#I'm convinced his need stem from his childhood when he felt wrong because of his upbringing and he was compelled to fit

[mortal-kombat-1]

what is your opinion on johnny cage's character?

Oh boy, this took me a good bit to think on and type out, lmao. Like, would have it all ready to post then think of something else to add. Thank you draft option 🙏

Overall, I think he's more complex than a lot of folks make him out to be. Yeah, its really easy to just think he's the comedic relief only when the game(s) kinda lead you to believe that. You can't really judge him based on one timeline since the plots/stories keep changing with each game (even if you add in the comics and movies). There's no connecting the dots when it comes to MK lore, lol. You gotta be fairly new to the franchise to think otherwise if I'm being very honest.

But given this blog is primarily MK1 Johnny, that's the timeline/version I'll jot my thoughts out for.

He's obviously not a parent in this timeline unlike 10 and 11, so we can scratch even mentioning that. But, he's once again married, not to Sonya but to Cris. Even so, his ego, money spending and his need to be the prime center of attention gets the better of him causing things to sour in his marriage. Of course ending in divorce. I won't stick up for him, he has his flaws, Cris was definitely in the right to divorce 'em. She deserved to be treated better. I'm not saying the man didn't care for her, it was pretty damn obvious that he did. He's very protective and regrets how he's done her -- he made that clear in a couple of intro's. I really felt like he got into the movie business not only because it was something he always wanted to do, but to make a better life for the both of them at some point, but I think he kinda let it all get to his head and let slip away the reason he was initially doing it all for. So in short: He's gotta take responsibility for his own actions. Nobody else is to blame but himself. But even with that being said, he struggled, obviously an alcoholic -- he's mentioned recovery to Ashrah in one of their intro's; though I'm really convinced he started drinking to forget about certain details of his past... and maybe stress because Hollywood. We don't really get enough information on his childhood other than whats mentioned in intro's with other characters. And even then, they never really seem good nor happy. So I like to think his need to be a people pleaser really stems from his parents. That is in no way me trying to make an excuse for his character, though. The man isn't a child/teen, and I've seen people on here and elsewhere, thinking he's in his 20's or early 30's. And after going through some of the files in the game, a lot of the things he's won or collected were from the 90's -- awards being more specific. So I tend to say he's in his early 40's at the youngest. Also, he's mentioned getting someone younger to take on his role so yeah.

I like how even though others might find his tactics and odd sense of humor (which happens 99% at the wrong time) annoying, they still want him there. And he knows that, the damn smirking gives it away. Does he mature in any way in this timeline -- eventually, but I wouldn't say he's changed completely or he wouldn't be Johnny Cage. I'd say he finally realized there's more to life than money and fame when you got the right people surrounding you, and he gets that by the time the game ends.

Also, that damn boopable nose... they ever change that I'm gonna riot.

I could keep going on about this idiot, but I gotta stop there or I will never shut up sdfghjkl;. It's one of those "I see so much of myself in this character and I'm gonna glue myself to them" type of thing.

[naferty]

Please, I'm begging you, what happens after tony flies away from Steve in the twins au?? How can they recover from that?

Steve is left standing alone as he watches Tony fly further and further away, unable to find the wordings to call the genius back. Not that he thought Tony would even come back. After the outburst and confession Tony just gave, Steve had no doubt the last person Tony wants to talk to is him. 

Steve kicks at a pebble on the pavement absentmindedly. What now? If he tried to talk to Tony the genius would just run away. He might even make it worse by pushing and pushing, but if he doesn’t do anything then it will get worse as Tony will likely spend the time convincing himself he’s done right and the damage will become irreversible.

Steve meant it when he said he wanted Tony. So confident and sure about it. So much so he thought Tony himself was reassured about their relationship. Their very brief relationship. He didn’t think twice when he admitted to the genius about his previous affection for his sister. He thought they were past the awkwardness that was ‘dating even though Steve once had feelings for Tasha’ and Tony had been okay with it. 

Turns out, Tony didn’t even know. 

If Steve had known how hurt Tony would be from it, he would have never told him anything. But then, what kind of person would that make Steve? 

A misguided one. 

With no other options, he made his way to the source of all this. Tasha. If anyone could talk to Tony, it would be his older sis. The two were close like peas in a pod, cut from the same fabric, thick as thieves, and from the mischief the two are able to get to, that last description is very accurate. 

And just like Steve, she’s guilty of withholding information. She knew they had been dates, Steve knows she did, but she decided to act oblivious in order to let him down easy and somewhere along the way she thought adding in Tony to the equation had been a good idea. 

It was, Steve will say. At the time it felt disrespectful, but once Steve got Tasha was not, in fact, going to return his affection, he settled in and watched as the siblings showed what they’re best known for. A well-oiled machine with a dash of sarcasm that would put Deadpool to shame. And a side of Tony Steve had never seen. 

After a while, Steve had looked forward to Tony joining them until one day Steve decided to just skip asking Tasha and instead ask Tony. He thought it’d be a bit awkward at first without Tasha, but no. Tony kept all manner of conversation going smoothly. There was hardly any moment of pause. And it had been fun. So much so that Steve didn’t want it to end. 

It hadn’t been until the next day that Steve realized… it had felt like a date. Exactly what Steve had wanted when he asked Tasha. Only, it ended with Tony instead. 

Were they dating now? Was Steve interested in Tony? 

The simple answer; yes. 

The complication; they didn’t know it. Not at first.

Now. Steve wants Tony, but Tony won’t believe him. Will he believe Tasha if she explained? Steve can only hope. 

He found her in Stark tower. Usually where either twin is always located. Can’t find one? Always check there first. Almost a guarantee they’ll be there out of class time. They’ll be in their lab working nonstop on projects, but Steve found her sitting alone, no project, no goggles, and no tools in hand. Just alone staring at nothing on the table. Head in her hands. 

“Tash?” he calls to her. 

“Tony is in his lab,” she says without prompting. Starks are geniuses. It’s only natural she knows why he’s there. 

“Will he talk to me?” 

A beat of silence. “No.” 

“He thinks I don’t want him.” 

She sighs. “Yeah, I figured.” She lifts her head and looks at him. “What did he say?” 

“I settled for him.” The words feel wrong on his tongue. Like poison. He can’t imagine how Tony feels when he said them. 

“What else?” 

Steve shakes his head. Tony admitted a lot in a moment of vulnerability. His feelings and beliefs. Steve won’t repeat those. Not to his sister. Not to anyone. “Not my words to tell. He’s - he’s hurting though. A lot. Because of me and you.” 

She rubs her forehead. “Yeah. That’s been our life for the longest time. I get all I want and he gets hurt because of me -” 

“You don’t have to tell me.” 

“No, you have to hear it. If you’re serious about Tony you need to know.” She invites him over to sit next to him. “Tony and I - to the world, it looks like we’ve been equals our whole lives. We share the company. The tower. The Iron armor. Everything, but it’s far from the truth. I grew up expecting everything. Tony grew up expecting nothing.” 

Steve frowns. That doesn’t make sense. How can twins grow up in the same environment expecting different? 

“Because of Howard. From the start, he’s treated us differently. For some damn reason, he valued me more and dumped what little was left on Tony, if there was anything left on that drunk asshole. I never knew. I could ask for anything and I always got it. Tony could barely ask for gloves. Gloves without holes if he was lucky enough.” 

Tony’s trail of thought now made sense. His insecurity and distrust didn’t just stem from one simple relationship admission. It started in childhood. Trauma. Resentment. Insecurity.

Loneliness. 

All thanks to the man that’s supposed to be their rock for protection and love. 

“I can tell you our whole life story, Steve. About me being a grade-A bitch, Tony’s injuries, Howard’s selfishness, but it won’t get you any closer to Tony. You need to hear it from him, if he ever wants to tell you. What we need to do right now is figure out how to convince him,” she slams her fist on the table. “Howard is in his head. We need to get him out.”

“I already tried to explain. He won’t believe me. What else can I do?” 

“Show him. Think of something that will prove it. Don’t go too big, though. Tony’s never liked show-offs. Small things that mean the most to him. Small things that you can do every day.” Tasha’s eyes go wide. “Jarvis! Write this down.” 

“Of course, Ma’am,” came Jarvis’ electronic voice. 

“You ready, Steve?” 

Steve nods. Slow and serious. Ready as he’ll ever be. He’ll get Tony to believe him. No matter how long it takes. 

Wish him a good morning every day

Buy him coffee

Get him chocolates

Leave him notes on his books

Text him - the sappier the text the better

Bring him lunch - burgers preferably

Thank him for all his hard work around campus

Tell him how smart he is

Compliment his smiles

Laugh at every joke - no matter how cringy

Paint him stuff when you have time - Tony doesn’t admit it, but he actually likes paintings a lot

Hug him every chance you get - careful of his chest

Steal his jacket and wear it - assert dominance

Invite him to places you go

Tony doesn’t like long walks - take him on your bike - long bike rides

Ask him to dance - make him laugh while dancing - your old dance should work!

Can’t go wrong with flowers

Ask him about his day - projects too - ask about Dummy and U

Tell him he is hot - don’t point out a specific body part - let him know all of him is hot - if you mention his ass I will kill you

Thank him when he gives you things - kiss his forehead if he resists the thank yous

Hold his hand - ask him to hold something when he resists and make your move then

Don’t mention sister - not so early - let Tony gain confidence again

When the time is right tell him it’s him and only him

If you decide to pick a ring you better take me with you - not that I’ll let you right now - it’s too early! 

One day tell him you love him 

[grayyxv]

An Analysis of Portgas D. Ace

Alright I decided to do this since people actually enjoyed the analysis i did for Kid. Also, i find myself relating to him more and more recently. So, I thought: why not do an analysis of him?

Ace is undoubtedly one of my favorite characters in all of one piece so this might segway to become a "Why is Ace such a good character?" post.

Before I begin, just a disclaimer; I am aware that not everyone will agree with what I say so just make sure you understand that this is just my opinion. im just a psychology student so im just using whatever crap i learnt into analyzing this.

* This post might contain spoilers *

Here we go.

I think we can all agree that Ace is definitely one of the most loved characters in one piece. He has a shit ton of fans so i dont even NEED to convince you on why you should like him. But of course, there are fans that like him only because of his appearance or because of his abilities. So, id like to offer a different perspective- the same goes with my Kid post. Im just here to kind of breakdown the reasons why Ace is such an amazing character such that we can all appreciate him even more.

1. Background

Let us take a look at his background shall we? I think this is a very important part of Ace's character as all his choices and decisions stems from how he was raised during his childhood.

In the recent chapters of one piece, they showed a panel of Roger saying how he wanted a son. But we all know how that went. He was dead so he couldnt take care of Ace. Instead, taking care of Ace became Garp's responsibility, then it shifted to Dadan's responsibility.

Dadan was Ace' primary caretaker. While she provided and place for him to stay & food to eat, she isn't really shown spending time with him. She cared for him, that's for sure. But did she meet his emotional needs? I dont think so. Spending time with a chuld is very importsnt for their growth. But Dadan did not do that. It's evident that Ace displays the insecure-avoidant attachment style as he is unconcerned about his caregiver. This led him to develop trust issues as he got a bit older.

Another reason that could explain his behaviour in his childhood is that no one tried to address the relationship between him and Gol D. Roger. No one took time to acknowledge Ace's feelings about Roger. Everyone around him had said that he was an amazing man, but no one understood Ace when he said that Roger wasn't as great of a father. This led him to resent Roger even more- as well as the people who praised him.

Sabo's 'death' really affected Ace. Sabo was the first person who accepted Ace and I guess Ace must've grieved over him. (I mean, he does have a tattoo in memory of Sabo) But, Sabo was the reason why Ace decided to become stronger. So that he could fight for whoever he cared about.

2. Love

This is arguably the main theme in Ace's character.

His whole character arc revolves around acceptance and his goal in life was simply to find someone that could love him for who he was- not because he was the son of Roger. As explained above, he had attachment issues as he wasn't really shown any love as a kid. The firet person to accept him was Sabo then eventually, Luffy. It's unclear how Sabo and Ace met but, Sabo was definitely the first person to help Ace open up his heart. This is purely hypothetical but I think Ace saw similarities between himself and Sabo which eventually led them to becoming friends. On the other hand, he took a long time before he accepted Luffy. Luffy was an interesting child because he was so persistent in getting Ace's attention and acceptance. I'm sure Ace must have felt confused as to why someone would try so hard to even be accepted by him. Was it because he was Roger's son? Or did Luffy really want to befriend Ace because of who he was? When they became sworn brothers, it had meant that Ace was going to sacrifice everything for Sabo and Luffy. They followed different paths but Ace never stopped caring for them.

Moving on to the point where he first joined the Whiteheard pirates, this is when he experienced what it was like to have a family. Over time, they taught him about how a family should be like. They showed him unconditional love and sheltered him from those who would try to harm him. In return, he does the same for them. This was when Ace had found his purpose. His purpose was to protect those he cared about and those who cared about him.

3. Marineford

This is where Ace's character really was at its peak. We see that everything that we have understood about Ace makes sense as they are reflected in his actions. Him going after Blackbeard after he killed Thatch, then getting captured. But, this is where we learn that Ace is still struggling with his issues. He doesn't want to be saved because there's a part of him that thinks that no one cares about him. He thinks that nobody would bother risking their lives for him so, he didn't ask for any help as he didn't want to ne disappointed when no one came. At the same time, part of him clung on to that hope that he could be saved. That maybe just one person would come and rescue him.

As an audience, his conflicting emotions really impacted me because his feelings are all too real. What do i mean? This is kind of personal but, if you have ever struggled with mental illness you'll understand Ace's feelings. I've dealt with depression all my life and I could really relate to his feelings. Sometimes I wonder if I'm worth the effort, if there is any point in me living. Does anyone really care about me? Even if you don't have a mental health condition, surely you must have had times where you were in despair. That is when you wonder to yourself if there is any point in clinging onto hope. If there is anyonr that could save you from this situation. I think this side of Ace's character is so well written because it reflects reality.

The most heartbreaking scene is when Ace protects Luffy from Akainu. Some people argue that Ace's death was his own fault as he shouldn't have gotten agitated when Akainu insulted Whitebeard. But, you need to understand Whitebeard's relationship to Ace. To Ace, Whitebeard was the man that gave him everything a father would have. He was there for Ace physically and emotionally. He literally was the one who gave Ace the confidence and strength to fight for who he loves. So, I think that his actions and choices in that scene is perfectly valid. It fits his character.

Finally, Ace's death and his last words.

"Thank you for loving me."

This fucking broke my heart.

Everything about Ace's character is coming in full circle. His past, his choices, everything had been leading to this moment where he would die protecting the one he loved. He had finally achieved his goal in life- which was to find someone who could love him. He must've felt so fucking happy when he saw how so many people were willing to fight to save him. He finally attainted the happiness he had been searching for so, so long.

Then, he died.

This is going to segway a little but I really, really couldn't accept his death because he didn't deserve to die. Don't get me wrong, I do know how important his death is for the story and Luffy's character but I still can't accept that he couldn't live out the rest of his days happily. Also, the fact that he never got to see Sabo again just fucking breaks my heart because Sabo was the first person in his LIFE to accept him. (that is why i ship them lmao)

Anyways.

In summary, I think the reason why everyone loves Ace so much was because they could see themselves in his position. We can understand his conflicting feelings, his fears and worries because they are a reflection of reality. We desire for the same thing as he does: Love and acceptance. Which is why, we root for him. In times of despair, he clings on to hope- much like how we do in real life.

With that said, like how Ace deserves all the love in the world, you do too.

You deserve better.

TLDR; i love this man so, so much