

he seems to display other repetitive behaviors as well, like doing his iconic thumbs-up pose, sticking out his tongue, or hopping around gleefully. he is but a jovial court jester..

i personally like to think that his phrases, "Turbo-tastic!" and "Have some candy!" are vocal stims of his, although i equally really love the interpretation that these (and the aforementioned stims) are tics :-]

another headcanon; i think it would make a lot of sense for him to have an oral fixation of some sort (ignoring the whole sigmund freud part of the term ermm...); just lots of biting, chewing, needing to have something in his mouth. It would align with the whole idea that he smokes, too

HYPERACTIVITY

we can clearly see throughout the film that Turbo has a lot of energy, made abundantly clear by his mannerisms and general behavior. he's constantly moving, using exaggerated expressions and gestures to communicate + express himself. He's one of the most animated and bouncy characters in the movie, next to Vanellope! it's silly how a character not very grounded in reality is such a threat, but i suppose that's what makes him so threatening in the first place...

another factor in this is how he is very adrenaline-seeking, craving activities that give him a rush (sugar rush...😂😂). more on that in a bit!!

HYPERFIXATION

Turbo's fixation with winning is all-consuming for him; it's an obsession. he doesn't appear to care about much else, if anything besides it. this could be interpreted as a hyperfixation for him (or special interest if ur all about that autism lifestyle), as it overtakes all of his focus and impedes every process of his mind.

it's clear that racing is much more than a passion for him, and while that fact is due to how he was programmed, it's a major character trait of his regardless that could be correlated to neurodivergence.

HYPERFOCUS

There seems to be a big theme of "all or nothing" when it comes to Turbo. he will either be fully dedicated to something or brush it aside without a second thought. it can't be denied that he fully wraps himself up in what he wants, whether it's a conflict he can't let go of or a new pursuit he's hungrily chasing after. 

ultimately, his dedication varies depending on if it is relevant to him and his interests or not, but this aspect of him still shares patterns with neurodivergent thought processes.

INSTANT GRATIFICATION

Seeing as he has a tendency to cheat in his use of code to spawn in whatever his heart desires, it can be assumed that this could do with Turbo wanting instant gratification to fill that bitter, empty void inside of him. while this could simply be brushed aside as greed and his belief that he is obligated to have access to whatever he wants, this trait is consistent with his generally dopamine-seeking behavior and wanting to be instantly rewarded by his actions. His obsession with needing to feel good directly relates to his need for another buzz, constantly after the next rush. (a sugar rush if you will☺☺☺)

ADRENALINE-SEEKING

Closely related to the previous speculation, Turbo always seems to be chasing his next high. he loves the thrill of action and being surrounded by crowds of people below him. it's why his big thing is racing! people cheer him on, he can do whatever he wants, he can go really fast and look cool..

it's possible that a big aspect of why he does this is to distract himself from any kind of pain, because pain = vulnerability. bro does NOT know how to independently cope with his own problems.. HE MAD AS HELLLLL!!! 😂😂

STRUGGLE WITH SELF CARE

(i know this is reaching but bear with me... 🐻) going off of his appearance and tendency to make poor decisions, it can be gathered that this man lacks skill in the self care department. his yellowing teeth and sunken eyes not only serve to complement his design, but also give way to the idea that he neglects himself in favor for whatever weird scheme he's up to.

of course, Turbo does prioritize himself above everyone else, but he doesn't strike me as the type to care much about how others think he smells. him being a bother to anyone isn't a concern of his. he cares about whatever gets him the most praise and attention from as many people as possible, which is winning and racing. Who cares about how clean he is when he's up on a podium holding a shiny, golden trophy, anyway?

It's likely that he had to step his game up when he went under disguise as king candy, which is why he looks well-groomed in comparison to his more corpse-like appearance. Ugly hoe. it can also be assumed that he's had more time to focus on himself because everyone loves him without question... Well, except for Vanellope, but who cares about her, right?

also, i know he makes a condescending comment to Ralph about how bad his breath smells, but it's made abundantly clear that Turbo is a massive hypocrite. his comment doesn't erase the possibility that he has suffered from such "halitosis" as well.

💥 ANXIETY 💥

GENERAL ANXIOUS BEHAVIOR

i know, i know, this could technically be chalked up to be "Turbo is nervously giggling and shit because he's scared of getting caught," but guys. g

even in the flashback scene, we can see how easily stressed he can become in an alarmingly short period of time. he is extremely insecure, therefore i am led to believe he is not only emotionally dysregulated, but also by extension, anxiety ridden.

yes, this is purely speculative, but who's to say that he wasn't like this before? being high-strung and intense are significant facets of his personality consistently portrayed throughout the film. as long as he is getting exactly what he wants, he is happy; the moment he loses even a blip of control, however, he immediately grows extremely tense.

if Turbo wasn't anxious about his disguise as King Candy before, he was anxious about how much attention he was receiving on a given day. if not that, then he'd be anxious over how he presents himself. He hates how he can't control how other people perceive him, which is why he is constantly trying to act like he's better than he is.

its why he justifies his behavior to himself, proudly making others refer to him as the "rightful ruler" of sugar rush and relishing in the attention of his countless underlings. Any secure and stable person would NOT ACT LIKE THIS!!!!😭😭😭

FIGHT OR FLIGHT

As we can see a handful of times on screen, Turbo's instinct to protect himself is very easily activated.

 his fear manifests in anger and aggression. we can see at multiple points how easy it is to upset him or fluster him; his anger is one side of the same coin, the opposite end being his fear and paranoia.

Going off of this point, have you noticed that Turbo is either satisfied or furious without much of an in-between? how the second something isn't under his manipulation, he lashes out and fights back? I'm led to believe that this is how he responds to fear (AAUAAYAUUUUGGHHH 🐡🐡🐡🐡🐡🐡🐡). This guy is so against the idea of being vulnerable, that even when afraid, he will utilize violence to regain his dominance over the situation at hand.

CONTROL + PARANOIA

Turbo's always trying to writhe or fight his way out of uncomfortable situations, unable to exist outside of his comfort zone for seconds at a time.

his defensive, paranoid, and controlling behavior are all reflections of how deeply insecure this man is. He feels such an intense need for everything to go exactly how he expects it to go that the moment he senses any kind of threat, he instantly jumps to defend himself and what he feels that he has "earned," regardless of whether there truly is a threat or not.

this could potentially be a coping mechanism for his anxiety and sense of stability; can't forget to mention how territorial he is!! he jumps to conclusions about what others' intentions are before they even get a chance to reply, as seen with his first encounter with Ralph in the movie. 

the racer is so internally discombobulated that he seeks any sense of stability on his environment, including on those around him. his sense of self is so warped that he copes with constant distraction; being under the spotlight, being actively racing, having to be showered with attention, having others make him feel good because he doesn't know how to do it for himself. he needs to feel like everything is under control, lest everything falls apart.

"...if there's ONE thing I can't abide, it's ANYTHING out of order!"

💥 NPD 💥

INFLATED SENSE OF SELF IMPORTANCE

Turbo's most in-your-face trait above all else. It's made more than crystal clear in every scene he's in that his arrogance is a determining factor in how he interacts with others. This is exactly what drives him to desperately crave admiration, to chase after others he's envious of because he thinks he is obligated to take what they have.

he seems to genuinely think he is entitled to get whatever he wants, just because he is inherently "special" or "better" than everyone else. Why else would he have made himself a king, a step above princess?

EXCESSIVE NEED FOR ADMIRATION

Turbo's self worth is COMPLETELY dependent on the opinions of children and teenagers. I think i don't need to say any more than that, but i will. (Evil).

As cartoonishly massive as his ego is, i think that it's fair to assume that Turbo has a very unstable sense of self, distorting his perception of his own worth down with it. his near-constant flaunting and need to be the best is a dead giveaway to his deeply-ridden self-doubt. The foundation of his stability is built around how "good" he is (at racing and winning), how powerful he is, whether or not he is being prioritized above everyone else, whether or not he is the absolute best, etc. etc.

The racer outright manipulates others to shower him with admiration and undeserved appreciation. He is incapable of forming a true sense of internal value, instead heavily and codependently relying on others to form it for him. if he isn't the best, he may as well just be nothing.

INTENSE JEALOUSY

He reacts so severely to what he perceives as others taking away what is rightfully his that it only goes to solidify my previous points even further. the second someone else is getting more attention than him, Turbo will bend over backwards to rip back the praise he believes he so rightly deserves.

being extremely competitive, he will one-up against anyone he thinks of as a threat, dedicating himself to taking them down to the best of his ability, and making sure they STAY down to top it all off.

INABILITY TO HANDLE CRITICISM

if we really dissect the entire one-off joke with Turbo insisting that his stolen pink castle is actually "salmon," along with all of his other domineering behaviors, we can garner that he is very persistent in how he wants others to view him. i wholeheartedly believe that this would translate into him not only being defensive over his supposed "ownership" of Sugar Rush, but also over himself and his own insecurities.

He needs to feel good about himself or else he will die and quite literally try to kill everyone.

LACK OF EMPATHY

He appears to have a fondness for making jokes in very poor taste. Turbo has a big sense of humor, but it's always at the expense of others. Be it a pun about a "fungeon," or jumping to protect himself with a joke about "hitting a guy with glasses," he has a tendency to take serious situations very lightly. It's not that he's unaware of the weight of it; he simply doesn't take it Seriously.

its admittedly impressive how he was able to feign empathy so well for Ralph; it goes to show how he is very capable of understanding that what he's doing is wrong, but ultimately does nothing to change his behavior because it doesn't impact him personally. 

i would like to honor this part of him, because even in the possible alternate path of a redemption arc, his struggle with empathy can be explored in a variety of interesting ways :-] he can understand complicated emotions and situations on an analytical level, but he doesn't feel for them unless it has to do with him specifically. (this obviously doesn't make him inherently evil, his ACTIONS make him evil)

💥 ASPD 💥

LACK OF REMORSE/GUILT

One of Turbo's core characteristics is just how far he is willing to go for his own self-interest with lack of regard for how it impacts everyone else. he has absolutely no concern for how anyone else feels besides himself, willing to go so far as to attempt to mutilate a 9-year-old to achieve his petty goals.

Turbo is shameless when it comes to how he goes about getting his way. While I'd like to believe he isn't fully incapable of feeling regret, he doesn't showcase feeling it in the movie itself. The most regret he'll feel is when he slips up and exposes himself. anything else is the fault of everyone else; he is untouchable in his eyes.

DECEITFUL TENDENCIES + LYING

Where do i even start with this one.

well, first of all, let's acknowledge the... erm, horse? in the room? 🐎😅(Please someone help me there is a horse in my room help helphel) being that Turbo went under disguise as King Candy for at least a decade. Even before this, there's a good chance that he's already had plenty of experience with lies and manipulation. i'd be willing to bet on this!!

one of his specialties is being proficient in manipulation, be it the code of games or the minds of people. theyre basically the same thing to him, anyway... I'm sure you all know the scene where he uses 16 manipulation tactics against Ralph and wins. this was Obviously not the first time he'd done this.

REPETITION OF HARMFUL BEHAVIORS

Time and time again, Turbo can't seem to help himself when it comes to poor decision-making. he never internalizes that his bad choices aren't JUST bad for others, but also for himself, continuing to escalate further and further into very dangerous behaviors until he literally dies.

Here's a list of bad decisions he has made! (at least, that we know of)

Pinning himself above his peers

Harassment + stalking

Carelessly charging through GCS with his car, endangering countless civilians

Attempting to take over a game that isn't his x2

Vehicular manslaughter

Implied mass murder + attempted murder, attempted mutilation

Mass endangerment

Breaking and entering, theft, usurpation, plagiarism

and more!!!!!!!

AND HE LEARNS FROM ABSOLUTELY NONE OF THIS!!! with some of the items listed here, he's attempted to do multiple times! Absolute buffoon.

RECKLESS DISREGARD FOR SAFETY OF SELF AND OTHERS

Considering how he was willing to charge into a game that wasn't his own with the awareness that it could permanently kill him, going as far as to recklessly crash into another car (albeit it's possible this was unintentional), it's easy to gather that he doesn't seem to consider anyone's safety at all in the spur of the moment.

IMPULSITIVITY

his impulsivity and disregard for safety both go hand-in-hand. When it gets to a certain point, Turbo's emotions will boil over and blow up in a cold rage, thus causing him to spiral and act on impulse, becoming a detrimental force to himself as well as everyone around him.

What's interesting is how much restraint he is capable of; he typically is very strategic in how he orchestrates his plans! but once he reaches his breaking point, he snaps and leaves all of his hard work behind in favor of something that calls for his immediate attention.

💥 ETC. 💥

extra tidbits i didnt have enough energy to fully delve into :-]

BPD

Fear of abandonment

Blurry sense of identity

Feelings of emptiness

Self destructive tendencies

Emotional instability

Explosive anger

ODD (oppositional defiant disorder)

He seems so infatuated with his own autonomy that he gets to the point of being resistant and defiant

Resisting against the rules of the world that he directly caused as a result of his own actions, being that one shouldn't "go Turbo."

Enjoys upsetting/getting a rise out of others. this is more speculative as i am going off of the assumption that he thinks pissing people off is funny, based on his other behavioral patterns. (cruel sense of humor, wanting to feel above others via control & manipulation, enjoyment of inflicting pain onto others)

Forcefully defends himself and refuses any kind of criticism

Lashes out when he feels slighted

Excessive persistence despite all odds, whether it's beneficial to him or not

ok bye!! thank you if you managed to read this far ^^ peace and love take care of yourself! all in all turbo is so neurodivergent ok please Okay <3 get this thing his meds

[psychopomp-namine]

the way everyone has a dislike in their profile that actually says something integral about their character. lu guang doesn't like plans getting messed up, cheng xiaoshi dislikes loneliness, xia fei with owing favors, vein with lying...

and then you have liu xiao, who dislikes... cilantro. and fish mint.

(shakes fist) (putting him in a glass jar and shaking vigorously) learn to be vulnerable!! tell me something about yourself!! I guess him liking movies lines up with the theater metaphors, and there's him liking chess, but that. doesn't count methinks

[charmac]

Wait dennis canonically has a small dick? What did I miss 😭

Well besides the general sensitivities Dennis has to jokes about his dick and the fact that all of his pants are tight and very shallow at the crotch

There's this DVD Extra from Season 4 in which he's having sex with a woman who can't "feel him" (so to say)...

And this featurette made for the (OG) Paddy's Pub Blog in Season 8 in which Dennis claims convincing girls a shot glass is a regular size glass is a good way to make your dick seem bigger:

I mean there's not a hard "Dennis Reynolds has a small penis" line, but I would say these things are about on par with if not maybe more damning than the hints that Mac has a small dick

[musubiki]

new tragic plot line by the way is both the to-be snake witch (older daughter) and the current snake witch (mother) die so it goes to the younger daughter who is too young to even traditionally be a witch but the mothers familiar deems it to be so

[moonsongs-medicine-den]

any vylad headcanons to share with the class?

*looks around* me? um, certainly.

*pulls out my power point presentation*

As the third and youngest Ro’meave son, he was properly cared for and treated like the baby of the family, but he definitely felt the difference in the way his parents treated him versus Zane and Garroth, so it was almost like being an only child. 

Each Ro’meave child experienced their fair share of assassination attempts, so Lady Zianna kept Zane and Vylad as close to her as possible and they were very isolated from court life (she tried to do the same with Garroth, but Garte was very insistent on his eldest son to be by his side). Zane always felt he had to compete with Vylad for attention from Zianna and compete with Garroth for Garte attention (middle child syndrome fr). 

Vylad was one of those kids who didn’t speak unless he really had something to say and he was always really well spoken when he blessed everyone with whatever he was thinking. Garroth found that any books about nature, like animals and wildlife, really got Vylad interested and talking. Garroth and Vylad exchanged frequent letters while Garroth was at guard academy; Vylad used those as his encouragement to step out of his comfort zone as he got older. 

Vylad was tutored in diplomacy. Garte was one of those father’s who planned out every moment of his children’s future: Garroth would train to be head guard of O’khasis until he would inevitably be Lord, Zane would train in politics and theology to enter the ranks of the Faith of the Lady Irene, and Vylad would be a diplomat for the family’s interests. Vylad actually really liked the idea of being able to travel and see other places (he hated that he would have to charm strangers though, true introvert after my own heart). 

Vylad was assassinated a week before his 18th birthday. He had suspected he was going to be killed for a while, especially as he became aware of more of his father's behaviors toward him. Vylad had hoped he would be able to evade it until he began travelling in his new career. He was killed in his mother’s favorite garden. 

Garte hired the assassin. They strangled Vylad using a garrote wire type weapon that was easily concealed as a mundane item. The assassin still works in the Ro’Meave castle for Garte. (I think canonically he said he was stabbed in the back, but I interpreted that as a metaphor for being betrayed.) 

The last time Garroth saw his family was at Vylad’s funeral. He returned to the Guard Academy to complete his final testing and then he ran away. He decided to never return because he received Vylad’s last letter the night before the rankings were announced. 

Vylad was personally reaped by the Shadow Lord to be turned. There are two ways for souls to turned into Shadow Knights: through manipulation and then rigorous torture of the living body into fiery death, or through unconventional means of death (especially like murder or execution); Vylad was the latter. 

Vylad's favorite place in the nether is the (newish) biome The Warped Forest. He was the one who discovered it and was the one to start classifying all the “living” things there. He really likes all the green there because it reminds him of home (not that he would ever admit that to himself, in fact every time he does actively think about it, all he really remembers is his death). 

Shadow Knights can rise through the ranks by either proving their loyalty by extreme violence of their own means or by fine-tuning their special talent. Not every Shadow Knight has a special talent, but it usually reflects something from your time of living (Gene’s is his ability to alter memories, Sasha can transfigure items from the overworld into elements of the Nether, Zenix can control fire). Vylad can disappear/blend into shadows completely by magical means and he can move unnaturally fast when he’s in the shadows. He proved himself very quickly to be a competent and ruthless Shadow Knight because of this skill. 

Vylad has a reputation of being very unnerving due to his appearance and his coldness. He rarely talks, he still looks young but with very dead eyes, you can never hear him approach you until he right beside you, 

The Shadow Lord specially selected Gene, Vylad, Sasha, and Zenix to team up in the overworld. They were specifically given the Brightport/Metalli region to start the uprising of shadow knights killing their lords due to all their skills. They all dislike working with Vylad so they love when he spontaneously disappears for a few days without explanation, because they don't want to be around him more than necessary. 

Vylad didn’t immediately recognize Garroth in Phoenix Drop until he was charged with the task of getting the head guard to turn towards the dark urges of the shadow lord, to figure out exactly the best way to manipulate him to kill the lord. Vylad convinced the others that Phoenix Drop didn’t have enough political power to keep around and that the head guard wasn’t a good fit for any usual manipulation tactic that is typically used. Instead they all get to have a “bit of fun”; Zenix gets to commit arson on the Lord’s house, Gene places a bit of a memory spell on the village’s inhabitants to placate them, and Sasha gets to supervise the village for a bit and cause any kind of trouble she wants (including throwing random potions on hamsters). 

Vylad only decides to visit Hyria in the twilight forest once, mainly to see whether the magical forest would still recognize him as his mother’s child and not as a shadow knight. Seeing his brother again filled him with a long-gone emotion that he was trying to crush: hope. Hyria knew of the growing dark forces on the continent and worried that without Irene, Shad would rise again. She gave Vylad the staff thinking he would go to the nether, a place that would most need Irene’s help. Instead, he chose the place his brother was, the place he just destroyed. 

Nobody ever suspected cold, unnerving, loyal, shadowknight Vylad to have betrayed the Shadow Lord’s order so flippantly. But Vylad was never that loyal, in fact, the moment he was in the overworld, he just did whatever felt like the logical thing to do. 

He saved the Lady of Phoenix Drop, Matilda, not because it was the “right” thing to do, but because there was no logical reason for her to die. He hid her, imprisoned her, in Scaleswind, to keep her safe. He saved Levin and brought him back to Phoenix Drop, not because Matilda asked him to, but because the last place someone would look is right under everyone’s noses. 

Zenix is the one to figure Vylad is playing both sides and imprisons him in the nether. This begins Zenix’s disillusionment with the Shadow Knight order and why he “goes mad” and begins playing by his own rules. He refuses to side with Vylad though. 

Vylad is proficient in a variety of weapons, including a bow (when in camouflage) and the standard shadow knight blade (when transformed), but his favorite is a walking stick that functions as a bo staff weapon (he only uses it when he is disguised as a traveler). 

Vylad still “worked” for the Shadow Lord until Aphmau found him guarding the nether portal near Bright Port. He found that as long as he isn’t in the nether, he can strengthen his free will and finds himself more in tune with the overworld again. He doesn’t fully turn against the order until Aphmau finds him and reveals where Garroth is and that she's trying to rescue him.

Vylad doesn't consider himself a good person at all, but he finds that as long as he does the logical thing, good things tend to happen. He tries really hard to teach his "zen" ways to Laurance, but it doesn't really work. Unfortunately, Laurance just does not have the uncanny ability to disguise oneself so well that he hides from his own mind like Vylad can.

After Garroth is freed from the Irene Dimension, the two brothers hang out by the docks of phoenix drop and they fish together. They decide to use this time together as a second chance to be brothers again, no matter what happened in the past.

*power point ends*

so yeah, that all I've thought of :3

[juney-blues]

amazing digital circus would be so alright if it was good

[alexiethymia]

Aoko is Kaito's security blanket

All purely headcanon, but I like the idea of Aoko not realizing how much Kaito values and relies on her. Like in Love is War, 'the first to fall in love loses' so from Aoko's perspective, she's on the losing end, like she knows Kaito cares about her, but she's absolutely sure that maybe it's tilted more towards her end. And she is absolutely ok with that. I don't even mean this in a romantic sense, since from extra material and the manga, you can tell that Aoko is still innocent and dense. Even in a purely platonic sense, I could see Aoko thinking that she'd be more affected if Kaito was not by her side than the vice versa. You can see it in the little things like her self-depreciating comments (which is not helped by Kaito at all! you dumbass), and how she's ok with giving him up to Akako if she thought that was what's best for him.

But in fact it's the opposite. Kaito is the one who wouldn't be able to function without her. You can see it at the surface level. Aoko hardly gets jealous, if at all. In the first place she doesn't even know exactly what it is she feels for Kaito, just that she loves him. Even before she can think about jealousy, she has to face her own insecurities.

Meanwhile, as we've all seen, Kaito is petty when jealous, even allowing it to affect him as Kaitou Kid.

But I think it goes deeper than that. We see their first meeting from Aoko's perspective and how important it was to her, but that meeting must have changed Kaito's life too. Because all his life, Kaito's wanted to be like his dad, the best magician, and just like Shinichi with his first captive audience for his first deduction, making Aoko smile with his magic must have been life-changing for him.

Aoko is his favorite audience, the first to really believe he could be the best outside of his family, which is also why he loved performing for her when they were kids, and until now. It's funny to think that the slight rivalry he felt toward Aoko's mom was all because he was embarrassed in front of Aoko. That's the thing, he's always wanted to look cool in front of her, which is actually endearing in a way. I would actually love to know how Kaito views his feelings for Aoko. I don't think he's like Heiji pre-Ebisu bridge where he hadn't realized the meaning, but was still possessive over Kazuha anyway. I think he is fully aware of his feelings which makes me curious when he fell in love or realized he fell in love with Aoko. 'He loves everything about her,' after all.

When I say that Aoko is his security blanket, I mean that being with Aoko, performing for Aoko, and making her smile makes him believe that everything will be ok. Despite his secrets and his injuries and the double-life and never-ending search. It's routine, and so it's normal and comforting, much needed stability in his chaotic life. When Aoko withdraws from his side for example (like in the ski episode) he has no enthusiasm in performing for anyone else. This is why I truly believe if Aoko said she hated him, he would break. It's like after his father died (darn you, Toichi) he latched onto Nakamori-keibu and Aoko for stability. This is even more prominent after he becomes the next Kaitou Kid. People either detest him or admire him. He's a performer removed from the audience. And yet there are still people who willingly care for him outside of his family - the Nakamoris. Kaito is always alert, but Aoko is the person who would remove rice around his mouth for him and the person he'd allow to do so in the first place, because whether he admits it or not, Aoko is the one person he lets his guard down around.

The sad thing is, although Kaito seems to be a lot more extroverted than Shinichi, the former is much more solitary in comparison. Shinichi draws people in and reaches out. It's not that Kaito repels people, and he can certainly be empathic when he wants to be, but he doesn't exactly have the close-knit group of friends that Shinichi has. His relationship with Hakuba is far from the relationship Shinichi has with Heiji where they'd as sooner die for each other. Even as I think Hakuba would want to be genuine friends with Kaito (he's intrigued by him, except it's a shame he's the thief he's trying to catch), maybe because of that initial encounter with Aoko, Kaito is still a bit belligerent. While he does treat Akako like a friend, he still seems wary of her, unlike the strong bond of trust Conan has established with Haibara. Even with Shinichi and Ran, they both had Sonoko to make it into a stable triangle. Meanwhile, it seems like Keiko is more of Aoko's friend that Kaito's. In other words, the only person who Kaito has let into his heart seems to be Aoko (and even then, there are barriers). It's hard to blame him though. Shinichi's situation forced him to build networks and rely on others because he was left almost helpless. Kaito's situation just encouraged further secrecy and to handle everything alone. This is also why Shinichi's and Kaito's relationship is so important to me, because it seems like Kaito can relax around Shinichi too. Even as they bicker, they can work together. And I think Kaito really needs that kind of relationship where he can rely and trust someone from outside his inner circle.

Knowing this, it really shows the weight of what Aoko and to an extent Nakamori-keibu really means to Kaito. It was intriguing to see him lose his cool when Nakamori was shot, and that absolutely warm and fond smile after finishing his conversation with Aoko. There was no trace of Kaitou Kid in those moments, just Kuroba Kaito. He couldn’t help but drop his poker face! (and all of the emotions he was feeling then, including guilt, panic, and fear could warrant a whole other analysis). And again it's a bit sad that he can only show those faces when he's alone, not even daring to show them to Aoko (and anyone else).

The most that he can do to hint at his affection is acting like a tsudere brat, because it's safe, it's familiar, it's what Aoko would expect of him. I like this idea of Kaito being hot and cold (like how Aoko compares him to ice cream) because he has to actively keep on re-wearing his poker face. I have this headcanon that Kaito almost always gets cuteness aggression from Aoko (because let's admit it she is absolutely adorable), and his defense mechanism is to just be willfully blind to her charms and slightly be a bit mean because otherwise he'd just glomp the hell out of her.

I also like this idea that because of how used to each other they are, they are just naturally touchy with each other, like casual ruffles to the hair and light hugs. I can imagine one afternoon where they're just hanging around with Keiko and Kaito just drapes himself over Aoko's lap like some overgrown cat while fiddling with his smart-phone, and Aoko's just absentmindedly carding her fingers through his hair while talking with Keiko.

Meanwhile, Keiko's like: ???

You couldn't immediately say it was romantic, but it also seems much more than platonic so Keiko says nothing because she knows as soon as she draws attention to it, they'd spring apart faster than if they had been burned.

I like the idea of everyone at their school being silent witnesses. They're used to two versions. The most common one, bickering Bakaito and Ahouko, mop-chasing and skirt-flipping all across the hallways. But also the quieter, more intimate one where Kaito would just as casually take a bite of food from Aoko's chopsticks as she fed him, or Kaito draping his arms and entire body weight on Aoko as he complained he was bored.

For Aoko, it's natural. In the first place her thoughts don't veer towards thinking too deeply about her relationship with Kaito. It's enough that he's here and by her side.

For Kaito though, I like the idea that even when he's made his conviction about being careful around Aoko or rather being careful about his feelings for Aoko, there are just some moments where all of the thoughts about plans and heists just gets quiet. His calculating mind can rest for once and he doesn't need to act, whether as Kid or always joking Kuroba Kaito, and just be in the moment with Aoko. I think he finds peace when they're like that. This is also probably why no matter how injured he gets (something to be said for his lack of preservation) or how his plans keep exploding around him, he can't help but smile when he sees Aoko safe and sleeping.

In a way, it's like they're in their own little world that no one can enter and a (weird and slightly dark part) of Kaito perhaps prefers it that way.

tldr; Aoko suspects, but doesn't know exactly, just what and how much she means to Kaito.

[peace-hunter]

rewatched the ending of predacons rising to look for a reference and i'm sick to my stomach. again. what do you mean he died. what do you mean he fought for millions of years and didn't get to see the peace he sacrificed so much for. what do you mean they finally had the key to bring their planet back to life and he had to pay with his life for it. was everything he'd gone through not enough. didn't he deserve a chance at a peaceful life too. i'm gonna throw up OTL

[sleepysundial]

hello minecraft story mode fandom