#Despite having such a similar core and both of them being caused by similar hurt + genetic factors

[lady-dulcinea]

Something the October 11th entry really highlights is how much Mina and Jonathan are sure about each other. How much they know each other to the point they can read each other without any perceived difficulty, and how their devotion, their partnership, although treasured and seamlessly reciprocated by both, is never even questioned by them.

When Mina receives news that Jonathan is alive, she goes, an unmarried and unaccompanied woman, all the way to find him and marry him, even tho he’s still traumatised, half mad from his stay at Castle Dracula, and in the eyes of society could very much be considered an “invalid”. But she marries him anyway, and although Jonathan does gently reaffirm the delicate state of his body and specially his mind, he never really seems overly surprised that she chose him despite it all. And in the same entry we see a similar reaction from Mina when Sister Agatha feels the need to inform her that she shouldn’t worry that Jonathan’s malady might be because of some other woman; she all but scoffs at the idea, because it hadn’t even crossed her mind. Of course there isn’t another woman. Similarly, as she eventually makes acquaintance with several men, all of them rich bachelors who grow a quick and openly affectionate bond with her, Jonathan has not a single moment of insecurity about it. Of course they all love Mina, why wouldn’t they? Jealousy requires a certain lack of confidence in your partner that neither of them has. Their worries concerning each other are always ALWAYS directed at external influences: That something will hurt them, or that something will keep them from each other.

Which brings us to October 11th, when that sureness is brought to it’s highest, most tragic peak. Jonathan knew what Mina intended calling them all to meet her before their trip. He was so sure of it he spoke with Jack beforehand to make sure it would all be documented correctly, as he himself would never be able to write down such a thing as a symbolic funeral for his beloved. And he also knew what she would make them promise to do.

Because Mina, beyond just wishing to have the littlest bit of agency over her own death, is being strategic here. She knows Jonathan will “be with her to the very end”. She does not need to know of the promise he made to her in the solitude of his diary. Their devotion to each other is a given, one they do not take for granted, but that they expect nonetheless because they know each other and the strength of their love. Had she read the promise, she would undoubtedly be shocked by it, specifically by the utter heresy of it, devout as she is to her faith. But she would not be surprised, and this entry shows her anticipating what the Worst Case Scenario could potentially do to her husband, and trying to avoid it at all cost.

No, I don’t think she gone as far as assuming that Jonathan would deliberately choose vampirism for her. He has been as much of a devout christian as her for most of their lives, and tho she is not blind to the changes the last few months (and specially the last few days) have caused on him, she would not there suggest the Holiest Love conclusion is anywhere close to his mind. For after all, she has explicitly stated that she wants to be received by the grace of God, wants the same freedom granted by the boys to the soul of dear Lucy, and Jonathan simply wouldn’t deny her that.

Right?

And guys, as much as I love Jonathan’s vow and how he absolutely refuses to let her “walk into that unknown and terrible land alone”… it is a selfish vow. Romantic to the core, but selfish. Jonathan knows that’s not what Mina wants. He phrases it in a way that makes it seem like he is doing it purely out of love for her, so she’ll not be alone, but really, the selfless thing would be to do what she asked of him today. Her soul would be free, there would be no more Dracula to torment the world and kill innocents, and when Jonathan’s time came, he would join her in heaven.

But as I said before, the only thing that ever worries them about their relationship is whether or not they are hurt and when there is something keeping them apart. Jonathan goes to Transylvania and Dracula tries to keep him there: they both suffer from the distance. The first time Jonathan went to meet a client was the first time he and Mina were away from each other since the wedding, and she expresses anxiety about that. The men want to keep Mina away from vampire business to “protect her”: both her and Jonathan are unhappy with suddenly keeping secrets from each other. “A door is locked between them” because there is a part of Dracula inside Mina’s mind and she cannot be trusted to know all their planning, and Jonathan is crestfallen about it. Their deepest source of misery is always not being with each other, not being able to communicate properly, not just be together. And they both know that. Mina is just severely underestimating how far Jonathan would go so they’re not separated. As it is, she knows her death would bring him terrible grief, and by asking the help of their friends today and making him read the burial service, she’s trying to both a) Guarantee that should Jonathan’s hand falter, more steady ones would fulfil her wish; b) Unite them once more in the care they all have for her and show Jonathan that, should the worst happen, he won’t be alone. The other will be there. He shall not be so lonely if/when he becomes a widower; c) Perhaps by reading the burial service he can become more used to the possibility of her death and ease his heart to the matter.

However, Jonathan promises nothing to anyone. He asked for Jack to make an accurate description of what happened so that no detail would be left out, and yet we hear no word of confirmation from him.

And I’m sure she noticed it, too.

[planetformer-central]

Perseverance! One of the youngest and by far one of the most high end of the rovers. He received a spark and promptly became highly developed intellectually.

Perseverance is an anxious creature. Constantly drowning in a state of existential dread, he prefers to be alone whenever he can and wants nothing more than to be left to his own devices. He does care for his family, but he would rather be off studying and cataloging. He knows that he and his siblings are something new and odd considering they were not forged from a hotspot. As such, he's made it a point to learn everything there is to know about his race of origin. Cybertronians fascinate him, and if given the opportunity, he would gladly pick one to pieces to figure out how they tick. Their biology intrigues him and seeing the state of Cybertronians as a whole, he is desperate to figure out a way to preserve them.

There is no reason for his dedication to the cause of preserving Cybertronians as a species, but Mars theorizes that it could be a side effect of having come into being during a time of increadible stress for their homeworld. He likely took on pieces of Mars's own concerns or absorbed bits of the Allspark's lingering power during his development and has since made both into a core part of his identity. Despite his concerns and general willingness to commit war crimes, he's not malicious and despises unneeded violence. He is not childish like his siblings and devotes all of his waking hours to his work.

He desperately wants to meet and speak to Shockwave, but he does not voice his wish out loud. Mars has little love for Shockwave and from what he's heard, Shockwave has a similar level of interest in their kind's biology. He has made it a goal to silently work toward his mission of meeting Shockwave by quietly continuing his studies and earning Mars's trust enough that he can travel. In the meantime, he is content enough to research his siblings and Mars himself. He serves as the resident medic and tends to his siblings whenever they end up hurt. He is not formally trained in medicine, but he does well enough.

[cringetownusa]

Yax, the How and Why:

Part 1: Why do people ship them?

Decided it was time I put together all my thoughts about why I think Yax works particularly well as a ship, and what they all bring to the table.

There's a lot to talk about here, and I'm going to try and hit at least all my big points. I'm also going to be looking at them from the standpoint of Goof Troop, and A Goofy movie, as well as the Og Animaniacs and reboot, Wakkos Wish, (even though that's out of universe for animaniacs) comics, and even the toys.

This is about to get really long, so I'll put it under a read more.

From a personality standpoint, they compliment each other's strengths and weaknesses so well.

Max is earnest and honest. He always has been.

From Goof troop where he wants so badly to do good things, and goes immediately to an adult when he messes up, to A Goofy Movie, where he goes so far to impress the people around him, to his want to do a good job in House of mouse. It's a constant whenever we see him on screen.

Max has seen a lot of growth through his shows and movies, but he's also been consistent. Goofy has clearly done an incredible job raising Max. Max is pretty open about his emotions. He doesn't hide them from his friends or family. There's a level of vulnerability that comes from that, and despite being bullied and picked on, he knows who he is, it only become a matter of insecurity getting other people to see that.

In A Goofy Movie, he doesn't worry about being good enough for roxanne. He says with conviction that "after today, she'll be mine". He doesn't doubt his own abilities. He's confident in what he does, and what he knows he's good at, like skateboarding.

Max is dramatic, he's flamboyant and a show off. He has made himself the center of attention on purpose before; as long as it's something he's well versed in and is confident he can impress with, he thrives. He loves to have that positive attention from big crowds. It pushes him forward.

He is also, and this is very important, a troublemaker.

He always has been, and not just in a well meaning sense.

In Goof Troop, he shows that he's the scheming type, he's the type to cause problems on purpose, just because it's fun. It's often the problem or the solution to several episodes.

Just like the Warners.

Now, these are never super harmful, he's a good kid at his core. He's kind and patient and understands his mistakes, but he's an absolute menace. He would have no trouble fitting in with patented Warner antics.

This next point is talked about a lot.

Max's issues and insecurities make for a fantastic story of growth with Yakko and his siblings. He's worried about being laughed at, at people hearing his laugh (something that is the best part of individuals and their expression of self) and worries about what other people think of it. This issue of his hits against Yakko's need to make people laugh.

They're complimentary. They're foils to each other.

Yakko is similar, but because of how he grew up, and the role he was forced into, he mirrors Max's traits as well.

Yakko is sarcastic, he undercuts a lot of sincerity with humor or hides it behind a veil of snark. He hides his feelings for fear of backlash. Unlike Max, who has his emotions on his sleeve, and has been encouraged to feel them openly from a young age.

Yakko's not able to be so open emotionally, because doing so has gotten both him and his siblings hurt.

Yakko is smart. He's tactical where Max is emotional. He schemes as well, as the spearhead and leader of the zany trio, but he sees more angles than Max does.

He does it out of self preservation in ADDITION to doing it to be a menace and for fun. He's the mastermind of the group, just like Max is to his own group. They're both the snarky personas. Yakko wants, NEEDS to make people laugh, his self worth is tied to it, it's what he was made to do. It's a source of anxiety for him, but also a source of joy. We've seen several instances of moments where Yakko falls back on his "Nations of the World" song, because he wants to make a good impression. We also have evidence of him stressing about his ability to perform in his sleep.

Being able to tell exactly how others are feeling helps Yakko pivot his plans and react in line to the antagonist. He has a hard time being sincere sometimes, prefers to keep himself protected.

But he also craves attention. Loves to be at the center of it, loves it more when it's something he's passionate in or prides himself with.

His jokes, his wit, his singing. His ability to sing and speak tongue twisters that nobody else can. All things he's confident in.

Yakko's strengths lie more in his mind, as opposed to Max's physical capabilities.

Together, they create a dynamic duo of mischief, being people with similar senses of humor, (we have seen both Yakko and Max tell almost identical jokes)they make each other laugh.

With strong senses of justice, they both aren't afraid to bring out the schemes on "special friends", or on people who deserve it; we see that a lot in Goof Troop.

Max is used to havoc. He's closely acquainted with it, he's been doing Goof Luck damage control since he was a small child, constantly being pushed to take the wheel of his dad's mishaps, sometimes very literally.

He would fit in seamlessly to the Warner's adventures, egg them on or do damage control. He's perfectly suited to fill in the space where he's needed, like a liquid changing shape to its container.

They're two sides of the same coin. They are opposites but they support each others weaknesses.

The emotional openness vs. The guarded emotions.

The need to make people laugh vs. The need to not show his laugh.

The physical vs. mental strengths.

Together, they gain inner and outer strength. They'll have someone to confide in, someone with much different upbringings and experiences than their own. Both in and out of universe.

But that's not really all there is to it, is there?

No, because family is so integral to both of their characters, we can't really talk about how good Yax is, and why it works, without talking about Goofy, Wakko, and Dot.

Yakko would never date someone, or even be friends with someone if they didn't like his siblings. Not just get along, like.

The Warners are "All for one, and one for all times 3". There is no talking about such a major change to the Warner dynamic without addressing every Warner, because they're affected too.

Dot and Wakko need someone to be friends with outside of themselves. They need familiarity and kindness.

Who better to open the Warner's to a kinder life, than a toon from a company all about the power of familial and romantic love? The themes that surround Max and Goofy(as well as many other Disney's), are exactly the kind of thing that those kids need the most.

Wakko and Dot need to have love that comes from the outside. Love from a parental figure who isn't their older brother, and love from a real friend, someone who cares about them who they aren't related to and can talk through issues they may otherwise be uncomfortable talking to their siblings about. The Warners are closer than any siblings that have or will ever exist, but there's still some things that are easier to talk about with a third party.

With Goofy, (someone who knows how to raise a kid, and what they would need to thrive) the Warners can finally, just be kids.

Yakko being happy is a the big part, but having the Warners brought into the Disney family by Goofy Goof, the man with so much understanding and love to give, who GETS kids, and has always let Max be a kid and help him through it?

It would help all three of them lean on outside help.

His appearance through Yakko and Max knowing each other, gives the Warners a positive adult figure in their lives who will be there to support them instead of criticize them for being "too much".

Yax isn't JUST about Yakko and Max, it's about the connections these kids make beyond the studio lot.

The connections that start with the eldest himself opening up. Start with Yakko overcoming that fear of rejection and letting people in.

It's about learning the world around them isn't just filled with people who want them locked up.

It's also about Max having someone who can match his energy. Max already has some friends who let him be himself and are wonderful people , but The Warners open up a different side of Max that can allow him to show that freer, mischievous side and have fun in that same way he had enjoyed in Goof Troop. He's allowed to revel in it, instead of worrying about stressing out his friends by getting them in on the antics.

The world is also filled with people who embrace their weirdness and energy, and who will guide them.

Even if you just like yax as friends, it's easy to see the potential and benefits

The Warners and the Goofs, to have lives grow richer.

And more, with them being from separate companies, their worldview would be able to grow to incorporate new ideas and thoughts.

The Warners aren't very open with their emotions, so a father son duo who have always been open and communicative would be able to show them the benefits of doing so themselves.

Plus, watching the Warner Siblings wreak havoc with a smile, hurting no innocents, would be exactly the type of thing to make Max smile in turn.

They deserve each other, deserve kindness and acceptance. ALL of these kids do. And every single one of them get that through Yax.

Plus, through Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Yakko and Max exist within the same universe. They're so close. It's not a stretch to see them interact and understand each other.

Now, there's a lot more to talk about. How it came to be, and how the shipping climate and the timing of the original shows allowed for this to line up to happen.

So look out for that in Part 2, featuring an interview with the person who started it all.

[dreamii-krybaby]

Theory on Nori’s actual personality

Ok but what if it’s revealed that Nori isn’t necessarily malicious or evil or satan’s spawn, like specifically during her time at the labs and camps.

Like yes I know she seems to be enjoying herself after the core collapse thanks to the pictures in EP4 and at the interview shown in EP6 despite Alice going berserk and smashing her own head and Yeva hurting and terrified. Not only her body language but also the fact she is resting her arm on one of the sentinels as if they were mere pets gives her almost disney villian vibes

Because to me she could be somewhat similar to N. She is a beacon of positivy, it may be simply her personality or a developed coping mechanism

It could be that her chill and cool vibes are astonishing. So it’s not that she doesn’t care or anything, she simply isn’t aware of the gravity of the situation or takes things easy.

Plus the fact that the goddam sentinels are so chill around her that even one of them lets Nori put her arm on top of them can maybe be seen as the sentinels not perceiving Nori as a threat, and more as a companion, maybe even as a friend.

Her EP6 appearance may be a red herring or is purposely made so we draw the wrong conclusion.

Bc most of her bad actions where when she was under the influence of the AS:

- Like before the core collapse happened we clearly saw in EP6 that Nori was fully possessed bc of her yellow eyes. And we in the footage you can see drones or even human limbs scattered around her, so all of that was when she was possessed.

- after the core collapse she shows to be quite friendly, it could be that she doesn’t remember a lot after her possession. Unlike Yeva who probably was still processing everything.

Tho tbh I can cut her some slack if she indeed was happy after the humans perished after the core collapse. Since you know, she was experimented and probably witnessed a lot of fucked up shit.

- When Alice mentioned that she left them to die, she also later added she had yellow eyes, again, Nori was possessed at that time. Alice probably didn’t know that the one who probably left them to die was the AS, not Nori

- Now this more of an assumption, but the fact that in Nori’s closet Khan kept boxes and boxes of “happy family memories” it probably meant their relationship was pretty good.

- And things only went south when Nori started to get visions(?). Also she constantly told Khan to build doors against the coming sky demons. Clearly she was trying to protect herself, Uzi and Khan, and probably the rest of the colony (which also included Yeva, which would go against the interpretation that Nori didn’t care much for Yeva). Also remember, it was Khan who wasn’t there for Nori, she needed him, she tried to warn him.

-Its also worth mentioning that Yeva might have not been harmed by Nori during the interview shown at EP6. Bc first there is no sharp object that could potentially be used against Yeva. (Wait now that I think about it, there is a JCJenson pen, and if u remember the pilot, that pen could have actually been used to cause Yeva’s injury but it seems to be lacking oil stains)

And its a higher possibility that Alice could have done it, as it seems she has gone berserk and drew with her own oil on the walls and is clawing at the wall, and maybeee she also used Yeva’s oil to draw.

Also Nori couldn’t have used the AS directly on Yeva due to both having the AS. And a interpretation made by @capnsaltsquid said that Yeva’s eye got damaged by the AS itself, it fucking blew up, due to her body not being very “compatible” with the AS. (Yeva my poor gal :( )

Again I think it all depends on interpretation.

Now does this mean she is a pure holy saint? No. Murder Drones is a show where most ppl aren’t really a saint. Yes..probably not even my gal Yeva. But Nori could be that at the end she wasn’t evil or smth. She could have a similar situation to Cyn.

Now personally would enjoy if she actually started off as antagonist or even villian when she got the AS at the labs and had to unfortunately learn the hard way about the dangers of the AS later. Wouldn’t mind at all if she occasionally showed moments of villainy.

And me being me, how about devil’s advocate?

Maybe she was indeed a son of a bitch at her time at the labs maybe she was happy after the destruction she caused after the core collapse.

What if Nori actually planned to get possessed? What if the AS offered her freedom by getting rid of the humans. Bc the AS drawing below her shown on the EP6 footage surrounded by body remains gives me “summoning the local Eldritch god inside of my body to do silly stuff” vibes

For all we know the AS could have given her a sense of control, power, and superiority and for a lab rat surrounded by robo-raptors and other, more aggressive lab rats, that must have felt amazing.

Also it would be nice to have a villian who fully embraces the AS, even for only a period of time.

Before you say we have Doll, I don’t think so, well partially:

-She immediately feels sorry for Uzi upon learning she also has the AS, and she promised her to help her once she finds what she is looking for.

-She also calls the AS a “sickness” via Tessa’s comment on EP6.

-A lot of ppl and myself included infer that what Doll is looking for is a cure for the AS

-Even if she uses the AS a lot more than Uzi I think Doll is simply taking advantage of it while she has it, its the only ready available tool she has. But I don’t think she necessarily likes having it. Plus Doll has more control over her body over the AS unlike Uzi.

So I would love for Nori at the beginning to embrace the AS, that loves it. Sees it as a blessing rather than a sickness. That feels a rush of control when using it.

Or we could go the more, chill route, she uses it more due to carelessness and ignorance.

And perhaps for her later go “Well maybe I don’t want this thing anymore”

But realistically from what I gathered, I see her someone who is chill, open, easy going, sociable and perhaps, careless.

Tho am begging on my knees for her to be a morally grey sassy lady.

[wilcze-kudly]

The Kuvira/Suyin parallels

So, this is piggybacking off my previous post about the Opal/Lin parallels, and to be honest I've always loved making this comparison, wince it's just so damn ironic and juicy.

Suyin and Kuvira are, of course, adversaries through a lot of the show, however, I think it's, mostly due to their similarities.

Both Kuvira and Suyin are, at their cores, leaders of their self made factions. Both also built said factions as coping mechanisms to the abandonment/neglect they experienced as children.

Both these characters garner the affection they lacked as children by having people depending on them. And also controlling said people. Suyin, by building a city and clan she was the matriarchal of. And closer to her, personally, keeping her family tight knit and her children isolated from the wider world and heavily dependent on her. As for Kuvira, it projecting her trauma onto a suffering nation and fashioning herself into being a hero of the people. Someone the people adored.

You don't really need to do a lot of mental gymnastics for this one. They were both isolated and lonely as kids, so they created environments where they were important and revered.

There's clear pressure from both these women for their "people" to conform to the rules they set. Suyin threatens Kuvira and Baatar Jr with banishment. One another occasion, she enables Korra's hunt for Aiwei, despite the obvious risk this endeavour would bring. While Kuvira's methods of control are more... barbaric? I'd call concentration camps barbaric but to each their own.

Suyin 🤝 Kuvira threatening poor earthbender himbos. God I wish that were me.😨👀Haha who said that?

They're fiercely protective of their carefully crafted status quo, since it is, essentially, a coping mechanism. The further it falls apart, the further their own psyche does too.

Suyin's qorst nightmare is her family and city falling apart, while for Kuvira it is when her Empire crumbles.

They can become increasingly manic and desperate the more danger their 'works' are, tossing any moral code or even sanity out the window.

They'll grasp at any straws to protect what's theirs. Suyin pressured Korra into going into the Avatar state, despite Korra's clear discomfort. Kuvira, meanwhile, harnessed the energy of the spirit vines and laid waste to Republic City.

There both even willing to endanger their allies, even those closest to them. Suyin taking her youngest sons on a dangerous mission to try and kill Kuvira (someone they most likely knew as children) while Kuvira herself nearly murdered Baatar Jr, her fiancé and closest supporter, just for the chance of taking out Korra. Rip Beifong brothers you really are the true victims here.

This desperation is understandable... its all they have. Both Kuvira and Suyin grew up alone, feeling unloved by their families. This led them to acting out. Be it for attention or any other reason, they ended up being too much to handle for their parents

We all know about Suyin scarring Lin, right? And this being part of the reason Suyin was forced to leave her home and dropped off at her grandparents. I find it interesting that it is implied that Kuvira too severely injured her mother, perhaps this also being the catalyst for her being given away by her parents too.

Perhaps because Suyin's second chance was so good for her, she wished to extend one to a troubled young girl. I firmly believe she saw a lot of herself in Kuvira (for better or for worse). The line about "hurting someone in this family" easily made me think of what Suyin did to Lin and see that she regrets it and doesn't want Kuvira to go through the same.

Regret, however does not fix all and neither Kuvira, nor Suyin know how to atone for what they've done.

It seems hard for either of these characters to understand the hurt they've caused nor that their actions have consequences. However, Suyin and Kuvira are treated rather kindly by the narrative. We've seen planty of people talk about how Su is coddled by the show's writing. And Kuvira is treated with a similar gentle hand. Redemption is a muddy subject for me, however I will say that bothese very complex and fascinating characters were done extremely dirty by shallow writing.

However, I will finish this long silly ramble by saying that it is very in character for Su to forgive Kuvira, despite this possibly making her children uncomfortable.

A huge part of Suyin's ideology is believing in second chances. However it runs deeper than that. As stated before, her family is the most important thing in the world to her. And Kuvira is part of that family. It's not surprising that Su is hurriedly doing damage control on everything after B4 and everything that happened.

I find Kuvira and Suyin fascinating characters. Their trauma, their drive and the mild insanity with delusions of grandeur is what really pulls together these two tormentors of the Beifong family together for me. ❤️

-

Also, on a side note. I find it very curious when people like one of these characters, but dislike the other, since they are so similair with their arcs and personalitywise. If you are a Kuvira stan and a Suyin hater or a Suyin stan and a Kuvira hater, could you clue me in a little on the thought process? Is it like. Just vibes? Or is it one of the small differences between Su and Kuvira that feels so jarring that it seperates them completely?

[usagirln12003]

Tomura Shigaraki: Hogwarts AU

Tomura Shigaraki was a Pureblood wizard that was born on the 4th of April 1965 and started attending Hogwarts on the 1st of September 1976, being sorted into Slytherin House.

He had a Yew wand with a Dragon Heartstring core.

His Patronus was Non-Corporeal.

His favorite subject was Defense Against the Dark Arts and his least favorite was History of Magic.

Tomura Shigaraki was a very twisted, malevolent, and maliciously warped young man, who was considered to be the polar opposite of Izuku Midoriya. He didn't care for his or almost anyone else's life, having no qualms about performing evil deeds like murdering innocent people. Tomura was initially perceived to be a "man-child": arrogant, selfish, dependent, and demanding, becoming angry if things didn't go his way and likening reality to some sort of game. Unlike his mentor, Tomura lacked subtlety, preferring to eliminate problems through force. Much like a child, Tomura seemed unable to cope with his own feelings, instead lashing out and abusing both others or himself, tearing at his own neck when he becomes frustrated. This particular meltdown stemmed from the abuse he suffered from his father and being alone during his childhood, with All For One claiming that it represented his suppressed urge to kill and destroy. A very irritable person at the beginning of the Izuku's story, Tomura would learn to be more patient and self-controlled in subsequent appearances, as a consequence of multiple failed plans and All For One's arrest.

Tomura was proud of the League of Dark Wizards, wanting to prove that his organization had the necessary power to shake society and taking pleasure in mocking those standing in his way. He didn't tolerate others making light of the League's name and loathed the idea of certain personalities joining him, as was the case with Dabi and Himiko Toga at the beginning, which was made worse by the fact that they were both inspired by Stain, who had previously refused membership and overshadowed Tomura's goals in terms of media exposure after the Diagon Alley Incident. For similar reasons, he looked down on the wizarding mafia for their intentions of ruling the underworld over the League. In the end, however, Tomura was able to set his pride aside in order to do whatever was needed to accomplish his goals, having adopted Stain's ideology to enlist more members to his cause and forming a deal with the mafia for the development of the Magic-Destroying Drug.

Initially, Tomura seemingly caused destruction just for the sake of it and felt directionless about the League's path forward after Stain's arrest. It would take a fateful meeting with Izuku in Hogsmead for him to develop an epiphany and become aware of his true convictions: to crumble hero society through Toshinori Yagi's death. Tomura always had a desire to kill All Might, but out of an impulsive expression of anarchy towards a society that hurt him and caused his mental instability. After hearing from Izuku, Tomura realized that Yagi is what he hated about both Izuku and Stain, wishing to see them, as well as the wizarding society as a whole, lose their Symbol of Peace. Following Yagi's retirement and during the League of Dark Wizards' encounter with the Meta Liberation Army, Tomura's convictions grew from crippling society to completely destroying it, apparently as a result of an innate sense of pain and suffering caused by the past memories of his abuse. By Tomura's own admission, he hated everything that breathes, displaying an extreme form of nihilism.

Despite Tomura's general disgust of life, there were a select number of people he held in high esteem. He had a close relationship with his mentor, All For One, the one person who came to his aid when he found himself alone and lost as a child. Tomura held a great amount of respect and attachment for All For One, always referring to him as "Sensei"/"Master" and being concerned for his well-being. Incidentally, Tomura happened to carry All For One's family name (Shigaraki), which symbolized a relationship close to father and son. Tomura also had Kurogiri as a trusted confidant and adviser, despite treating him harshly at times. Kurogiri's capture was noted to have made Tomura upset as the latter valued the former's company and abilities.

Aside from those two and Kyudai Garaki, who all had a hand in raising him, Tomura initially appeared rather distant towards his other allies in the League, however he did show to care about them in his own ways. He bonded with Spinner over their shared love of muggle video games, to the latter's surprise. He also cared about them enough to prioritize their comfort once he obtained the necessary finances, and became enraged when Overhaul killed Magne and destroyed Mr. Compress' arm. Beforehand, when Kurogiri labelled the other League members as disposable pawns, Tomura corrected him by saying that they are instead valued allies. Tomura displayed both faith in the League's capabilities and trust in them to do right by him and their group, as seen when he confided in Himiko and Twice before appointing them to aid Overhaul (knowing they would intentionally sabotage the Hassaikai from within, even without his orders).

Furthermore, when Himiko questioned Tomura on his newfound goal to destroy everything, he revealed that his allies were exceptions, saying that he always has room for them and their goals while telling them to live life however they see fit. This proves that Tomura had developed a true form of care towards his allies, even if he only seldom showed it. This further set Tomura apart from All For One as he actually had goals and desires beyond himself, and genuinely values his allies, while All For One saw his "friends" as nothing more than disposable tools. His exclamation that he "won't be corrupted" by his master's influence implied that, while Tomura was potentially more dangerous and destructive than All For One, the latter was far more darker and evil for caring about nothing but himself.

As a child, Tenko was shown to be relatively normal, even kind and compassionate. He held a great love for his family and a strong desire to become an auror someday, not unlike Izuku. However, the constant abuse he suffered from his hero-hating father made him psychologically fragile, being terrified of his mere presence. Because of this oppressive upbringing and the inaction from the rest of his family, Tenko felt that his whole family had never been supportive of his desires, becoming increasingly frustrated when the abuse grew worse. Eventually, his magic manifested for the first time, and Tenko's sanity finally snapped, destroying his household and all his family members.

At first, Tomura expressed heavy remorse for accidentally killing his family upon losing control of his newfound magic. The severed hands that Tomura wore all over himself were the only physical remnants of his dead loved ones, and he claimed that they made him feel simultaneously sick and calm. Despite his sadness, Tomura experienced a partial relish in his family's demise since he considered them responsible for letting him suffer at his father's will. Tomura admitted that he felt a cathartic pleasure while ending Kotaro's life as retaliation for his abusive treatment. During his fight against Re-Destro, Tomura overcame his past shackles of guilt after getting his memories back, having used his childhood feelings to further fuel his hatred and becoming even more driven to end society.

Despite his past, however, Tomura held no hatred towards his family. This was shown when he assured his sister in his visions that he wasn't mad at her for framing him and also assured his mother that he was fine while turning back into a child in front of her, proving that a part of Tomura still cared about his family. However, he was willing to reject their pleas in order to continue the pursuit of his evil conquest, telling them not to reject who he had become and showing that he wouldn't let them hinder his goals. Upon meeting his paternal grandmother, Nana, for the first time, he coldly expressed his hatred for her regardless of the circumstances that allowed them to meet.

After becoming one of All For One's horcruxes, as well as the enhancements to his body, Tomura began to show traits similar to that of his master, such as a condescending and mocking demeanor, along with a terror-inducing presence and a desire to steal any magical artifact that piqued his interest, such as the Philosopher's Stone and the Elder Wand. Regardless, he still maintained his nonchalant yet menacing attitude during battle and was capable of showing a savage anger towards his enemies, as demonstrated during his fight against Izuku and Shota Aizawa. Even after having been incinerated and inches away from death, Tomura refused to give up and vowed to destroy the wizarding society that had caused him so much suffering, believing that his sheer power and determination would see him through.

Despite feeling grateful towards All For One, Tomura outright stated to him that he wished to carve his own legacy and become even greater than his master. However, Tomura quickly began to detest All For One after learning that his true goals were to use his body as a vessel and take it over permanently. Tomura even went as far as to try and attack All For One's vestige and later refused to be his master's "pawn" whilst trying to regain control of his body. When he sensed his master's death, Tomura expressed no remorse or sympathy for him, though blamed himself for failing to break Katsuki hard enough. Nonetheless, he was indebted to All For One for raising him and granting him his power, because if it wasn't for him, he wouldn't have become the strongest dark wizard.

As their time sharing the same consciousness continued, Tomura had shown to have entered a state of identity crisis, being unsure of whether or not he was actually Tomura Shigaraki, All For One, or even Tenko Shimura. This was shown to be the result of Tomura and All For One's wills merging together, with the elder Shigaraki summarizing that they would combine to become a new evil entity altogether, with Tomura's hatred accelerating the process. Despite this, Tomura still continued to fight his former master's control, unwilling to let this happen.

By the time of the Final War, Tomura and All For One's minds had nearly melded together as one, creating an entity that featured a mix of Tomura's nihilism and desire to destroy everything, and All For One's will to use his power to rule over all. However, deep within the vestige lies another entity, that of Tomura's previous form as a young Tenko.

During their first encounter in the vestige world, Izuku revealed that he could hear a crying child deep within Tomura, and following the latter's fight against the main auror of the United States, Tenko was shown to be surrounded by an onslaught of hands, thinking about Izuku. During the fight against the light side, Mirio Togata unintentionally caused Tenko's personality to re-emerge after he claimed he didn't have any friends, which Tomura furiously denied, bringing up his childhood friends Mikkun and Tomo, and his pet dog Mon. This suggested that a part of Tomura still wanted to be saved and that his previous scared and lonely self wasn't completely gone.

Despite that, Tomura affirmed that he and Tenko both held the same goal upon reclaiming his body from All For One: the destruction of everything. "Tenko" was representative of his origin that he implanted deep within All For One's vestige as a means of winning back control of himself and the his magic. Even though Tomura acknowledged that a part of him was still in pain, he didn't desire anyone's pity and saw the rest of the world as no different from the abusive house he grew up in, desiring to eradicate everything associated with it while claiming that this would be the only thing that would grant him salvation. He also claimed that he had no desire for the Elder Wand, and that his previous obsession with winning it over was just a forced extension of his master's will, but was still willing to steal it in order to rid himself of Izuku, the only one capable of stopping him.

Tomura also took the opportunity to taunt and mock Izuku during their final battle, being impressed by his opponent's strength, but annoyed that he was holding back and still treating him as a human being despite his desire to decimate Britain. Despite this, he still had his fellow comrades from the League in his mind, having expressed his desire to make the "flattened horizon" that Spinner was looking forward to.

Once Izuku successfully breaks through Tomura's shell of hatred, he gets him to explain his desire for destruction. It's revealed that Tenko and Tomura were one and the same, with Tomura having deluded himself into thinking that he wanted to kill his family because he couldn't understand why he was born that way otherwise. Eventually, he genuinely opened up to Izuku and revealed that he would continue to destroy because he insisted the dark wizards need a hero of their own, in a way showing that Tenko never truly lost his desire to be an auror.

However, Tomura became truly broken when All For One returned and revealed that he had put him under the Imperius Curse when he was a child, and was the one who had orchestrated the events of his birth and upbringing, including encouraging his father's strict attitude, leading to the abuse and misery he suffered in his childhood, and causing the death of his entire family. In his supposed final moments, Tomura remembered everyone he ever hurt as he disintegrated, presumably reflecting upon his own agency when he committed those actions.

Even when all seemed lost for him however, Tomura would be saved from vanishing by his grandmother and later decided to aid Izuku in destroying All For One for good. As his body proceeded to crumble away, Tomura faced Izuku one last time in the vestige world, recounting how he never managed to destroy anything while also admitting that he may have been a crying child after all, possibly accepting that a part of himself as Tenko still exists. Izuku stated that even though he managed to reach Tenko and shatter his hatred, he remained the leader of the League of Dark Wizards to the very end. As a final request, Tomura tells Izuku to let Spinner know that he never gave up on his goal to destroy and even encouraged Izuku and everyone else to do their best while genuinely smiling at him. Yagi surmises that even though Tomura's life couldn't be saved, Izuku still managed to save his soul, allowing him to pass away in peace.

[featherlumina]

8, 12 and 17 for the ask game 😁

Thank you so much @duttfisch! Apologies for the Genesis spam below, haha. XD

8. Common fandom opinion that everyone is wrong about.

GENESIS BEING INCLUDED IN THE NIBELHEIM INCIDENT. People treat this like some unholy retcon, the greatest narrative sin Square Enix could've committed via the Compilation. And I for one think that's a complete over-reaction.

Seriously. Sure, Sephiroth's definitely not in a good mental headspace by now, but having Genesis water the freshly planted seeds in Seph's mind in the reactor only serves to drive him further down in a really believable way. I always found it a little odd how quickly Seph seemed to spiral in the OG (admittedly Rebirth handled it better), so I think the addition of Genesis makes the scene more fleshed out and raises even more questions for Sephiroth to investigate in the manor.

And a fun one for good measure that's been disproven by Nomura himself - the fact that everyone is like 'hurr durr Genesis can't come back cause Gackt says no / Square won't pay for his likeness'. Admittedly less people are using this as a 'ew no Genesis is icky he can't come back' now, but it was SUPER annoying for like a decade up till this point.

12. The unpopular character that you actually like and why more people should like them.

Feel like I should be putting my clown makeup on at this point because yep, my answer's Genesis! Again! XD Between the rest of the awesome peeps / moots on Tumblr who've argued for why Gen actually is or has the potential to be really interesting, I think it's fairly obvious why, but I'll summarise my view.

Basically, Genesis suffered from poor writing. Between that and the intense LOVELESS quoting making up the majority of his dialogue, I can see why it frustrated people. But if you look beyond that you'll discover some really neat stuff:

Having Genesis (and by extension, Angeal) as prototypes to Sephiroth actually makes boatloads of sense scientifically. You can't expect ShinRa to pop out Sephiroth on the first try, can you?

Genesis can basically go toe-to-toe with Sephiroth for an extended period of time, which is just... insane, when you think about it. Cloud and Zack have both reached similar heights but Sephiroth is just on a whole other level, so the fact there are a select few who can last against him is just really neat.

Bro had his world shattered and understandably lashed out at the company that shaped and controlled his entire existence. We're on Zack's side for Crisis Core, but it's pretty clear the real world-destroyers are ShinRa, and I think Crisis Core could've done a better job at helping us see Gen's perspective a bit more.

His aesthetic is just gorgeous, let's be honest here. That red coat is iconic and I want it. Superb character design (bless you Gackt for choosing red over black or white.)

Canonically he was well-liked and respected by the majority of SOLDIER, given that he convinced so many SOLDIERs to leave with him. People don't just follow you to the ends of the earth willy-nilly. Also, despite being an 'introvert' and averse to large people groups, he displayed kindness and gentleness with his younger comrades. Gillian called him 'such a good boy' for a reason, damn it!

...and I probably have more, but my hands are tired. XD

17. There should be more of this type of fic/art.

Honestly, I'm a sucker for hurt/injured/degrading Genesis and him both going through trauma and then being comforted and cared for by his loved ones. It's a major part of why I started Thing With Feathers after all. XD

I also love seeing how people explore Genesis' relationship with his changing body/his wing. I could read stuff about that for days.

Also would love to see more written redemption arcs for Genesis, whether it's through 'what-if' AUs or post DoC.

Lastly, I'm not hugely into overly sexual stuff, so any of the above fics without anything explicit is just *chef's kiss*. Of course I understand that many folks love the spicy stuff on its own or mixed into a plot, and that's okay! Just not my cup of tea is all.

[bluegekk0]

Watched an analysis of Tilda from Horizon Forbidden West and fuuuuck I'm absorbing all of that and adding that to my interpretation of WL. I felt very inspired to write this so forgive me for the wall of text.

I just really love the vision of WL as this old, uncaring being who's obsessed with beauty and art, who has this idealized and romanticized idea of what love and human (or bug in this case) connection are, but who completely lacks empathy and treats everyone around her horribly as a result. There's much more to Tilda's character than this, but the same goes for my WL. I just really, really loved this part of the analysis and wanted to adapt it for my WL.

I already saw her and cold and uncaring, but I think it would be even more engaging if she was actually convinced that she understands love despite being so, so wrong about it. It would explain why she didn't notice how much Vyrm struggled - she was too blinded by her ideal vision of marriage to see that he was suffering. All that scolding and criticism she hurled towards him whenever she felt he stepped out of line, claiming that he's simply overreacting, all of that being rooted in her idealized vision of what he and their marriage should be like is very compelling, I think.

(Side note, if you look up any of the Forbidden West scenes with Tilda in them, the way she speaks in this monotone, emotionless voice despite claiming to be so enthralled by the art she's discussing is very WL core to me, and I 100% imagine this is what she sounds like.)

And having that vision completely shattered following the vessel plan and hearing Vyrm finally admit that he's unhappy and that she hurt him for years, I think it would absolutely make sense for her to take a step back and rethink everything. If she was wrong about this, what else did she misunderstand living for hundreds of years with those false convictions? Not to mention, I feel this aspect of her personality goes very well with the idea that her lack of empathy is so rooted in her nature. I think it makes sense that a being which, simply put, does not comprehend emotions at a basic level the way other living creatures do, would get the wrong idea about it based on romanticized depictions.

Also, I think it would show a very interesting parallel between her and Grimm, with Vyrm being the central part, especially since I envision them as being similar age. They both love art and beauty, but whereas Grimm used those ideas to express and entertain himself, eventually building a mask out of them, WL became obsessed with the her romanticized interpretations of it.

Over the years, Grimm realized that what he's missing was true love, the kind of love which some could see as boring, the kind of love that's flawed but real. Despite all of his sleeping around, all of his escapades and the chaos he often caused for fun, he wanted to settle down, to find a soulmate. Meanwhile, WL saw love as something idealistic, something romantic and glamorous, she wanted it to be perfect and was so blinded by it that it took her hundreds of years to finally realize she was living a lie.

Vyrm exemplifies those contrasting ideas perfectly. He brought out Grimm's best qualities - in his presence, Grimm showed vulnerability and softness which he frequently hid under a mask of intimidation, charisma and allure. On the opposite end, Vyrm's marriage with WL showed her true colors. Despite her obsession with beauty and perfection, she was a cold, at times cruel and even manipulative being, unmoving and ignorant of his needs, yet still proclaiming him to be her "beloved Vyrm".

I also think this adds a lot more nuance and depth to her character. I already envisioned her lack of empathy to be something that's part of her nature, but I think having her try to learn it and completely misunderstand it pushes that idea to a far more interesting degree. It also adds a hint of tragedy to her marriage to Vyrm, which was already miserable for him, yes, but the fact that she believed she was doing the right thing makes it that much more depressing to think about.

Sorry again for the length of the post, I was really excited to write this after watching the analysis. I hope it's as interesting to you all as it is to me hahah

[rhodeybugg]

A little infodump on Doll, Uzi and Beau in the solver-bound au, specifically their appearance in the later chapters of Before The Dawn/first act of the au.

Lil bit of context: These three are born inside the labs in the SB AU. Tl; dr on Arti's drone reproduction headcanon, if two drones touch cores [literally, physically] after developing a spark and they are TRULY in love, the stronger and healthier parent will carry the droneling's core, which stays attached to theirs until they're ready to be removed, and the child's temporary "infant" body is stored in a small pod in the parent's torso. Both are manually removed, but still cause the parents pain.

Anyway

UZI:

There is so much rage in such a tiny body.

Zara's team has to wrap her in a blanket to keep her from biting everyone while doing her initial exams.

The company originally wanted to name her something tech-y like gadget or pixel. Zara suggested Byte. Nori wasnt having any of it and after consulting with the lab assistant drone that she'd been secretly sneaking off to see and had uzi with [cough, khan], settled on the name.

Big mama's girl. She'll bite anyone who isnt her dad that gets close to Nori.

Unintentionally bullies beau. Doesnt understand that her way of "playing" [biting his tail] hurts him.

She has a mouth and she will scream. And hiss. And chitter profanities that no human can understand.

No longer allowed to wear her nametag because they had to remake hers at least twice. She kept eating it.

Zara only manages to win her over with snacks. Uzi finally learns that the humans are the ones pulling the strings and if she behaves, she gets her own cookies.

Doll

Babey darling sweetheart.

The most relaxed of the three lab babies. She tends to get comfy and fall asleep just about anywhere.

Originally given the name "Dahlia". Yeva liked the company's suggested name, but it eventually evolved into calling her "Doll" and "Dolly" and the name stuck better.

Zara's favorite. Doll doesnt bite.

Please cuddle her she loves cuddles.

Tries to follow Yeva the first time she gets taken out of her sight for testing and doesnt understand why she cant climb the stairs.

24/7 curious. She kept trying to check out the camera while she was getting her identification photo taken. Likes to look at the scientist's blueprints and notes even though she cant read. Sometimes she just mimics them because she thinks the humans are neat.

Uses Zara's soft spot for the lab drones against her and steals her snacks.

The most 'talkative' out of the bunch. While dronelings can only communicate in chirps and chitters, Doll is constantly making noises.

Beau

Please do not percieve the baby he is very timid.

Half worker, half disassembler, because Alice formed a genuine relationship with the company-created disassembler that the lab set her up with as a genetics experiment.

Despite his code being primarily disassembly drone, he's very smol.

One of the few lab dronelings that kept their original name. [Others include: Elizabeth, Thaden and Emi]

Constantly attached to the human's hips when Alice gets taken for tests and experiments. He gets passed around between Zara's team and doted on. He loves the snuggles and kisses he gets from the female workers.

Likes to ride in Zara's satchel when she's working.

This baby boy is scared of anything that moves. Especially Uzi. She steals his food portions when they're together.

Very similar to Doll when it comes to having a sweet and gentle personality and obedience. The only problem comes when the humans try to work with him on learning and performing tasks and he simply cuddles up to them.

Mama's boy mama's boy mama's boy.

[percyaugod]

May I write a fanfic inspired by your Future Krang Donatello au idea?

Of course! ^ ^ Just please credit me for the original idea. I also give more because I'm happy someone even asked.

Two possible paths for getting a D in the past.

1.

D is one of the original invading Krang. So when Casey Jr goes back in time he not only has to deal with family that looks similar but different and don't remember him, but also what was like his weird uncle who looks almost the same and is the enemy. He knew that since D was a Krang there was a time he was on their side, but actually seeing it?

This could be a good thing though! They got D to join before they could do it again. With how early on it is in the apocalypse D could fix most of, if not all, the damage caused by the Krang! That's what D did, he fixed things! …Everything but himself.

Except it was sensei that got him to join and Casey isn't sure how. Also trying to convince the others that one of the aliens that stole Raph could be an ally isn't going well, especially not with Leo.

Casey unknowingly already starts to make D wander off from the other Krang. How did a human have tech he didn't remember building? It even had his marking! It was going to get to the bottom of this.

2.

D going back in time with Casey. Future Leo doesn't want the kid to go alone and, minus the apocalypse, D has honestly made their lives so much better with his tech. Clean water, fresher air, whatever those weird plants D grew for food. Stuff the turtles didn't have growing up despite April trying her best to make things easier. If Casey Jr was going to be staying there he deserved to not live in conditions worse than the apocalypse.

People in the past, of course, freaked out about the alien that randomly appeared out of nowhere and "abducted" a child. April investigating it meant they didn't have to look for her and saved some time. Also, Casey didn't get hit because D grabbed April's arm to stop her, saving time with the whole unconscious thing. No disbelief on the Krang since D is right there. Did have to stop so Splinter could freak out a bit though.

They were able to get the key before it was even used. D has the footage of the foot clan's faces when they saw him helping stop them saved in a special folder. D almost immediately after starts fixing up the lair. D gets what Leo meant now, there's no way the hatchling should have to live like this. He just soaks up the past turtles' awe.

D keeps poking fun at how tiny past Leo is. When Leo asks how tall he is D shows a life-sized hologram. Raph starts crying. Little brothers aren't supposed to be that big! D shows older Raph and Raph cries tears of relief that he's still big enough to carry his little brother. D thinks it best not to tell him how long ago the photo was taken. Mikey asks about him and cries because he's still so small.

D being blunt with others. Raph and Leo fight and D is tired of it. Raph's just afraid of you getting hurt and Leo's afraid of not being good enough for you so he's purposely failing! Just co-lead or something!

They… really like that idea and decide to try it out. It works pretty well since Raph knows he can rely on Leo's ideas and Leo can rely on Raph's experience and general big brother instincts. If they fail then they can't blame themselves because then they'd be blaming the other too. Wait, does this me Leo has to thank D? Dang it.

Bonus things for both:

D building a technodrome just so I can have Technodrome Shelldon. He grabs the core AI before they leave, either while fighting the other Krang in the past in 1 or escaping with Leo in the future. It took centuries of research and construction to create this one, and it's a shame to just leave it, but it's not what makes his creation truly amazing.

Leo and D getting into a slap fight. D doesn't have hands and it sounds like wet spaghetti hitting a wall. No one can look away.

D making Casey hover skates. They float a couple of inches off the ground and glide smoothly. It takes some practice though and D both holds his hands to keep him steady and will use his body as a crash pad if Casey Jr starts to go out of control. Better slamming into D than a wall. Casey learns pretty fast and can now easily keep up running with the turtles.

[zeta-in-de-walls]

I get your point about the end being bad but I personally disagree. Theres different ways to look at it.

Also the ending doesn't nesscaraily have to be a positive for the main character, a lot of endings go tragic and thats the reality of situations, you go in there impulsively wanting to end your abuser and sometimes that doesn't go in your favour and thats what happened. A lot of cTommys decision was rushed which is why he chose to understand him rather than focus on hating him - one way lead to getting some sort of closure in the form of finding out one of the questiosn he had wanted to know forever. (he no longer would of been wondering why he was being targetted and constantly blaming himself, and why cdream was doing this, or what did ctommy do wrong, he had those questions answered) Since abuse victims can get closure when finding out why their abuser had done what they did, similar case with cTommy. And c!tommy chose to cope with his trauma in a different way- rather than resulting to violence and killing c!dream (also may be too similar to disc finale) or by leaving permanently, he chose understanding (even though he was still rushing), but that humane side to c!tommy fits him so well, and showed the best part but also most flawed part of his character. Even if narratively, its tragic.

I think that c!tommy by getting that closure did find a way to move on from that pain of what cdream did to him because not only did he defeat c!Dream and break him to a vunlerable state but he also had c!dream sympathizing with him and knowing that it wasnt just manipulation again. And the chance of c!dream hurting him if the nuke didnt go off would of been small based on how he was acting. I think that c!tommy getting that answer to majority of his questions had helped him a lot.

c!tommys character has always been one to sympathize with those that have hurt him the most, its his core trait and the ending showed how kind he is and considerate even when he shouldn't be. Its just who he is. But yes, i do agree that the part at the end where his last words was regret towards cdream was bad.- It was still in character for him. At least c!dream still died feeling betrayed, terrified and lonely. I still feel as tho despite c!tommy dying full of regret, he still died heroically as he was under the impression that the nuke only would kill the 3 of them not the whole server, he may of sorta sympathized and understood cdream in that moment, but he still succeeded in the goal he wanted to do to begin with and in that way won. The ending isnt perfect to me, but those are just my reasons for liking it.

Listen, you're fine to enjoy it. I don't mind. If you felt it worked it's cool and Im glad you were able to appreciate some of it. But I cannot see it as anything other than badly written, both for the choices made and in the execution of it. (Like how the limbo clip was chopping wood and how inelegantly Tommy had to manually swap to it, breaking immersion.)

Tommy choosing to try and understand Dream as a good end would work a lot better if he hadn't tried and failed to do it every time he interacted with Dream.

Remember how he thought Dream was his friend in exile and then post-exile had to struggle over whether he was his friend or not?

Remember the disc finale where Dream had defeated them and Tommy asked for answers and Dream explained his attachments theory?

Remember when Tommy visited Dream in the prison multiple times asking for answers on why Dream did what he did?

All this time Tommy spent trying to understand Dream and the answer was that there's no satisfying justification for why someone would cause another such suffering. Not all stories have a neat answer and that's why Tommy told Dream how he wasn't good for him and he needed to move on.

So then this ending pops up a year later and suggests that oh Tommy just needed to try to understand! That's not a good plot beat! He doesn't owe Dream any understanding and he didn't even do it naturally. He was killed and the powers that be forced him to see Dream's perspective against his will! Only to be revived and now he's found his answers bringing peace of mind. Tommy, the victim, just had to understand his abuser's perspective, that's all!

This trait of Tommy trying to understand those who hurt him is not a healthy trait so seeing it depicted like this feels wrong. It's not that all of this is out of character but it doesn't work for an ending arc where there should be closure. And again, a lot of it was forced on him.

And him getting closure feels meaningless anyway when it's followed by his death! And the death of everyone just to make the sacrifice extra senseless. Yes Tommy didn't think everyone would die but they did so its irrelevant. Tommy thinking he died heroically or whatever is him living a lie essentially.

And yeah, there's potential for it to be a tragic ending. But it was not framed as a tragic ending. It was framed optimistically and that matters.

Please know that I like Tommy as a writer generally and I'm very fond of his DSMP story. But this was not his best work. It doesn't fit with how I see Tommy or his story. That's probably partly because of how I've followed it for so long and so closely. I think there are many reasons this was not the gem I hoped for, like how it was written to lead into a second series and written after a long hiatus.

Still thank you for sharing your thoughts all the same. If those scenes struck a chord with you in a way they couldn't for me, then I'm glad. I like analysing stories in a sort of meta way. I like to think about the themes stories explore and how such ideas are executed and all that affects how I enjoy stories.

[khaleesiofalicante]

Okay about the similarities in IALS between David, Max, Lance and Arthur. Things are complicated I think.

Not at first, because in the first part of the story, Arthur was this energetic kid that called Jaden a cunt because that's what Max called him and Lance was this quiet kid that was polite and he seemed like a quiet spirit like David and I have to be honest at first it seemed that while he didn't like Jaden he was okay with David dating him, there was this part I think it was the second chapter, Lance and Arthur made a video call to Max on Christmas and Max asked them if Jaden was being nice to them and Lance said "he is nice to papa too"  and also on the same chapter David told Jaden that Lance will like him as long as Jaden makes David happy, which made me believe that. But in the second part things changed. Lance seemed to be more like Max, he had his no-bullshit attitude and he used sarcasm to deal with things and he lashed out while he was in pain, while Arthur was nice and kind, he liked Jaden and was close to him, he was like a little sunshine and people thought, well he's just like David. But then you get to the core of their personality. And you see that it's quite the other way around. AND this time I think the difference is more obvious than on TLND because unlike TLND Lance and Arthur didn't get to see Max and David together, not as a couple. So they weren't really influenced by both, they both subconsciously chose and were influenced more from one of them. BUT what I feel made that process even more intense is this deep love Max and David feel for one another that's so strong its hard to ignore, even if the kids don't actively see it still feel it and are subconsciously affected by it.

Allow me to explain. Lance as you have mentioned before, is more like David. He is a seriously unhinged person that would do anything for his family and as Alec mentioned he has the attitude of someone who has been through hell and won't let anyone or anything stand in his way. He doesn't react well to someone insulting his own and always takes what he wants, exactly the way David does. And it's impossible for a kid so similar to David to not be UTTERLY OBSESSED with Max. Impossible for a kid as emotionally intelligent and generally intelligent as David not to see through Jaden's manipulation. Impossible for a kid who loves Max with the same intensity as David does to accept or be kind to someone who tries to replace Max, someone who doesn't respect or someone who constantly tries to undermine him. And it's impossible for him not to pick up the anger David feels towards himself, the guilt he feels over being with someone like Jaden, the frustration he feels over not being able to be with Max. All this anger Lance feels towards David, all the mean things he says to him or all the rude things he says to Jaden, and how he'll never be Max is a reflection of David's true feelings. And what was it that first started changing Lance's mind? What was the argument Jackson used to get Lance to read the book and see things from David's perspective and start actually feeling more empathetic towards him? Max's love for David. Jackson told him that Max loves David so much that if Lance kept hurting David he would walk away from him. And all that love Max feels, in both the flashback scene of Lance's chapter and the scene with Jackson is what motivates him to start seeing things differently. I'm not saying it's what caused them to have a better relationship, of course not, but I feel like it's what made Lance wanting to start mending it. And I feel like Max's love, the fact that Max loves him and wants to be with him despite everything is what will make David not feel guilty for everything he had to do so he can be with Max. Because as you have mentioned David doesn't regret what he has done but he feels guilty that what he needed to do to heal was hurting Max and that guilt is reflected in Lance. But Max's love, the fact that he doesn't hate him as David believes will make him let go of the guilt and start to heal.

And I feel like Artur is exactly the same. Because as Jackson mentioned, David is okay with people hurting him. But Max is not. Max will never be okay with people hurting David no matter how much they love him. And that's why he feels guilty. That's why he is willing to believe that David hates him. Because he feels like he deserves it. And that reflects in Arthur who was so mad at him, who told him all those horrible things. Those weren't the reflection of David's feelings, no, that was the reflection of Max's guilt. That's why Max wasn't mad at Arthur. That's why Arthur acted the way he did. Because no one gets to hurt his papa, and that's something he learned from Max. And what did make Arthur change his mind? David's love for Max. I mean sure he saw how much David loved Max but he saw it through David's eyes. He saw Max through David's eyes he saw how happy David was he realized that David was smiling at Max when he saw the show he realized that David could never hate or divorce Max because of what happened. And I feel like that is what will finally allow Max to let go of his guilt. When he finally learns the truth, when he realizes all the things David did and went through just to find his way back to Max that he could never give up on them, would never replace him. Because if David went through all of that for him then he must be worth it.

All through TLND you kept saying that love is not enough to fix everything. And I agree. In IALS you kept mentioning that this story is about forgiving yourself, with which I am also in agreement. But sometimes some things can not be fixed without love. Sometimes we can not forgive ourselves without love. Most children of divorce are confused at first I think. But when they think about things they see that usually what exists between the parents is anger and resentment. It's really hard for parents not to blame one another. And I think that that's what makes most kids feel like their separation was for the best( This is how I see it I may be wrong anyone, feel free to call me out I don't mean to offend anyone we all see things differently). But in IALS, in Max and David, when Lance and Arthur reach for the truth between their parents all they find is love. There is just so much love there and I think that unlike most divorce cases this won't break their family but it will unite them and allow them all to completely heal and besides that start to be happy again. Because they may be healing but they aren't happy. And I feel like that, even though it needs many other things like COMMUNICATION and NOT HIDING SECRETS(David I see you👀) it mostly needs love. And they have that in abundance, so I feel like they'll be okay💛

I think I may have broken a record with this essay but I needed to say this because I love your story and I think it's amazing and you are amazing and once again thank you for creating it. Have a nice dayy🌷

I love this ask so much that I want to eat it because good lord!

I loved the amount of thought and effort that went into this analysis. It's so beautiful and well-thought and supported by evidence?? you know me so well oof.

I will definitely come back and read this later again because I just love it that much.

Lance and Arthur were unsurprisingly the hardest to write, because they are new to me and their journey in this story is such a strange and painful, and even a confusing one.

I loved being able to (chronologically) write about their journey and how they grew into the people they are today and all the little things that led to it. I loved Lance turning from a soft, shy, and quiet child into an introverted, shrewd teenager who has no time for bullshit. I loved Arthur and his vibrant, bubbly personality as a kid and how all that enthusiasm and excitement was channeled into things around him such as his clothes and his school plays, while he himself turned softer around the edges and kept some of his sunshine inside himself.

Reading this made me realize how much I enjoyed writing about them - and sharing them with all of you!

And god, I just LOVE writing about parents Mavid. I hope I get to explore more stories! Especially LBAF too.

Thank you so much for brightening my day (night!). Love you 💜

[danstupidaushit]

Fellhorror Danmaged

Ok so, the idea for this take on Fellhorror while at the same time that it was simple, was at least somewhat different from the canon horrortale.

The concept behind it was that basically, something in the core made the machine begin to malfunction, but not because it was running out of power, but it was in fact starting to show dangerous levels of unbalanced magic being expelled into the air, which was worrying, and the backstory would follow up on Alphys attempting to fix the continuous problems the core would show while also relying on the help of Sans to help out on the work, judging he had some good knowledge over how it worked. But, that is where the shit would hit the fan, as in a day where Undyne had come to see the work that was being done in the core, judging she was nominated as the queen and all, having already grown impatient at how neither Alphys or Sans had managed to do much progress on fixing the machine, she would end up causing a massive mistake to happen. You see, by that point, both Alphys and Sans had already been exposed to massive amounts of magic, and that was already doing a number on them both, with Alphys continuously growing sicker as the time went by, while sans despite looking normal physically, was growing more anxious and loud, which wasn't the norm of him. With that, the visit of Undyne would break out on the three fighting between each other, as Undyne demands to know what the hell is actually happening with the core, while Alphys would continue to try and ease things up so Undyne won't know the truth, with sans in the back getting more and more nervous like if he was trying to control something. Until soon, Sans would begin to shout at them both, trembling as he felt an intense pain in his head, with Alphys trying to come closer to him in an attempt at helping him, only to get jumped by him as Sans revealed to having his eyeholes, his nosehole and his mouth leaking out fire, as all he could scream was "IT BURNS!! MAKE IT STOP!!", with Alphys not being able to do anything to stop Sans inevitably burned her alive, all in front of Undyne's eyes before Sans ran away from the place, leaving a traumatized Undyne and a charred semi-alive corpse of Alphys.

That's how the story starts, with that on, the core continued to let out dangerous amounts of Magic, but also doing it in an unbalanced manner, so certain areas were poisoned with magic, while others were left almost devoid with it, keeping the monsters who were living in either of those places suffering.

Now, onto a brief explanation of the characters

Avery: Is one of the bullies from the original Horrortale that pushed Aliza into the hole, here ended up getting betrayed by her own friends and pushed into the hole herself. Is a huge asshole, deserves to be punished in the hellhole that is the fellhorror's underground.

Flowey: Dead lol, Avery kills him before he's even able to say anything to them

Toriel: Lives in one of the "deadzones", aka the zones with almost no magic at all, and is suffering from a process similar to the one in deltarune where darkners turn into stone when they aren't in a dark world fitting for them. So here, she's slowly turning into stone due to having almost no magic to sustain her body at all.

Sans: Having escaped from the core, now lives a struggling life in snowdin, one of the "safezones", having to control his emotions in order to not activate his dangerous magic. His eye basically turned into a firebomb after being exposed to so much magic, being able to ignite a flame inside sans head when he feels strong emotions. The flame despite being created by his own body, can hurt to insane degrees, and is the reason for why sans has a hole in his head, having it due to the fire bursting out from the top of his head once.

Papyrus: Was a heavy worker for the royal guard, but after having to endure years of extreme heavy work, his bones ended up getting crooked, deeming him incapable of continuing, as he would be given a medal for his work and then forced to "retire", tho he's still active as a puzzle maker, despite having his body practically falling a part at all times.

Alphys: Despite the odds, she was still alive after getting burned alive by Sans, but is now permanently disabled, having her entire body covered in 3rd degree burns, now having to live in a bed while being treated by Mettaton.

Mettaton: Had to self rebuild himself in order to not need energy from the core anymore, but now has to always rely on gasoline refuels to keep himself working, or else he'll deactivate, and basically die

Some fun facts about the au: The sans and papyrus designs are based on the designs Sour Apple Studios (creator of horrortale) used in her underfell animation When Puns Fail, all the rest have their designs based on how i think sour would draw the other underfell chars.

Previously there was an idea about papyrus having to steal bones from the human bodies he collects to replace his, but that'd be a bit too far fetched so, eh

Different from Aliza, Avery isn't going to become more brave or anything, but rather grow more fearful for their life as the story goes on. Cos while Aliza has to overcome her fears to keep herself alive, Avery has to let go off her pride and over confidence to not get themselves killed

[rewordthis]

I don’t know how to say this, but my brain has this safety valve where it won’t let me ship certain things.

Like, there’s a danger warning or something about two characters being together as anything remotely different from friends and my system will just go down until I change subject, you know? Also, I seem to have an allergy in canon if certain conditions aren’t met, so that may explain why I write for fandom in rare ships. lol

And then my favs, are just so varied… I have no type of an otp. It’s not just this or that. But I have come to realise that there are some underlying things these characters will have in common. Like.. I don’t know… why DO I like SouHaru so much that it hurts? Why DO I like AoKa for so long? WHY DO I LIKE GoNana in spite of everything that has transpired throughout the series? It’s because despite the fact that they’re inherently different characters (personalities) they still have something in common that is very deeply rooted in each pair in which they also happen to compliment each other. Or so I see…

SouHaru? They love swimming to the point they would sacrifice themselves to obtain it. Sousuke has the mentality and Haru has the charisma. Together they make whole. 🥰

AoKa? They love basketball to the point they lose themselves when they can’t have it. Again, Aomine has the charisma and Kagami has the persistence. Together they make it work. 😎

GoNana? They hate jujutsu society to the core (without defecting)! Gojo has the absolute technique (is it also in bed? lmao) and the brains and Nanami has insane perseverance and brute force (very hardware of himself if I may point out, also extremely tactical but that’s how he keeps up with Go(d)jo!). Their techniques are also very close, as Gojo’s is mainly mathematically expressed physics (it’s the software we used at school man! Only tweaked to work outside lab environment! 😭) and Nanami’s is geometrically applied mechanics… do I make sense? They Mathematically add up!!! 😭😭😭

Should I also go ahead and explain why I’m obsessed with SukuIta? Even though it’s probably the one ship with the most obvious mechanics in my fleet. hehehe

And look at ZaizenAo: They love football to bits and what else do they also have in common? It’s their absurdity! Zaizen’s plays are rough and ‘dirty’, while Aoyama’s are refined and highly technical— both to extremes. And they also compliment each other, like in these graphs. ↓

They make perfect together! Haha Also, Zaizen is the only one Aoyama has smiled to! Take that and run!!! 😈

What’s funny to me, is that these are not necessarily opposites-attract or too-similar-they’re-exactly-alike, kinds of dynamics. It’s only some aspects of their personalities that fit in one category and some that fit in the other. Also, GoNana is the only pair that is quincunx among my ships and my only bias on opposites are Virgo-Pisces. Aka, very little drama queen energies but highly painful shackle shedding. But everything is for a good cause, ok? There is always a good reason to be together in these pairings because it’s not just mindless passion. It’s the slow burn or complete lack of burn that makes them possible. Yes, I like angst, sue me~

Now, I could go on about other aspects I love of each ship or how my other ships fit in this pattern, but this is going to be a long-ass post if I do. They also work nicely in reverse as well, btw. And to be frank, I would like to explain how my notps work, but then I’d have to be mean, right? I don’t want that. I’ll just say that some things are not supposed to get a stronger hold than to just set the cogs of a story in motion.

“Not every couple is destined to marry.” — Umeya Tsubasa (Keppeki Danshi Aoyama-kun) (and yes, this has a double meaning in my book! 😋)

[dyslexicandakeyboard]

Hi. I already asked someone this question, but I really want to know what you think about it:

What do you think about Batwoman the drowned, as Gotham city sirens antagonist? I mean if you look closely, she’s has potential for interesting conflict with each of the girls. Her dead lover -Sylvester is Selina’s multiversal version, and yet she becomes the opposite of everything the cat represents: survival, love for life, freedom…

Both Harley and Bryce fell in love with male criminal, and it lead them to betray their morals and eventually lose themselves. But while in Harley’s case it happened because the Joker was a manipulative psychopath, Bryce Brakes after Sylvester Dies. I don’t think that Sylvester was anything like the Joker. I headcanon that he was a descent person and a descent boyfriend, despite being a thief like Selina.

And she’s interesting parallel to Poison Ivy, because both of them connected to forses of nature trough scientific experiments. But while Pamela loves plants, and wants to protect them, The drowned hates and exploits her element.

I feel that this Batwoman would actually be great antagonist for the Gotham City Sirens, especially for the reasons you pointed out. Each member is complimented and contrasted by Bryce's character.

Selina's core qualities, which were cultivated by her traumatic background, is mirror by Bryce's characteristics which also resulted from trauma. It would also be an experience for Bryce to see her dead lover basically alive and well. I wonder would that further hurt her or would it cause a change for the better? Would Selina have any thoughts on it, knowing that in a different universe Bruce completely lost it because she basically died? Would that taint their relationship? Bryce would also fully contrast to Selina, as you said. They are opposites in all ways, making to an interesting conflict, Selina's want of absolute freedom verses Bryce's need to subjugate people for the "better".

Would Harley see herself in Bryce, like she saw herself in Selina during Gotham City Sirens issue 19, and take pity on her? Harley must understand how it feels molding your life around a person, even if it hurts you, having your personality and sanity built around this guy. While the situation with Bryce and Sylvester is completely different from Harley and the Joker, it does serve as a cautionary tale on the dangers of loving too hard, though in Harley's case it was because Joker was a abusive shitbag.

And not only are both Bryce and Pamela connected to nature due to experiments, I feel a huge distinction to make is that Pamela is usually a victim of someone else's machinations and reclaims power with her new found gift while Bryce purposely experimented on herself to take a power. Bryce doesn't respect the power she has while Pamela does. However, they both use it in the same way, to mind control people for their own purposes. This is such an interesting connection between how different they but similar they are.

Honestly, thanks for telling me about this, a very interesting character.

[wonda-cat]

Misconceptions About Tommyinnit’s Character That Genuinely INFURIATE Me

Since the recent events following the second L’Manburg Festival and subsequent war, I’ve seen many, many hot takes surrounding the nature of Tommyinnit’s character on the SMP. Some of which annoyed me to the point where I felt compelled to sit down and actually write this. I’m going to only be highlighting the most common complaints or questions I’ve seen, one by one, in hopes of providing a better understanding of Tommy’s character for anyone interested. (I also briefly discuss Techno and Tubbo’s characters as well.)

If you’ve said similar things to what I’m going to be discussing below, please know that it’s perfectly understandable how you’d come to these conclusions. Some of these aspects of Tommy’s character are not always obvious; especially if being watched from another streamer’s POV. This may become quite lengthy, so bear with me for now.

“Tommy’s motives are all over the place. He can’t decide whether he wants the discs back or not.”

Tommy is actually one of the most motivationally consistent characters on the entire Dream SMP. Even Techno, someone completely confident in their ideals, does more motivational flipping than Tommy. From the very start of the story, Tommy has always cared for three things; L’Manburg, Tubbo, and his music discs. However, him caring for something is not itself a motivation. 

Surprisingly enough, his motivation isn’t even just, ‘Get my discs back,’ like many assume it is. Tommy’s one true motivation, since the end of the Independence War, has always been, ‘Keep things the way they are now.’ 

Tommy’s one fatal flaw is that he is resistant to change and refuses to let go of the past. This is seen through all of his actions and words; in all conflicts involving him. This flaw is the drive to all of Tommy’s mistakes. Burning down George’s house, an action which resulted in him getting exiled, was done out of a desire to pull pranks the way he used to before the first war. His friendship with Ranboo started because Tommy said he reminded him of Tubbo, back before he was President. 

Tommy still talks highly of Wilbur because he chooses to remember him as the wise, kind mentor who cared for him. This motive is the reason he defends L’Manburg so fiercely; it’s his memory of a better past. This is why he holds grudges more often than any other character; especially refusing to forgive Techno after he killed Tubbo during the Manburg Massacre.

It’s why Tommy falls under extreme distress whenever Tubbo or Quackity tell him that something will never be the same again. This motivation is entirely formed from an underlying desire for peace and comfort, something Tommy has been denied since being forced into a life wrought with war and death. To accept change, to Tommy, is painful and terrifying. But he will only ever truly be happy when he finally learns to let go.

“Why do the discs matter so much to Tommy? They’re not actually worth anything.”

Tommy’s discs are much more than just any ordinary pair of music discs. They were never important for their material worth, but for what Tommy was willing to sacrifice in order to keep them. Tommy is entirely what gives the discs their value. 

Tommy also commonly operates under the Sunk-Cost Fallacy, wherein he’s invested too much of himself into something to just abandon it, even if it’s causing him problems. This mentality is a huge piece of what keeps him tied to both L’Manburg and to his discs. He’s sacrificed too much at this point to simply let them go. If he admits the discs are worthless, then he’s admitting that he wasted all this time and effort, just to keep them.

The discs also act as a constant source of hope for Tommy because they are directly tied with his motivations as a character. They’re something he’s had since the very beginning. They’re something he used to listen to with Tubbo on their shared bench. 

To Tommy, they symbolize a life before war, filled with comfort and peace. They are a love letter to his country and his late mentor Wilbur. They are a physical representation of Tubbo’s companionship. They are the only thing, besides L’Manburg and his best friend, that gives him the hope that he can one day return things to the way they used to be. 

This ideal, paired with Tommy’s refusal to let go, has left him ruthlessly pursuing the things he’s lost. Not his music discs, but his peace and comfort, his friendship, his country, his mentor Wilbur, and his life before war.

In his desperation to hold onto his prized possession, it has only hurt and pushed away the people that love him. If Tommy continues to ignore this reality, while still refusing to resolve his major flaw entwined with it, he will lose all that the discs had once stood for. He will lose his country, then his friend Tubbo, and then he will lose himself.

“Tommy never grows or learns from his mistakes. This makes him a badly written character.”

Characters do not have to constantly learn from their actions to be well-written. Tommy is one of the best examples of this. The fact that his growth is infrequent is the entire point of his character; it’s completely stemmed from his fatal flaw. 

By addressing himself, he would be accepting change, something that terrifies him; something he stubbornly resists until he is absolutely forced to confront it. Contrary to popular belief, Tommy knows when he makes mistakes, but he pretends to be ignorant as to avoid facing reality. He digs his head in the sand despite knowing better, puppeteering the person he used to be during happier times, now gone.

In spite of his infrequent growth, the idea that Tommy still hasn’t learned anything isn’t quite correct either. Tommy, as of the last three plot streams, has shown incredible character development. By giving up his discs again, he had finally demonstrated that Tubbo is more important to him than his possessions. Speaking as a makeshift leader, he put aside his issues with others to rally them together against a common threat, something which Tommy had never been able to do before. He owned up to all of his mistakes openly, apologizing to everyone he’s ever hurt in one place. 

He apologized to Tubbo after they were reunited and came to terms with the fact that Tubbo was forced to exile him without choice, finally forgiving him. He was kind to Sapnap and learned how to be his friend after months of bitter rivalry. And these are only a few examples. This isn’t to say Tommy has overcome/fixed everything because he clearly hasn’t. There are still major things Tommy needs to work through that remain unaddressed, the biggest being his complicated relationship with Technoblade.

“Tommy only cares about himself. He does everything in his power to be the hero, always putting himself in the center of attention, especially during Doomsday.”

Tommy, since the start of the L’Manburg War for Independence, has never set out to be a hero. Not once. He may fall into the role of the protagonist, but his identity as a hero was pushed onto him by others. Giving up the discs was his only option during the Independence War. 

So when Wilbur called him a hero for it, Tommy said he didn’t feel like he was. During the November 16th War, Tommy again said he didn’t feel like a hero because he had lost what he thought was everything at the time. During exile, Tommy certainly knew he was no hero. And upon reuniting with Tubbo, he admitted to feeling like the farthest thing from it. That he’d hurt everyone and all he wanted to do now was fix it. 

The day before Doomsday, Tommy only took a leadership position because no one else was willing to, filling the role for Tubbo, who was crumbling under pressure. He had no choice but to try to bring everyone together, or fight alone. Most viewers never saw this during Doomsday, but before the battle, almost everyone who had vowed to fight alongside L’Manburg had abandoned them the very next day. They were convinced it was going to be destroyed either way, no matter what they did, so they chose not to see it through to the end; ultimately leaving Tommy and those who remained to fight a losing battle, alone. 

After about a third of the way through the battle, it became clear to everyone that they could do nothing to win. One by one, everyone stopped fighting and stood by to watch their country go up in smoke. Tommy was the only person on the battlefield who refused to stand down and give up. And so he took over the role as leader again, trying his best to keep them alive, to keep Tubbo hopeful; to keep fighting, no matter what. 

However, what most people don’t realize, is that this isn’t Tommy trying to be a hero or force himself into the spotlight. This is Tommy trying to convince himself to keep going. Because whenever things start to look hopeless, Tommy simply chooses to ignore them. He puts on a happy face and soldiers through it because that’s all he knows how to do. Tommy, at his core, is someone who wants peace through stagnation. He doesn’t want to fight, although causing the occasional friendly conflict is how he finds fun. He doesn’t set out to purposely hurt others. 

Tommy may come across as self-centered, but this is because he is an extremely extroverted character. He finds energy and joy in the attention of others, both good and bad. It’s why he’s always seeking the approval of others and, oftentimes, will destructively insert himself into another person’s life in order to find it. 

Out of every character in the story, Tommy is the most drawn to praise and positive reinforcement. He is constantly seeking out mentors and friends because Tommy needs someone else to help him feel confident in his own identity and abilities. It’s why Wilbur was such a positive influence on him. His boisterous confidence has always been a front because if anyone were to actually hurt him, he knows it will make his self-esteem crumble instantly. 

This is part of why Dream’s manipulation was so effective against him. By isolating him, he’s left without energy and looking to another person’s guidance. Tommy outwardly may seem independent and rude, but just under the skin, he’s unconfident and lost when he’s by himself. Tommy will only grow from this flaw when he finds his own identity and inner confidence; when he finally learns to be okay with being alone.

“Tommy goes to the festival solely to get his disc back and then tells Tubbo to give it away immediately after. That doesn’t make any sense.”

Before the screaming match between the two friends during the second L’Manburg Festival, Tommy had been in exile, manipulated by Dream for long enough to lose his will to carry on. It is because of him that Tommy’s reality becomes distorted, long after fleeing from his abuser. This mangling of ideals leads Tommy to subconsciously believe that L’Manburg and Tubbo are unsalvageable. 

Therefore, the only thing he has hopes of retrieving are his discs, which are easier to manage than the latter two things. And so Tommy does reprehensible things at the behest of Techno in a vain hope of getting them back, going so far as to kidnap and torture for them. This ultimately culminates in a confrontation between the ex-friends, quickly turning violent. It is in this violence that we see Tommy has sunk to his absolute lowest point in his journey. 

Swinging his axe, he nearly kills his friend as he delivers a string of words that cause the room to silence instantly. He says the discs were always worth more than his friend. Within the quiet of the room, Tommy is forced to reflect on everything he’s done. How he kidnapped and tortured Connor. How he accidentally drowned Fundy. How he traumatized Ranboo. 

And now he’s hurt Tubbo, the one person he has always sought to protect; someone he vowed to never hurt. This realization causes Tommy to break. He’s so ashamed of himself that he can’t look at anyone. Tommy knows now that he is worse than anyone he’s ever hated. 

With pain in his voice, he tries and fails to apologize to Tubbo in the moment. The only way he knows to redeem himself now is to prove to Tubbo, after everything, that he can still put the discs aside. And so he does.

“The fact that Tommy is still trying to get his discs back after L’Manburg was destroyed is unreasonable and ridiculous.”

Tommy deals with grief in an interesting way, doing something very similar to Techno. His grief almost instantly becomes anger and a drive to prove himself. It morphs into a need for vengeance in response to injustice, always. 

After the destruction of L’Manburg, Tommy saying he wants the discs back is a double-sided motivator. The obvious side being: Tommy still needs them to feel comfort. The subtle side beneath it: Tommy is using them as an excuse to find Dream and kill him. To make him pay for helping destroy their home, hurting his friends, and abusing him in exile. 

Upon the loss of his home, I’d also argue the discs have only grown more important to Tommy in the aftermath. Typically, in grief, people hold onto things that survive devastation far more than if the tragic event never occurred. If your eldest child dies, one may hold their surviving children tighter. If your house burns down, one may deeply treasure a box of items that survived the flames. Tommy’s desperation after losing so much is entirely understandable.

On top of this, the discs are still the core to Tommy’s fatal flaw. They are what keeps him from achieving total happiness, so him getting over this intrinsic part of himself so easily would make for an unsatisfying character arc. He still has to work for his happiness in order to change for the better. 

To add, I’ve seen a lot of people complaining that Tommy is still prioritizing the discs over Tubbo, especially in that moment. And while I mostly agree, there are some interactions that stand out to me as being different between the pair that may imply otherwise. Tommy says a few times that despite L’Manburg being destroyed, he still has something left to lose; each time, turning to look at Tubbo. 

This subtly implies that losing Tubbo would be as devastating as losing his home. Tubbo also never voices disagreement over Tommy’s continued pursuit of the item. However, Tubbo frequently does what he thinks will make others happy, so this doesn’t implicitly mean support for Tommy either. Besides these two things, this is still Tommy’s fatal flaw shining through, continuing to hurt others around him. 

I only hope Tubbo can learn to stand up for himself and voice his real thoughts to Tommy now, after everything. It would provide at least some desperately-needed closure for Tubbo’s character.

“How could Tommy betray Techno like that? Techno told him upfront what he was going to do.”

While it’s true that Techno was obvious about his plans, Tommy was also just as upfront with Techno about what he thought of it. In fact, maybe even more so, considering Techno attempted to hide them from Tommy for a good portion of their partnership. Whenever Techno brought up the idea of destroying L’Manburg or hurting Tubbo, Tommy would always remind Techno that he didn’t want to hurt anyone. And that if Techno ever did, Tommy would be there to stand in his way. He never once stopped saying this. 

Tommy’s two major positive character traits have always been his undying loyalty and his strength to never give up, even in the face of death. Two classically heroic qualities, both of which, ironically, reinforce his fatal flaw. His refusal to change makes him stubborn; stubbornness being the only quality that makes unwavering loyalty and extreme persistence feasible. 

Because of these two traits, it was impossible from the start for Dream to completely break Tommy’s spirit and for Techno to get him to agree to anything too extreme. Despite this, Techno already had no hope of keeping Tommy on his side after the events of the day before the Festival. During it, Tommy had asked multiple times for Techno to give his word not to hurt anyone. That they’d only threaten to spawn a wither, get Techno’s remaining weapons in exchange, then leave. That’s it.

Techno avoided directly promising Tommy but still agreed not to regardless. So when Techno chose to spawn the wither anyway, despite Tommy urging them to leave multiple times, whatever trust Tommy had with him went completely out the window. Thus, when the threat was finally real, that Techno would make due on his promise to burn his home country to the ground and slaughter his friends, Tommy intervened. It would be unreasonable to expect Tommy not to stand against him in that moment, especially after his mental breakdown which ensued as a result of him nearly killing his best friend. 

Adding salt to the wound on Tommy’s end, Techno decided to also align himself with Dream, someone Techno knew Tommy was afraid of. This might have been a way to purposely hurt Tommy. More likely, it was because Dream and him shared a common goal in the moment and Techno desperately needed allies.

However, the implication of Techno siding with Tommy’s abuser most certainly hurt him, regardless of its original intentions. This is possibly why Tommy kept insisting through Doomsday that Techno betrayed him, avoiding actually telling anyone the reason as to why. If he couldn’t find the words to describe what Dream did to him, even to Tubbo, he certainly wouldn’t be able to tell Techno either.

“Techno gave Tommy everything, only to be repaid with betrayal.”

This statement regarding Tommy is the one I see most often. (It is also the one I get the most heated about.)

Dream’s character is well known for his manipulation tactics against other characters; pitting them against each other, crushing them under his heel, bending their will to conform to his own. It’s what makes him an interesting villain. It’s something fun to discuss. 

But is it still fun to discuss manipulation tactics if they’re so subtle, almost no one notices them? This is the paradigm Technoblade’s character falls into. While people know Techno for his laid-back personality, dry humor, and complex motivations, many fail to recognize him as a manipulator. The reason why this is so hard to spot is because it is mostly unintentional on behalf of the character. Dream performs his craft with intention, Techno does it without realizing. 

As well as this being unwitting, it is sandwiched between Techno’s actual attempts to connect with Tommy and care for him. Thus, making the manipulation feel less damaging. The only problem is, this still hurts Tommy just as much, regardless of the intentions behind it. Especially after just escaping Dream, Tommy’s reality and sense of identity are horribly distorted. In this vulnerable state, he desperately needs healing and someone to help ground him. This is what makes him even more susceptible to Techno’s influence. 

And because it is much subtler, it is harder to notice, and much harder to break free from. Despite Tommy claiming to hate Techno for what he did on November 16th, he still chose to flee to his house because it was the only place he could think of going, as well as being the safest area possible. After the failed execution, Techno mentioned potentially hurting Tubbo through a vengeance plot. Tommy voiced extreme distress over this, to which Techno threatened to kick him out of his house. 

Tommy then says he’s fine being homeless because he doesn’t want anything to do with someone who would hurt his friend. This is when Techno decides to weaponize Tommy’s own trauma against him. To be fair to Techno again, Tommy never told him the extent of the abuse he suffered in exile. But Techno isn’t stupid. He knows Tommy is extremely afraid of Dream, and for good reason. 

So he tells Tommy that if he were kicked out, he’d be defenseless. That if he were out there all alone, Dream would find him very easily. That Dream would drag him right back to Logstedshire in an instant. He notices the way Tommy reacts to this, how quickly he changes his mind about being kicked out. He continues to use this trauma repeatedly in order to keep Tommy under his roof, no matter how disagreeable he gets about Techno’s plans. He knows he can’t retrieve his weapons alone because he has no leverage. 

Therefore, using Tommy like a wild card was a major side strategy. Techno knows it will hurt Tubbo by doing this and may make the President more willing to compromise. In addition to this, many of the strategies Techno utilizes are Narcissistic manipulation tactics, categorized by their intent to keep the victim in a position below the abuser in terms of worth. This includes Techno using the silent treatment as a punishment, something which hurts Tommy since he craves affection from others. 

He also attempts to isolate Tommy by telling him he doesn’t need anyone else; that everyone abandoned him during exile (something which Dream has also said.) He tells Tommy that he’s only alive because Techno is there to defend him and supply for him, as well as constantly reminding Tommy to not let any compliments he receives get to his head. These are both meant to make Tommy depend more on Techno and doubt his own abilities. Techno also occasionally engages in subtle gaslighting, attempting to sow doubt in Tommy’s mind about his relationships with Tubbo, Quackity, Ranboo, and Fundy. 

It’s also vital to keep in mind what exactly separates Dream and Techno in this regard. The most important thing being that Techno actually does care about Tommy. He trusts him and wants to earnestly help him. He knows Tommy has been traumatized and abused in some way, but he doesn’t know how to help because he’s not that great with people. It also doesn’t help that Tommy is unable to tell anyone what happened. 

In the end, Techno really does want to be a shield for Tommy. Despite debating handing Tommy over to Dream, it’s more likely Techno was using this as bait for Dream to waste his favor on something useless. After all, he could always save Tommy, should he ask for him to. Techno’s warnings about Tubbo and L’Manburg also come from a place of love, as Techno was personally hurt by them and wants to protect Tommy by telling him to leave it behind. However, just because something is done out of love, doesn’t mean it’s automatically helpful or good for someone. 

There’s no better example of this than in Techno’s most damaging and frequently used tactic: ‘Buy Their Love,’ a technique commonly used on children by narcissistic parents. At first glance, nothing seems wrong. Techno gives Tommy most things he asks for; providing him with food, gifts, protection, and a place to sleep. The manipulation within this arises when the act of kindness is counted as a debt against the person who receives it. That by receiving so many good things, they would be ungrateful to go against their abuser. Doesn’t matter if they emotionally or physically hurt you, they gave you gifts, so you should shut your mouth and allow the abuse to continue. 

Whenever Tommy speaks out against Techno’s violent actions or his plans to hurt his friends, Techno would frequently bring up all his ‘good deeds.’ He consistently reminds Tommy that he could’ve just thrown him back to Dream, but he was too kind. That he went out of his way to give him gear, food, and a roof over his head. That he was kind so Tommy should be quiet and let Techno plot to hurt the people he loves. Or else he’s selfish and ungrateful. Or else Techno will take all of his gifts back and leave him with nothing.

Knowing this, it is horrifying seeing people justifying this behavior by mocking Tommy’s character and calling him ungrateful using this very same fallacy. (Especially for those who grew up being controlled by this very tactic.) 

It is through knowing Techno’s use of the ‘Buy Their Love,’ method that makes Tommy’s, ‘I am worthy,’ response, not one of betrayal, but one of triumph. This moment is a major positive character change for Tommy for many reasons. When Tommy decides to stand against Techno, this causes him to fall back on his most reliable tactic. He insults Tommy and then asks for the Axe of Peace back. Instead of caving, Tommy refuses. 

By keeping the Axe of Peace, Techno’s final gift to him, he is not only rejecting the destruction of all he loves, but he is breaking free from Techno’s manipulation. He says, ‘I am worthy,’ because now he knows his own self-worth. He doesn’t need Techno or Dream to decide it for him. This moment is Tommy finally breaking free from not just Techno, but Dream as well. He is finally free.

“Tommy was only using Techno and never thought of him as a friend.”

Tommy and Techno’s relationship is complicated, which is why pretending only one side was in the wrong isn’t entirely accurate. Their friendship, in summary, is tragic when fully examined; being doomed from the start. Techno and Tommy are brought into conflict often because they are simultaneously so similar and so different. Techno and Tommy both deal with grief in the same way. They both long for a life of peace and comfort. They each long for companionship, hold their ideals in kind, and are both naturally resilient in the face of adversity. 

Yet, their personalities and courses of action are polar opposites. What makes this friendship one of tragedy is the fact that not just Techno, not just Tommy, but both of them, actually thought the other was their friend. They had each wanted to be the other’s friend since the day they’d met. Tommy never stopped wanting to impress Techno and get on his good side, even if his methods annoyed the target of his affections. Him calling Techno ‘The Blade’ was never meant to dehumanize him; it was a title of adoration. 

Along the same spectrum, Techno is a character who generally longs for friendship, but pretends not to after a lifetime of hurt. He’s been burned too many times, and so he chooses to stay alone. Techno is generally very reclusive and awkward around others, so when he likes someone or cares for them, it’s noticeable from a mile away. Their friendship has a very brotherly dynamic, and the fact that Techno allowed him to stay in his house, implies Tommy is a step above pretty much everyone else but Phil. Putting up with Tommy’s shenanigans is itself a sign of affection. 

However, when their goals come into conflict and the two start to drift apart, they deal with this in massively different ways. With Tommy devastated and enraged, and with Techno withdrawn and hurt, once more burned by someone he slowly learned to trust. They were once both friends, neither one was pretending. Yet, both of them thought their companionship was unreciprocated. 

On top of this, both Techno and Tommy were using each other. Techno used Tommy to get his weapons back by manipulating and lying to him. Tommy used Techno to protect him from Dream and get his discs back. They each hurt the other and refused to listen, both shouting valid complaints at the other that they refused to hear. 

Their relationship is also deeply affected by the themes of vengeance in the current arc, which is something I haven’t seen many people talk about. Most of the current conflicts this past month have resulted from characters being unable to forgive, resorting to revenge as a way to cope with loss. L’Manburg was the first to initiate this, through the influence of Quackity. The Butcher Army was formed to punish Techno for a war crime he committed. And while this is perfectly reasonable, what isn’t is the way the incident was orchestrated. It was an unchecked abuse of power to execute someone without a fair trial, as well as punishing Phil, who was not involved whatsoever. 

This was also particularly unfair to Techno, as many projected their anger at Wilbur onto him. Even Tommy did this, finding himself unable to blame his late mentor, so Techno was the next best option for him. However, it was Techno’s response to this that was interesting. He chose a path of vengeance, the same way L’Manburg did, after vowing to live his life as a pacifist. By doing this and following through, he hurt everyone, not just the people he claimed needed to pay for their actions. 

Instead of just picking the weed in the garden, he set the entire flower bed on fire. Through L’Manburg’s destruction, he gets what he wants. He destroys their government, but he also scars the earth and shatters the sky. He leaves uninvolved people homeless, deeply hurting Ranboo, Eret, and especially Ghostbur. Philza turns to vengeance as well, taking his anger at the death of his son out on people who do not deserve it. 

Tubbo, a day before the second Festival, was given another chance to seek revenge when Techno had spawned a wither on their land. Instead, all Tubbo could say was, ‘We do nothing … It’s pointless, vengeance. It’s poisonous.’ By doing this, he has managed to be a bigger person than even Techno was, with the strength and maturity to turn the other cheek. And now with Tommy’s plan to kill Dream, the conflict continues to escalate; only ending where forgiveness begins. 

It’s sad to think, if Techno didn’t choose a path of vengeance and Tommy was strong enough to tell Techno how he really felt, the two might have remained friends. Who knows? Maybe they still can.

“Tommy was the one in the wrong. Techno was right to destroy L’Manburg.”

Techno is a lovely character. He’s well-written, engaging, funny. He has many values and quirks that are generally relatable and interesting. His motives are deeply understandable and sympathetic. And yet, he is perfectly capable of being evil, in just the same way that Tommy can be deeply flawed despite being the protagonist. 

I’m sure most people already know that Technoblade is a villain. Or more accurately, a tragic antagonist. Techno (the streamer) knows he is and he’s having fun playing that part. Just because a character is morally in the wrong doesn’t mean their values and ideology don’t have merit. The best character I could compare Techno to is Thanos. 

They have completely valid concerns and points, but it is the way in which they go about achieving their goals that makes them into evil people. And despite this, many will still agree with them, even after they do something reprehensible. Contrary to popular belief, Technoblade’s tendency towards violence isn’t a good thing, no matter how you look at it. Even Techno himself knows this, that’s why he decided to reform and become a pacifist with Phil. He was not a good influence on Tommy, on top of also manipulating him. 

Techno caving to hatred and vengeance makes him no different to the resolve of the Butcher Army that pursued him. It is precisely the fact that he went on to destroy the home of not just Tommy, but also Ranboo and Ghostbur, that puts him in the wrong. He is allowed to despise all government and remove himself from it, but the moment he decided to insert himself into someone else’s country and take their home from them in order to destroy it, he abandoned an integral principle to his own values. 

This principle being: ‘Choice.’ The act of letting others be free to decide what they want for themselves. It is a huge component to the concept of anarchy, the freedom to choose. And yet Techno robbed this from, not just the ruling powers that hurt him, but individuals who were not even involved in the first place. He justifies this by saying it’s for their own good, that he’s helping; while acting in a self-serving manner. 

In his anger, he became the punisher, stooping lower than L’Manburg has ever gone. There is also the issue of Dream weaponizing Techno to destroy the one thing that has been a thorn in his side since the very start, manipulating Techno’s grief to achieve his goals. Tommy’s biggest sin in the Doomsday War was standing up to Techno and getting in the way of him hurting his friends and destroying his home. 

This isn’t to say Tommy is perfect, because he still hurt everyone he ever loved. But the only way he knew to redeem himself was to fight for what he knew was right. And so he chose to fight alongside his best friend, Tubbo. However, just because Techno is in the wrong doesn’t mean others are wrong for wanting to side with him, or by finding joy in his ruthlessness. The biggest appeal of Techno is the fact that he opposes people like Tommy. 

He knows how to put people in their place and it’s satisfying to watch. Some people love rooting for villains and it’s entertaining to see a being with so much power crush everyone else down so effortlessly. Especially because it’s so easy to sympathize with Technoblade. Sympathetic villains are the best kind; where they have understandable motivations, relatable flaws, people they love, and something they can lose. Dream is a villain you love to hate. Technoblade is a villain you hate to love. Simple as. 

Despite the destruction of L’Manburg being either devastating or fantastic depending on who you are, there is one major good it has done. It has pushed Tommy more towards the completion of his character arc. By losing one of the three things he loves, it will be impossible for him to pretend any longer. He will be forced to confront reality very soon. It all depends on whether Tubbo will have to die first for him to finally see it.