#he was being manipulated but he wasnt without choice

[coriphallus]

The Dark Urge thoughts (and prayers)

anyone whos been following me knows im absolutely not normal about durge and i wanna share some tidbits that are implied, but not necessarily canonised, from their story;

I already made a post about it but it seems like bhaal has a degree of control over whether they live or die. he can deny them death, if they fail the duel with orin.

bhaal can command the slayer. he forces orin to transform if you talk to her about sarevok and the scene makes it clear that its against her will.

bhaal manipulates his kin in a subtler way. in the colony you can find a letter from old durge thats apologising to his father for 'liking' gortash. you can interpret their relationship as something deeper but even if it wasnt, this reads to me as terrified and desperate.

the reason being, if you have a LI in act 2 you get the famous bondage scene. coupled up with the letter above makes me think this is a pattern. bhaal can use their feelings against them. he did it with sarevok and orin's mother, orin's mother and orin, etc... it's not as straightforward as 'if you disobey ill kill the one you love'. you will. durge will.

bhaal is testing them in act 2, he revels in chaos, sure, but in the grand scheme of things he doesn't care about isobel. even if you tell scel that you'll kill her you're told that youre too late, you ignored your urges. from durge, bhaal doesn't expect calm calculated murder, he expects blind obedience. failing to receive that his first punishment is to take away something they cherish. there are no half measures, theres no bargaining with a god.

we get so many snippets of information that this has happened before, their foster family being their first victims. theyre made to kill their support system with their own hands, with no one to blame but themselves. they are actually apologising to their father for being fond of gortash because (in my humble opinion) theyre genuinely afraid.

how many times could this have happened, how many nights durge couldve woken up covered in the blood of someone they love until they gave in, became daddys obedient puppet?

durge is groomed for murder. scel says 'you always failed to conduct yourself without me' and given who he is i dont think hes talking about table manners when he says 'conduct'. durge needs 24/7 oversight to set themselves right lest they get tempted by softer things. lest they dare to step away from bhaals grand plan.

durge do have a choice. just as shadowheart had a choice, just as wyll or astarion had a choice. its a choice only in name.

theres no ending besides refusing bhaal that their friends and LI wont die by their hands. the entire lore of bhaalspawn is that theyre meant to conquer the world in his name and slit their own throat a top the mountain of corpses. as cazador aptly put, 'theyre made to be consumed.'

you can pray to bhaal and the narrator says he won't accept [any offering] but the entire world.

durge (and bhaalspawn) do get some sort of euphoria from murder. they crave it like an addict, but bhaalspawn (on prev games) don't constantly have to grapple with these urges as durge does.

now durge is a slightly special case but not in a good way. its implied that theyre not like a regular bhaalspawn, that theyre made by bhaal directly -so to speak-. which is to say, if youre playing a drow, they are bhaals closest approximation of a drow rather than a drow flesh and blood.

thats why theyre fighting tooth and nail against these urges every step of the way, they are literally bhaal himself(in essence). the personality they develop, the person who calls themselves 'tainted' and 'wretched', the character thats making choices throughout the game, theyre the tumour.

theirs is the story of cycle of abuse cranked up to 1000 and it is in parallel to all other origin companions.

[thedomesticanthropologist]

In one of my playthroughs, my Tav is having a TIME with Astarion, and it's a version of his romance I don't see represented online as much and I want to talk about it.

If you choose more lightweight dialogue options, if you don't dig into his mind at the bite scene, if you get his Araj confession instead of his impromptu one,

Then by the end of Act 2, you do *not* have a secure relationship AT ALL, he has never said he's in love, and everything feels REALLY rocky.

All through act 1 he lays on the seduction heavily, but in act 2 a bitch is MAD. He is stressed, he needs to figure out his scars, he feels hunted and un-safe and because of this, he starts to take it out on Tav a bit.

SPOILERS FOR ACT 2:

when Raphael shows up to talk to him, he snaps at Tav saying "don't get in my way". When you do his quest and kill the orthon, you have to PRY a thank you from him by literally telling him to parrot your words ('thank you for helping me, it was very... Kind') and he spits it out like he really, really wasnt intending to say anything in the form of gratitude.

When you talk about what to do about Cazador, my Paladin chose 'youll never be free while he lives' because it's true. If he runs, cazador will hunt him. If cazador lives, he will never stop looking over his shoulder. His reply 'i hate that you're right'

Even when you say you'll join him to hunt his master down, you can watch his facial expressions and see: he's not convinced. Of course he isn't. He's terrified. And is he grateful? Yes, but again, it's guarded.

I then went to moonrise and talked to Araj, and I defended his autonomy 100%.

When his Araj-confession happened, it was absolutely NOT a LOVE confession. It was more like:

"thank you. This made me realize I was still acting like a slave even in freedom, and you supporting me there made me feel like I can start to snap out of that kind set. Sooooo... I should tell you, since you did me a solid, that I was using you for protection and manipulating you up until now"

If you DONT choose the top options, the MOST he tells you about how he feels about you is a single line of dialogue

'imagine my surprise when I started to actually feel... SOMETHING... For you'

This could be friendship, crush feels, etc. It's VERY vague, and important things to note is while WE THE PLAYER know more about him and what he may feel at this point or what he's gone through, YOUR TAV DOESNT.

He does not apologize for using you. He states his regret that his plan failed because he started to value you as a person instead of a tool for him to be used. That admission is his gift back to you for defending him in front of Araj.

If you then choose 'what do YOU want' he approves, but says he doesn't know. And then he defends that 'isnt it nice not to know?' You still get soft faces, your hand held. He's trying to *silently* communicate what he can't bring himself to say, but he *DOESNT* SAY anything to affirm you two are a couple/in a relationship/etc. Just a vague 'lets not talk about it but see where it goes'

Honestly, based on this experience via dialogue choices for this character, it almost seemed to me like "sounds like you need a friend not a lover" makes the MOST SENSE. Of course this is my Astarion Romance run, so my Paladin instead said, basically, I'll wait for you until you're ready. (She chose the 'what do you want,' and let it lay there as is)

Afterwards you can ask about your relationship with him and again, he's flustered, he's hedging, he's defensive, and he brushes it off. He's not ready to talk, he's not ready to commit, he's fully focused on Cazador and his safety.

You enter this waiting period where Tav has been manipulated, spoken down to, snapped at, bitten, and responded to without gratitude, but is ALSO given just the faintest, BAREST glimpse at the vulnerability beneath the surface. The player is being asked at this point to REALLY trust and WAIT without ANY evidence that this relationship could become healthy, or could turn into love, or could because a real relationship. And that's SO NEAT

If you don't romance anyone else and aren't put into the position to choose him, you never get a confirmation of dating. If you get the Araj scene and don't choose hug, and don't force him to confirm he was attracted to you etc, you can literally end the talk on "thanks for defending me, also haha I was using you this whole time just so you know, thanks for being nice about it"

From a Tav point of view, this *could* be fairly devastating, and even if Tav decides to wait and keep supporting him, at this point, even post "confession" there is VERY little evidence that things are gonna get better between you.

We know it does. WE do. We get the access to other dialogue and choices or the other confession IF we chose that. But this, this scene, these dialogue choices REALLY emphasize his Act 3 confession

"you were patient. You waited, through blood lust etc /even when it was an objectively stupid thing to do etc"

Cause yeah. He's RIGHT. If you don't choose VERY specific dialogues to get more out of him, most of his romance up until the Act 3 confession,most of how he treats you, most of how he responds to your decisions in game (if you're playing fairly good and not evil/durge) gives Tav no reason beyond faith to continue to pursue him.

I think he knows this, and it's why he's surprised when you state you don't want him for sex. Because up until Act 3, he KNOWS how he's been treating Tav and even HE wouldn't have stood for it if the roles were reversed, so h thinks 'it must be because I'm good in bed'. Then he takes the sex away and you still stay? Even when he's chasing power, hunting for revenge, snapping at you, refusing to commit?

It's a powerful story line. It's so engaging. And it has room for SO MUCH ANGST

Anyways thanks for coming to my Ted Talk

[professional-yearner]

Can't help falling in love with you (pt.3)

Yandere! Cheater! Clone officer x reader

Series TW!: cheating, mistresses, grief, murder, Evil-ish, being trapped, toxic relationships, forced relationship, obsessive love, obsession, general insanity, manipulation, disloyalty, crybaby Mc, sensitive and a bit whimpy Mc

Steel stared blankly at the wall as she kissed his shoulder.

"I am kind of going to miss the danger of going around with a married man." Arah joked.

He usually would've given her a chuckle at least, but he only felt sick.

"Hey, you okay?" She frowned, leaning over to look into his face. He felt her hand brush over his cheek, which had grown a rough layer of stubble in the past few days.

He really was about to be sick.

Steel pushed himself up clumsily, startling the Pantoran as he rushed to the fresher in time to make it to the toilet. He shook violently as he heaved his lunch into the bowl, head swimming and thoughts going a mile a minute. He only raised his head when he felt a cool hand running along his back, rubbing in soothing circles.

She was frowning down at him, concern evident in her lovely features,

"Poor thing, it's been a rough week for you, hasn't it?" She cooed.

He said nothing, but leaned away from her palm as she brought a rag down to wipe the bile from the sides of his mouth.

-

Steel let out a groan once he had shut the front door to Arah's apartment behind him. He wasn't really thinking, coming over here after what happened. He just didn't know what else to do.

Arah had been a source of comfort for him these past few months, made him feel good about himself and renewed his ego, but now it all just felt...flat.

Everything felt flat without you.

Without the promise of you being at the apartment when he returned from duty, without the lovely little smile you would give him when he walked through the door. Your laugh, your body, the way your eyes sparkled in the sunlight, the most beautiful and kind soul he had ever experienced.

He sniffed, tears welling in his eyes.

What had he done?

-

Steel was exhausted as he hefted his pack over his shoulder, eyes tired as he amended the catwalk onto the venator.

A group of his brothers stood talking at the edge of the hall, laughing at something one of them had said. As Steel approached, the group went silent, glaring unabashedly.

He winced at the looks of disdain and disgust his vode regarded him with as he passed.

It might hurt more if Steel wasn't already so disgusted with himself.

He knew the looks were warranted tenfold, cheating on one's cyare was one of the worst offenses a clone could commit in the eyes of the community, and Steel agreed.

Cheating was one of the most cowardly and cruel choices Steel had ever made, he knew.

He hated himself for it, but knew that wasn't good enough. Wallowing would do nothing for his girl, he needed to-

"Steel."

He looked up from his brewing, coming face to face with one of his squad, Wake.

"Vod-"

"Don't. Just," His brother sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as always he did when he felt a headache oncoming, "Shut up, for once."

Steel only nodded, waiting for whatever the other clone had to say.

"You've really done it now, Steel. Kriff, I knew you were having problems, but I never would have even considered- I didn't want to believe the rumors, but-"

Even his brother looked hurt when he uttered, "On her?"

"She was so bright, loving- Steel,"

"I know!" He snapped, "You don't think I know that?! She's the best thing to ever happen to me! I love-"

"What are you willing to do to get her back?"

Steel's ears and neck felt hot, burning behind his eyes like he had never felt before, his hands shook as he uttered, "Anything."

Wake passed him, shoulder-checking him for good measure, "Then you had better fix this."

-

Steel groaned into the emptiness of the office, slumping down into one of the swivel chairs and dropping his tray onto the desk in front of him with a clatter.

It had already been a long day and it wasnt even half over.

Dirty looks and coldly livid treatment from his brothers, even warranted, wore on the officer.

Besides his baby, the only support or community he was used to was from them, now he had neither.

He shook away that thought; no good moping about something he got himself into.

His attention was diverted anyways by the sound of the door opening with a clean whoosh and the sound of boots against durasteel.

Wake.

The clean-cut officer entered, shutting the door behind him and regarding his brother briefly.

He tossed the silver-haired clone something hefty in a paper bag before he dould utter a greeting.

"What-"

"Comms." Wake said simply, opening his lunch at the seat beside him.

"I already-"

His brother cut him off through a bite of sandwich, "Just turn it to channel three."

Steel did as he was told, eyes widening as he head your voice crackling to life over the speaker.

He wanted to sit there, close his eyes and just listen to whatever it was you had to say, imagine that the two of you were having one of your old lengthy conversations, but the blue-eyed clone snatched it away from him, switching it off.

Steel stood at that, trying to control himself and not jump at his brother for interrupting the first time he had gotten to hear you in days, but Wake wasn't impressed.

"You can't have it on for more than a few minutes, it's not hard to tell when commas are tapped when you're constantly being listened in on." He explained, waiting for his more volatile brother to sit back down and listen.

After taking a second to compose himself, he did, huffing nonetheless.

Your melodic voice rang in his ears, soothing and already lifting his mood.

You had a talent for doing that, even when you didn't mean to.

"-Steel. Steel!"

He opened his eyes, looking over at Wake, who was trying to get his attention, "Huh?"

His brother rolled his eyes, but snorted out a laugh.

"At least we know her voice still has that same effect on you."

Steel smiled as well, he knew it reminded of how he felt about his own cyare; a tall, pretty twi'lek woman with striking yellow skin and a gap toothed smile that made his brother visibly melt at the sight of.

Their girls had been friends, one of the only people Steel was okay with her being friends with, even if he was still a bit on edge when they had conversations alone.

"Anyways, these should help you keep a track on how she's doing, who she's with,"

Wake looked at him head on, "And hopefully help you from doing anything stupid that would scare her off even more."

He nodded quickly, giddy as his brother went back to his food. Too excited and hopeful to eat his own.

He grinned to himself, smiling for the first time in a week.

He was coming, sweetheart, and when he did, he would fix all of this. Attone for what he had done. Show you just how sorry he was. Put you right back where you were supposed to be; by his side.

And when he did, he would never let you go again.

[ganondoodle]

you know, as if it wasnt already boring enough that both link and zelda got back to their 'perfect' physical selves without any consquences from all that happened, the fact that zelda doesnt even remember anything either is just adding insult to injury

although it was also a lil disappointing at the end of botw that zelda didnt age even a little bit or had any other physical change at least she was conscious during the time she sealed calamity ganon in the castle and it overall feels less illogical

when you get the mastersword back in totk you get a cutscene of zelda with it after she had already transformed which kinda .... is weird? she seemed pretty awake there, and it being right after transforming is strange since the mastersword was already restored in that cutscene, i would expect it to be a slow progress- that said .. it also seemed like her soul was doing pretty fine, unlike how mineru said that you lose your soul when you do the dragon thingy; i guess it could be that that was jsut a thing that was believed without knowing if its true but ... why even mention it then, just to dangle some consequence in front of us only to reveal there wasnt any danger actually?

also someone (i think) commented once that zelda being turned back in that weird way was meant to be that she got time reversed .. which ... okay??? the teleport to that weird nakey floating dimension is still a weird choice to me (yes i know its probably the spirit realm or soemthing and thats why the ghosts that went poff already were there but it still feels off to me) .. aynway, i guess it was meant that ghost sonia + rauru did the give power to link thing that sonia and zelda did to rauru when he magic laser blasted all those poor moldoras (and never does it again ... why not magic laser blast away gan instead he was pretty openly standing on that rock problem solved hfldshnflsnjlfs) and that time reversed the dragon thing .... but aside from the symbol for the time thingy lighting up theres no indication for it if i remember right? its just some awkward looking magic beam blast save zelda edition (tm) why not at least include the clear tök sound that goes off when you use time reversal in game? would it have been both more clear AND cool if link was still standing on her head, the world gets that spirit realm filter like it did in skyward sword to indicate that theres a shift, then have the ghosties appear and let you as the player select time thingy and then her, ghosties give you their energy and the sound of time reversal goes off, the schemes of the world below goes black and white and start to shift; you dont need to literally show the path zelda had been flying over those thousands of years, but make the world a blurry mess and let the music speed up so you feel like you are actually doing something and then she turns back maybe near the temple of time (zonau edition) so its near the place where she was last human, the filters and ghosts disappear and whoop you got your epic falling scene ... but i would like to have zelda still remember it, otherwise it just feels .. weirdly manipulative? like lets reverse your brain and memory zelda no dont worry i meant good lmao trust me

that is if it was meant to be read as a time reversal on her .... but then i question why it wasnt used beforehand? couldnt you have done that to ganondorf even? if sonia and rauru can give you enough energy as ghosts then why couldnt sonia reappear after getting one-punche-mand-to-death or when you fight gan in the present time? is the excuse that he was so miasmafied or deep below the earth that the spirit world thing isnt in reach? couldnt you have done it after he did the dragon thing then? or is it a one time thing so they saved it for zelda? but then why didnt sonia get her ghost ass back there immediately after she died and time revrsed gan getting the enigma stone? ALSO if it was a time reversal on zelda where did the stone go??? shouldnt it be time reversaled out of her in some way to undo the dragon thing? where it go?? also to time reversal a body gotta be different to getting her soul back?? or was it just never gone so what mineru said about the risk was literally jsut so it seemed more tragic when it really wasnt??? like the apparent possibilty that the time reversal CAN be used on living things and not just objects makes me question it all even more?

(also was it meant to imply that rauru somehow through his arm got them both into the ghosty dimension?? bc how did they get there, and why cant they do it again? if spirits are fine over there even if they already went poof then why act so sad about mineru fking off like that? just go back there and say hi? njfkdnjkdj)

like im sorry i cant help but overthink all of this, with every supposedly explanation i just question it more?? i dont want to sound like one of those guys that go -OoHoh there was no clear text explanation for it so i dont knooooOOOOoOw i dont know how to use ma braiiin it makes no seeeensee- or maybe i am? i dont need an explanation for everything, in fact i LIKE when there are unexplained things, but it still has to feel .. whole? there are unexplained things that make a world and story feel more mystical without taking you out of it, but theres also a way to leave things both over AND underexplained with it seemingly contradicting itself or it just trusting that you take it all at face value and never think about it that it just feels off, the the first big moment where i felt SO taken out of the game i felt actually stunned was when i was at the shrine of life and it wasnt there anymore, at all, the cave shaped like a vague imitation of it, i felt like the game was laughing at me for being so distraught about it, like what you remember and care about the game this new one was supposed to be a sequel to? lmao, anyway theres a puddle of healing water :)))

idk i just ... if its not obvious already zelda is my special thingy so of course i overthink and criticize it in ways that may seem insane to the average person, but thats just how i work i guess :/

(i am still too thinking so much about how it all feels like such an afterthought, like especially with the weird time bubbles that literally NEVER COME UP AGAIN???? WHAT WAS THE POINT??? AND WHERE DID THEY COME FROM??? and why youd choose to suddendly give zelda time powers out of nowhere and then basically not do anything with it?? zelda astral projecting to the temple of time somehow even tho her soul was lost but is also fine just to give you the time reversal gimmick is so ?? oh wow look at that zelda gave you her sage oath before you even knew about them look how coool ok but how? and why? it wasnt the actual engima stone you touch to go into ghosty world either just like a .. a weird ghost of it, it just feels off man, ok you got zelda out the way and have your neat gimmicks and uuuh dang we need to find a way to give them to you idk lol listen, i KNOW you are not supposed to question it, i KNOW they always go gameplay over story but goddamn the story ruined the gameplay for me bc everytime i think about playing it again i just get reminded of the things that dont make sense or are just so .. lackluster in ways that even botws worst parts didnt)

[ludinusdaleth]

re: your post about xerxes' innocence and optimism being seen as flaws or almost made into a joke. i think both the outside knowledge that asmodeus is a lying opportunist the internet's borderline hero worship of brennan also adds to this; they believe xerxes is meant to be /punished/ for being stupid and selfish enough to trust a devil.

i think you've hit the target pretty well, anon.

i do want to clarify i dont think zerxus is "innocent" in nature about the gods. he knew who asmodeus was; he read about him often, feeling kinship. but i think that speaks to how fundamentally empathetic zerxus is that he turned his anguish over being lonely, isolated from his son, his husband, even his own party, and turned that to feeling almost.... kindness. and it came pouring out, all these feelings of projection and wishing to care for someone again, onto asmodeus. i deeply sympathize on that front; he wants to believe that anyone can be saved because he doesnt know how to fix himself and the broken pieces of his life. is that arrogance, to seek some shred of kindness to prove that it exists?

what bothers me is labeling zerxus arrogant (and all the other traits people detest him for) came from asmodeus's mouth. at the time, the fanbase would not trust a word he said - not his canon past with divine family, not his anguish over losing that family, nothing that zerxus saw and empathized with - but they did all think asmodeus wasnt lying when he said zerxus was arrogant. when what is significant about asmo calling him that is hes projecting as much as zerx is. and the thing is, in canon we know zerxus's belief isn't fruitless (and i think asmodeus knows it deep down too). we know the gods struggle with emotion as much as mortals do (see literally the same scene, zerxus saying asmo hates so purely because he hates himself and asmo biting his lip in fury knowing he cant respond back without proving him right), and can even be swayed to listen (asmodeus is having to help the other gods and mortals right now). we know folk like jester who saw kindness where there genuinely wasnt and still managed to help others find it anyway. it was simply the wrong place at the wrong time. it was the age of arcanum. it was cruel. and zerxus's flaws, while fascinating and many, were not hubris or arrogance. id say his fatal move was being blinded by love that was marred by projection, and he could not see (between his low intelligence score and his desperation) how his love specifically was so important to be weaponized.

as for the brennan point, i do enjoy his dm'ing, but any time he dms for cr you can feel people act like hes here to.... punish? straighten out the kinks? especially right now. somehow fans expect a man they obsess over being a leftist to justify aeorian genocide, "fix" matt & aabria's very long standing interpretations of gods as complex individuals who canonically colonized exandria in such a way that even mortals call it out. i think a large part of that is why they interpreted zerx as "arrogant terrible man righteously suffers under his choices". but.... even brennan gave zerx a chance because he chose to unwaveringly redeem. even he said that his love & hope was not wrong. luis likes & replies kindly to posts on twitter about people who relate to zerxus for being manipulated & abused for choosing to love. matt has said asmodeus is so aware of how fundamentally good zerxus is that he wont let him leave his side. you may choose to read brennan's interpretation of the devil as a christian one punishing sinners, but cr wouldnt be cr if every story did not come down to unending hope & empathy & belief in others even if it took a thousand years for it to come to fruition. and brennan is part of the enduring of that idea.

[dittolicous]

"caleb wasnt a good guy cuz he LEFT his itty bitty brother" "caleb indoctrinated philip into the murder cult then dipped so hes just as bad" "caleb wasnt good cuz he was a witch hunter too" "philip had to survive all alone in the human/demon realm to find caleb!" "caleb made philip this bad!"

holy fuck belos apologists shut up challenge

1) caleb was JUST AS MUCH of a child as philip left in an impossible situation, saying he was 'bad' for leaving philip is basically victim shaming him because his only options were a) stay in a place he hates doing something he hated or b) risk alienating philip by move to the demon realm with a person who made him happy.

theres also no evidence to suggest he just left without a word or kept philip out of the loop. for all we know he did try to change philips mind! all we have to go on is belos's VERY biased memories and a folk-lore retelling of bare details. and seeing how evelyns name is still remembered, along with the numerous rebus found in gravesfield, their friendship/courting went on for a while, a good chunk of which im betting philip WAS in the know. at the very least, he knew evelyn as well as a human amd that something was going on.

im also pretty sure caleb didnt even leave the human realm for the last time until philip was at least in his teens if we go by hair length (hair in a ponytail = teenaged to adult)

2) philip was his own damn person and you can only take 'his brother abandoned him' so far. there was likely only 2-3 years between the two brothers ages, caleb was just as likely to be impressionable amd shaped by society. but by all rights, he chose to change. philip on the other hand, for over 300 years, killed countless witches and grimwalkers, justifying it via bigotry.

and dont come at me about caleb not giving him a chance or w/e, because we see in the memories that caleb embraced and tried to reach philip MULTIPLE times before being murdered by him.

caleb leaving philip does not justify any of belos's actions. not a single one.

society failed them both, creating a toxic environment that warped their views of what was right and what was wrong. both boys made mistakes.

the difference is that caleb recognized they were wrong and chose to leave that environment when he finally got the chance.

philip refused to accept being wrong.

what exactly should caleb have done? was his misery in the human realm unimportant? was he to sacrifice his own happiness so philip could have what he wanted? he was a victim too! he was a child just as much as philip! but because he was the older brother, he didn’t deserve a better life? he'd always have to bend to philip's desires?

caleb did NOT 'make' belos. caleb did not turn philip evil. PHILIP chose to kill, to not give the demon realm a chance. philip chose to kill his brother and make grimwalkers. trying to pass off these choices onto caleb is honestly pathetic and actively missing the true tragedy of belos's character.

he could have had a good life with his brother, he could of found happiness outside of witch hunting! but he was so unable to accept being WRONG in any shape or form, to acknowledge his own inability to see calebs suffering for what it was, that only PHILIP'S happiness mattered, that he chased caleb away.

philip is not innocent, nor is caleb. their story is a tragedy. stop acting like he is to blame for belos's actions. really, putting all the blame onto caleb and not the society that left two orphaned children thinking witch hunting was the only way to survive is. fucking bananas.

like.... you do realize that's exactly the kind of manipulation tactic belos would try to pull, right?

[look-mom-percys-on-the-tv]

Ep 5 reactions

spoilers beneath the cut for s1e5 and minor spoilers for most of the books, but I censored the traitor's name. mostly positive tone.

ANNABETH SAW THE FUCKING FATES

"Im the last one to realize this aren't I" A LITTLE BIT

I love Percy admitting there he was really ONLY in it for Sally. Poseidon does ONE good thing and all of a sudden it's "wait I think the conspiracy to start war betten the gods is... important?" SEE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU MEET REASONABLE PARENTING EXPECTATIONS? A certain god could be taking notes, specifically the patent of [REDACTED]

go off Percy with the emotional intelligence. A for effort

and an A PLUS to Annabeth for the sharing important info and being vulnerable.

I see that coat covering the bike seat. there's human skin on that thing, isn't there?

LIVING the portrayal of Ares as man-baby who starts twitter fights. average maturity level of anyone who likes war.

"there's no fear in you, is there?" STAWPPP

THEY KEPT THE MANHUNT PLOT🎉🎉🎉🎉 also the Gabe is Gabe-ing. Manipulate mansplain manwhore on the most literal level. except disney probably cut the womanizer bit.

the whole "Im immature as shit but my threats are real, I hold all the cards" THE GOD OF WAR IS GODOFWAR-ING

"can I walk them to the door" IS HE GONNA RUN FOR IT? they're really letting Grover miss out on this quest, huh? I mean I guess it makes sense. PLUS it means more Grover-exclusive scenes! MY BOYY

that's a lie. there HAVE to be corny movie nights at camp, right?

ALSO botl movie date, anyone?👀👀👀👀

is that? a JOKE I HEAR??? poking fun at Percy? a little. Genuine? ALSO TRUE. If you told me that "amusing" line was Liften from the book and I've just forgotten about it all five million times I read it, I WOULD BELIEVE YOU

Annabeth who complimented Circe's loom when Percy got cursed🤝 Annabeth who complimented Hepheastus when Percy got trapped

the way she says push before telling him what it is😭😭😭

WE'VE MET BEFORE. I'M 24. A FAN!? GROVER WHAT ARE YOU PLAYING AT

songs about feelings that was PERSONAL

*insert Coach Hedge talking about nature*

Annabeth asking what Ares need the kids for if he wants the bolt/thinks their quest means nothing🤝 Grover gaslight girlbossing : doing detective work under Percy's nose

OOOH good detail with Percy being caught up with all the "3000 year-old goss" because HIS MOTHER TOLD HIM hi sally i fuckign love u

"don't even try to tell me not to be weird about this" we love an honest queen. While I kinda miss book Annabeth being a bit stompy and whiny at this part, I do think that the show version suits its own characterization of Annabeth, saying whatever she thinks needs to be said.

this whole show, I've been able to see everything. episode five DO NOT be the one to let me down! PLEASE!

THE SONG omg i wasnt expecting that. miraculous movie flashbacks fr.

W CONVO. DOUBLEYOU CONVO. nothing to add. perfection.

Also. don't shoot but the song choice unironically fits Hephaestus's story.

SWIMMING

is that a giant gold naked statue of Hera? to taunt them for cheating on him? hypocrite.

"they like to ignore what doesn't fit their narrative" [REDACTED] APOLOGISTS TAKE NOTES.

also, SMOOTH AF

okay there's no way Annabeth doesn't know that story. there's ONE way to take a god's power and she doesn't know it? at least let them tell it in tandem! a little "Yeah I recognize the chair, what of it?" THEN let the touchy-feely boy present the bargain. AT LEAST.

SHE'S NOT LEAVING WITHOUT HIM

"do you need some help?" "FUCK OFF" that's Annabeth

in the one hand, I am not a fan of depriving Annabeth of her super wisdom hero moment. on the other hand, placing responsibility to fix things on the perpetrators instead of those kids from Season ONE queen shit, and showing people can change. slay, but PLEASE let Annabeth do some more puzzle shit!

THE SHIELD LOOKS SO BIG IN HER HANDS

THESE FUCKIGN TWELMVE YEAR OLDS

OH so [REDACTED] and Ares conspired to make sure the trio never makes it there, not just using the magic things that activate at a certain place, but also by DIRECTING THEM TO THE TIME FREEZE ON PURPOSE

TO SUMMON WHAT

that interaction. SO THEM

YOU KNOW WHO WHATTED THE WHAT

[ahthefreedomofbeingbacteria]

Alright so Ebenezer Badde is a bit of an interesting character (or more character concept) if we compare him to Klarion in the Ssov comic.

What's funny about him is that we don't really know why he escaped Limbo Town, why he stuck around in the caves close to Limbo Town (as he was close enough to save Klarion from the Horigal) and why he ultimately decided to start selling kids to child traffickers (including Klarion). This kind of reminds me of Klarion's own ambiguous backstory from his 70-80s appearances; we don't factually know what Klarion's backstory is and what he tells us can't exactly be trusted because the only scene where he talks about his backstory is the one where he's manipulating someone into helping him. It's the same with Ebenezer; the audience and Klarion can't really trust what information he's given us about himself because ultimately he was lulling Klarion into a false sense of security so he could hand him off to Melmoth and his gang. In my personal opinion, Ebenezer should be a 1. reflection of what Klarion could be from both a personal growth perspective (internal to the world) and 2. a sort of commentary on what kind of villain Klarion could be (external / commentary on writing tropes).

1. What I mean by reflection of Klarion is that Ebenezer is a potential reflection of Klarion if he grew into a worse (and more selfish) person. Ebenezer saves Klarion from the Horigal only to sell him in the same issue. He doesn't stumble upon the traffickers, he deliberately heads there the second he has Klarion; this wasnt an opportunity he found by chance, its a deliberate choice he seems to make the second he saves this kid from being mauled or train tracked. And this isn't a first for him either; Klarion is the last of at least 250 other kids that Ebenezer has sold to Melmoth. Ebenezer's little "Oh i feel bad now :( maybe selling kids is bad" at the end of the issue (at kid 251) aside (which i will talk about later), his actions and complete selfishness are a reflection of how Klarion could have developed into a completely selfish person who only functions for his own purposes and wants. Klarion's motivations during the ssov series are to both survive / not get trafficked (surface level) and to gain freedom and independence from the controlling atmosphere of Limbo Town. A big theme with his character across incarnations is his want to be free to do what he wants and not be controlled or told what to do. And while this drive is a good motivation and quite understandable, complete freedom is something we see within this comic in the hands of Submissionary Judah, Ebenezer and Melmoth. These people have the power in the situations they're in (whether as the leader of a powerful organization or the adult in the situation) who use the freedom this power gives them to operate without considering morals or the lives and happiness of other people. So Klarion's drive for power and freedom are well waranted and understandable but Ebenezer serves as a warning for how if Klarion truly embraced complete freedom even from morals he could become as bad as the villains in his story.

2. Now for the external commentary. I think Ebenezer is also a good reflection of Klarion's previous villanous incarnations in addition to a reflection of a popular villain trope. I've already compared Ebenezer to Klarion's 70-80s self and thats the version that I think Ebenezer would be the best commentary on in addition to the Young Justice (show) version of the character. These versions have no remorse or sympathy for other people (besides Teekl, of course) and his only goal in these incarnations is to have fun at the expense of others. The thing that I think ties Klarion's villainous incarnations and Ebenezer together is the fact that the Klarion we see in ssov is technically also the version we see in the 70-80s; timetravel bullshit occures which sends 2005 ssov Klarion back in time to the 70s for the events of his original appearance to occur in Jack Kirby's The Demon #7. While I personally don't like this twist it does allow for a more literal way to show that Klarion has chosen to become completely free even from his own morals, like I stated when I was going over point 1. in the previous paragraph. Ebenezer is a reflection of if Klarion decided to operate solely on what he wanted to do regardless of other people and his devolution from his ssov self to his original self through the time travel bullshit in the finale of the ssov event is a literal way to show that the warning Ebenezer represents has not been heeded and Klarion is on his way to become a similarly bad person.

On top of that I think Ebenezer could be a little commentary on the villain trope of a person having a tragic backstory that leads to them becoming a villain (i dont think Ebenezer is actually written like this but i think it'd be interesting if he was). Ebenezer can be inferred to be Klarion's biological father through some dialogue where he seems to regret selling "his own flesh and blood". We know Klarion's bio dad was a bit of a revolutionary in Limbo Town before he left, as Klarion's stepfather seems to look up to him as someone who inspired some revolutionary ideals before he ran off into Blue Rafters / escaped Limbo Town. So Ebenezer could have a similar story to Klarion; he rejected the ideals of Limbo Town and was isolated from his peers for it, eventually deciding to leave Limbo altogether. The years after his departure obviously weren't good as he's starting resorting to child trafficking to get goods from above ground. And like I said earlier, Ebenezer seems to regret his decision to sell Klarion at the last minute and does a moral heel turn, trying to save Klarion before he's captured. However, he still seems to not comprehend how bad his actions were as he honest to god is suprised when the kid he sold doesnt help him when all the other kids he sold get their revenge. It parrarels a lot of tragic villains written today that have tragic backstories (in this case Ebenezers probable isolation in Limbo Town, his bad experiences above ground and his eventual guilt over his horrific decision making) that change their morals at the last minute so they can get a redemption without putting any work into actually changing and redeeming themselves. So throughout the whole issue he laments his past and how much wrong he's done and how much trouble he could get in if the Horigal / Submissionaries catch him but instead of actually taking a look at himself and changing he just keeps on trucking and making the same horrible decisions. He uses his past and his own unwillingness to change himself and his situation to justify his actions and when he finally makes a decision to change up his act and goes back to save Klarion, he's suprised that Klarion feels no sympathy for him and no remorse for letting the Leviathan kill him. And idk that kind of speaks to the fact that he didnt actually meaningfully change or challenge his worldview; he made a split second decision that made no real impact on Klarion's journey because he felt bad  (once again, he didnt change his worldview or change at all. He just felt bad and acted impulsively) and then seemed to expect all to be forgiven and for him to just be able to continue his life unimpeded. He doesnt even seem to regret selling kids, he just regrets selling Klarion seemingly because he's "his own flesh and blood". And I think this parralels with Klarion again, because Klarion has been challenging his own worldview and the ideals of everyone around him in Limbo Town. Hes constantly getting his image of the world shattered (finding out there is no Croatian, being betrayed, seeing Blue Rafters, being betrayed again, almost getting burned at the stake) but he changes with these revelations and doesn't let the challenging of his ideals or idea of the world break him down. Ebenezer Badde wallows in the dank caves beneath New York for years because he just can't change or challenge himself to actually accept his reality and move on with his life while Klarion constantly changes with each new revelation in the new world he encounters and doesn’t allow all the shit he goes through or challenges to his worldview shatter his morality or sense of self (with some help and guidance from Teekl, of course).

In conclusion Ebenezer Badde cool parrarel to Klarion and I'm glad he's dead. Thank you for reading 💫.

[corybiit]

Bro I keep thinking about that ending and how the books seems to really play more into the ambiguity of Lucy gray and her relationship to snow…can you imagine if she just dropped the scarf and came back to the cabin five mins later with the katniss and just saw snow shooting up at the sky randomly and screaming 😂 before then just slowing backing away and being like nah this guy ain’t it …third time lucky hopefully lmao

In the book you really don't know if Lucy ever suspects Coryo, she's really calm and goes outside to get Katniss and everything after is bc Coryo twisted everything inside his head. Like he was so happy he found the murder weapon than he laughed in sheer joy and literally shed tears of relief bc he could go back to panem.

And as he thinks he's finally free he is like, wait no, Lucy Gray is still there she knows everything.

But he dismisses it first bc she loves him and he thinks that like a thing to take advantage of.

He thinks of a way of leaving her without angering her enough that she goes to the peacekeepers to rat him out.

Then he starts spinning everything to make it seem like she was the one manipulating him and thinks she could have been pretending all this time and how she must have killed the tributes in cold blood without actually feeling remorse.

He goes, she's not made out of sugar, she's a Victor.

And then he goes outside with the gun after checking it was loaded and looks for her. And bc he doesn't see her he thinks she figured everything out, about sejanus, about him not wanting to run away anymore bc he can be free again.

And he thinks hey maybe it's the loaded gun I have, but he wasn't going to kill her he just wanted to talk

He calls for her and thinks maybe she went back and that she would rat him out so he says we'll now I have no choice but to hunt her down.

And then he finds the scarf and the snake and he goes oh she wants to kill me. And he just spirals down.

Hes like, oh she's gonna pay for this before I die. He thinks she went back to the house and thinks he hears something and literally shoots in that direction and hears a cry.

And then when she's not there he says "It's not too late to work something out." Of course it was but he owed her nothing. Certainly not the truth" that's literally from the book. And then that's when she sings the hanging tree.

Mockingjays start singing and bc he hates them he gets frustrated, tries to shoot on the direction of her voice and then just goes around shooting until there's nothing left.

He goes back gets rid of the guns and goes to the training base to the doctor and the doctor is like, it wasnt a venomous snake don't worry. And he just leaves and no one knows what happened to Lucy gray.

Coryo really was crazy and spun things so he could leave with no remorse, painting Lucy as a murdered and manipulative when it was him all along.

[blaqueswanzaghouliishiilikeda]

It was claudia's choice to stay and make the new house rules though?? she could've said no and simply left before louis let lestat back in the house but she didn't want to go without him. but i think once she agreed on the terms, whats so unreasonable about louis expecting she would also try to make the family work.. but she's acting that way because she knows things louis doesn't yet know in that scene. he thinks everyone's making an effort except her so he's scolding her for disturbing what he believes is their hard earned peace (which we later find out actually all that was a lie).

i mean yeah, but shes also 14. and black. and a girl. she can leave and go where? and how long will she survive on her own? she can’t leave anymore than louis? why am i to be understanding about louis staying and not understanding about her staying?

i felt that from a place of having seen the impact of bringing an abuser back in the home from her perspective. of a parent that denies the abuse a child is facing and berates them for how they respond and the symptoms of trauma that brings up in them. of having someone talk to you like they arent connecting the dots or at least making room to say it makes sense why youre acting this way. but this isnt helping. this goes into him not being able to really guid her through this. and i get why. i just feel her frustration. bc i have seen it. i have heard it. i have felt it. why would i reduce her behavior and anger to her plotting and not see the full breath of the betrayal and anger? shes not just acting that way because louis doesn’t know. shes acting that way bc she has a perspective that doesnt matter in the grand scheme of things that rule didn’t stand a chance. lestat does not abide by rules.

she didnt believe lestat bc lestat as been saying he’s gonna be done w Antoinette since before she was even in the picture. im not blaming louis for believing him. but lestat manipulated his way in. claudia isnt gonna just go along with that. bc she can see that. people have joked about how louis would have taken him back sooner if claudia wasnt even there. and it angers her that louis believed him. and i understand why he believed him. im asking. why doesnt claudia get gentleness too.

why doesnt louis say hey please stop with that for all the reasons that was brought up. why call her ugly?? why do that?? he made a 14 year old vampire immortal and locked into her 14 year old sensibilities why expect something else? hes tired and going through his own mental illness and trauma symptoms and he believes her to be the only one not trying. but in his reasons for how lestat is trying is he cut it off with the singer. well thats a reason centered around loustat. and for claudia piano lessons etc. but how is he taking care to amend the break he caused in their relationship? is she really the only one not trying??

thats what im saying. i know why he’s behaving that way. and im angry about how that impacts claudia. and im angry about how he’s impacted by the abuse. but he chose to show her that anger and irritation and that rubs me the wrong way. i have had kids crying to me about how they feel they nahave neither parent. bc it could have been “i know you only giving him what he gives you but thats not you.” instead it was “your ugly” bc its the trauma show.

[real-total-drama-takes]

ok but imo julia is better than Scarlett, Sugar, Mal, Scott, Justin and honestly arguably Courtney (who was just unpleasant with how awful she was with Duncan). heather may have manipulated lindsay and beth better (julia lowkey flopped manipulating chase) but she'd also make no active plans for immunity like julia (strategy of solely relying on immunity was a choice). remember when she kissed trent and put a massive target on her back without even knowing she'd win immunity?? I sure as hell do. Bowie is probably just below Alejandro but honestly the fact he wasnt manipulating 24/7 probably makes him a better villain. was anyone really seeing Bowie as a threat at any point in the game?? if they did it wasnt to the same level as alejandro. either way yeah Bowie >> Julia but I do think julia has a strong case for being 4th best villain at worst and only really played the game like heather and courtney

.

[iyliss]

thanks. do you know the connection between being traumatized and needing more power for saiou in s4? like before mizuchi got kidnapped since it was to manipulate him? what was he going to use that power for (destinymaxxing)?

P.S. i was confoused when mizuchi said saiou would be happier if he had no powers/ became a normal human in 171? wasnt the problem that people were scared of them???//

Explaining Saiou's behavior in s4 is a little messy but also incredibly interesting to me so sorry in advance for how long will it take...

The first thing I'd like to point out is that I don't really think Saiou is right in claiming people were scared just for his power. Given how Judai and Johan were treated (bad, but still better), and that Saiou and Mizuchi both have social struggle beyond the use of their power, I think there is more to their isolation than just a general rejection. It's hard to tell if they have horrible social skills because of the isolation, or if they were isolated because of their inability to communicate but still. I don't think it was as simple as "power = evil" to every adult around them.

And yet Saiou seems to believe it was their power alone, that if they weren't there they would be accepted. At the same time, it protected and maybe saved them. I'm not sure Saiou could have gone far if he hadn't met Edo, and even then how would two young kids survive alone... Except their powers also furthered that isolation. When he says "I saw people and their heart as cards", he can mean many thing, but one of them is that he ends up only seeing reality through the filter of his predictions and people as the cards moving around on the table. Also I like the idea that the more he uses his power, the harder it is for him to connect to the present time.

At the same time, it's a struggle between safety and freedom. Knowing the future mean he can have a little bit of hope, and protection, especially in a world where they can't rely on anyone. It also mean his future is set in stone and he has no choice to follow his own prediction.

This is the setting for Saiou's desire to no longer have his power. He thinks that, without them, he'll be able to properly view people as people and connect to them like they do with one another, while not having the binds of a fore-told future.

Except he can't really just return to having a normal life like that. As I said, it's likely his isolation was caused by something else than just powers. And even then it's impossible to repair so much damage in little time, if at all. And then: Mizuchi is kidnapped. Something Saiou could have seen and maybe prevented if he had his powers. Not only is the hope he had about a normal life without them crushed, but he realize the safety he lost. So, if he can't have the "normal life" he wished for, he can at least get powers again so he doesn't have to live in fear. It's not about what he use them for, but about having something to hold onto.

In a way, it's similar to dependency/toxic cycles built through traumatic situation. Telling the future hurts Saiou in many ways, but it's the only thing that kept him going for a long time. He eventually has to break free of it, but it leaves him alone and scared without the one thing that brought him a sense of safety.

And overall, I love taking that duel as a general display of reaction to PTSD. Without talking about Judai, Saiou has only been out of danger for about a year (before that it was either the light, poverty, possibly abuse, who knows what else). This whole time he hoped that, once the danger is out, he'll be able to be happy and at peace. But he can't truly feel safe without the binds he has grown used to, and he can't see how to repair all that it destroyed. So, he wants to go back to what he knows even if it hurts himself and others.

Actually I'm not sure it helped but I hope it gave a little sense to Saiou's behavior in s4. (And thank you for the ask nothing brings me joy like having an excuse to spend way too long talking about Saiou ♥).

[yellowis4happy]

Thank you for the most succinct comeback to Whatserface’s idiocy I’ve ever seen. No waffling, no trying to argue your point, just a quick ‘there is something deeply wrong with you’ and a block. Beautiful. She’s going to keep trying to link your name now and get you to unblock and debate her, because that’s her kink or something. I’d suggest reporting her, and blocking any of her followers who try to debate you for her by proxy. I’m sorry, you are right that there is something deeply wrong here.

She can do whatever she wants bc I've already forgotten her username 💖

[resernit]

SPOILERS GUYS SPOILERS

the quarry characters as zodiac signs (bcs i was bored ❤️)

abi - taurus

abi is very realistic, one of the most logical out of the group. all through out the game she went with the safe options; hiding in the bunker, pushing nick away, running when nick was attacked no matter what you choose. though the one time she was confrontational, when she pushed nick into the water, she did it out of straight anger because he wouldn't listen to her. she's very similar to a taurus in her determination, intelligence, temper, and artistic ability.

nick - cancer

what we saw of nick in the game was mostly him being manipulative. however, before his personality changed because of the infection he was very in tune with his emotions and even philosophical in a way. he's the stereotype of a cancer: emotional, quick to anger, and spiteful when not in their right minds.

ryan - sagittarius

even though the stereotypical sagittarius is funny and energetic, i'm basing my choice for ryan off of personal experience with this sign. he had a hard time comprehending when he was being joked with, or flirted with, all through out the game. he was oblivious as much as he was fierce, and as fierce as he was blunt. he had very main character traits that i feel connect with a sagittarius's very well. Leadership skills, determination, independence, and impulsiveness is ryan just wrapped up in a few words.

emma - leo

emma was a total badass all through out the game. she went out on her own, managed to save herself twice, and destroyed a man's heart in the process. she's confident, dominant, creative, and determined; what more is there to say?

dylan - libra

dylan was extroverted, friendly, and logical through out the full game. if it wasnt for him and his quick thinking, half of the characters would be dead. dylan avoided serious conflict, and refused to interfere whenever things got intense, regularly to freeze up. he doesnt handle harsh situations well; but that didnt stop him from using quick thinking to stop himself from getting infected and saving ryan, abi, nick, emma, and kaitlyn with the idea of the wire. even handless for half of the game he saved lives. all of his personality traits, including hiding his REAL personality, correlate well with those of a libra.

kaitlyn - capricorn

kaitlyn, our resident ambitious badass. she works as the leader of the group, using logical but empathetic thinking to make decisions. she helps ryan, dylan, abi, and nick many times in the span of the night; and refuses to hide until everyone around her is safe. yet, she was pessimistic and ruthless at different points in the game. all of these traits fits the ones of a capricorn.

jacob - aries

the stereotypical aries is easy to anger, hyperactive, brave, and determined. as well as jacob fits all of those, he's also incredibly sensitive and acts without thinking. his bravery is more a form of him just not comprehending the things going on around him; which is also a very... ariesy trait. (i love you guys, and jacob, dont @ me 😭)

laura - scorpio

LAURAAAA. laura. laura had one goal in mind the full game; saving max. she's determined, brave, loyal, and honest. she was even empathetic at points in the game when with ryan. every one of her personality traits point to her being a scorpio, enough said.

max - gemini

even though max usually just went with what laura said, and was rather quiet, he was technically the first one to guess werewolves were the things that were fucking with them. he's smart, funny, and mostly un-confrontational unless he's threatened. he's also prideful to a point where he refuses to talk about failure, hence his hidden letter. what a gemini.

[wasflypaw]

Tommy has now canonically spent 2 months in Hell which was pure torture and now he's revived he's still stuck in a cell with his abuser surrounded by triggers which are now Worsened due to his sensitivity to sounds n touch

Now has he faced enough consequences???

At this point I literally dont care about any past wrongdoings he's done, I genuinely Dont, he's made up for them tenfold

I still want him to apologise to Jack but God Damn

I keep seeing Tommy be placed in the "people excuse your actions more than you deserve" part of the tier list and at this point he absolutely deserves to have his actions excused considering he's apologised for them, faced consequences, was Exiled and Abused, literally Died in a torture box, went through Literal Hell and Back, etc.

Nah if you bring up Tommy's past wrongdoings unless its ppl like Jack n Fundy who he needs to reconcile with I ain't listening anymore

Techno doesnt count bc though he did hurt him and they do need to reconcile it was Genuinely the only option he had that wouldnt ruin his relationships with literally everyone else and it was not a betrayal done out of malice or hatred and was inevitable

"he stole from/betrayed Techno :(" "he burned down George's house :((" "ouughghhh the discs" "he killed THE CAT" I Do Not Care. Genuinely what's the point of bringing these up, it's not like he can face any more consequences for them and absolutely NONE of his actions even compare to the consequences he faced for them lmao it ain't like he's got off scot free for anything

Tommy and Sapnap kill Dream = only Tommy is punished, getting his prized possessions stolen, and he is THE ONLY ONE ever blamed and villainised for The Disc War despite it being mostly Dream's thing that HE has escalated and brought others in to

Wilbur starts L'Manberg, convinces Tommy to join him = Dream targets specifically Tommy, AGAIN, blows up his base twice, even the Fight Club he spent over an hour on, gets the Cuck Shed Schlatt made him blown up,

Tommy takes Karl's book = Without even talking to him about the book, because he literally Wasnt Online, they take his pet cow, who has been alive for 2 months at that point and Tommy has repeatedly said he cared for said pet as much as his discs, and kills said pet by "accident"

Tommy, after repeatedly saying he wants to reclaim L'Manberg, steps down from presidency, and instead Wilbur makes Tubbo president = Tommy is literally the only one blamed, he's told to die, he watches his brother figure get stabbed, the nation he died for blown up by said brother figure, Techno turns on him and tells him to die

Tommy accidentally burns down the house of someone who is inactive most of the time and genuinely doesnt care = Tommy is Exiled from his home, everything he knows, and is abused and manipulated and isolated repeatedly to the point of being suicidal

Tommy makes a mature choice and leaves Techno bc he doesnt like who he's becoming around him = Tommy, despite not being a part of The Butcher Army, has to watch for an entire depressing ass hour as his nation he died for is ripped away from him alongside the physical memories of the "real" Wilbur he had. Like bruh Doomsday wasnt even fast they couldve had the nation blown up in a second like Wilbur did but they dragged it out to watch the citizens suffer

Tommy. Idk. Wants to build a hotel? Stole a couple items? Tried to scam someone?? Idk?? = He's trapped in a literal torture box full of 90% of his triggers with his abuser, crying out for the guy who said he would protect him, spends a week in there and is then beaten to DEATH by his abuser, and spends 2 months in the absolute torture that is the afterlife with his brother figure who is now worse than before

So yes. I'm absolutely going to excuse his actions at this point

[goatpaste]

evil mane six you say... im listening👀

e! yeah this is like from a nearly 6+ year old AU of mine from when i originally into mlp and stuff 

lil cringe but i really wantd to update it because i liked some design/story concept from it

some of the basic world building for this AU was that the Crystal Empire never disappeared and went on to basically be the cantorlot of this universe, and ponies relied on a crystal based technology system and magic became less of a focus as crystal magic was something everyone could use.

Sombra is a good king of the empire, with a large happy family. Dear friends to the wizards of cantorlot, Celestia and Luna. Sombra also made of the elements of harmony in my AU but this is about these bad bitches

twilight in my AU was a unicorn who looked up to the wizards of Cantorlot and wished to train under their wings. she learned many powerful spells from them and the books of great unicorns.

however Twilight became obsessed after learning of the elements of harmony, an ancient relic that had gone into slumber years ago claiming it wouldnt return until it was needed. however twilight thought herself to be smarter and able to force it out of hiding so that Equestria could have a boost in magic believing it would further society to have another source of power.

Twilight had no idea what she was working with and began to work behind the backs of celestia and luna. Tuning into Lord Tireks ability to absorb magic she used it for herself to drawn out the magic of the elements. However she was rejected and the spell turned on her, turning her to a monstery figure would mind could only think of taking the elements powers.

Shining armor was there with her when it happened trying to stop her, but instead became apart of the magical rejection. Only his body was effected and he was forced to stand by and watch his sisters mind become corrupted. Now she is locked in tarturus with Shinning armor as the doors gaurds, hoping they can find a way to heal her. 

Rarity is much like her normal self, the only difference is she much more work focused and lives in the crystal empire. She was so goal oriented that she had no friends and simply went day to day working herself to the bone trying to make each dress better than the last. 

it drove her made when she began to believe her style was becoming repetitive and she simple would do anything to get out of her runt. so she left the empire and went out into the snow around the kingdom seeking out an old mine full of unique and beautiful stones. 

Little would she know she would come across a locked away evil that would take over her mind, feeding on her greed and want to be the best. she would act much as normal Sombra, taking over the crystal empire and demanding the most beautiful stones and jewelry and gowns of the people. it would be this event that would set the new elements into motion, king sombra and friends stopping rarity. (id like to thing her villian name could be oddity...)

when i originally designed these villian designs pinkie was defiantly meant to take over nightmare moons place. 

Pinkie pie’s family lives in the crystal empire, as crystal farmers. Pinkie pie herself would work at the castle as a party planner from planning the birthdays of sombras children, to grand galas to diplomatic brunches. She is close friends with Princess Ivory.

However when rarity took over Pinkie pie was held captive as a jester for rarity. some believe the close contact with a creature radiating darkness infected pinkie pie. because there was hardly any build up, just one day Pinkie pie seemed to snap. right in the middle of a party she went berserk and began to destroy everything. The royal court chose to let her off assuming she was sick or had a sugar crash, the list of what it could be was endless. Pinkie pie word return again to throw Princess Ivory’s party and nearly kill her. Pinkie pie would have no memory of what she did only to come concious and learn she was banished from the court and to ever see Ivory again. it broke Pinkie’s heart and it was a moment of weakness. her mind was clouded and she turned into a monster of a mare named ‘The Timeless Party’ and planned to party the whole planet to its core until it could party no more.

with the new found elements of harmony powers pinkie pie was saved, she hasnt returned to the castle but still gets note from Ivory despite refusing to see her out of fear of hurting her. 

Rainbow dash was a clouddale pony, she never left the city and happily worked at the weather factory and thinking of the day she would be a wonderbolt. Until the day she lost her wings, she could no longer fly like other pegasus and began to adjust to her new life. she moved to the ground and became a park ranger. she lived a happy simple life coming to enjoy the new experiences that came her way that she never thought she would thought she would enjoy.

Until a stroke of misfortune hit her, literally hit her. A bolt of lightning hit her and she swore she died, Until she  awoke and found she wasn't. instead she was covered in dark rolling clouds that she could manipulate and shape to her will. 

Rainbow dash found she could fly again and faster than ever before and with no fear of lightning or hail. the weather knelled to her. little did she know with the use of her power she brought on violent storms, floods and lightning made forest fires. Rainbow dash chose to stop her new powers until she could get them under control, but found this itch like a voice in the dark parts of her mind. telling her to let go and enjoy her powers, they were a gift after all.

it wasnt long until rainbow dash changed and seemed to no longer care about her damages. with this came the ancient unicorn, Starswirl the bearded. An old unicorn of old equestria would had frozen his aging to ensure his students could full take over for him one day. however star swirl was full of himself and could never see the bigger picture. He would freeze rainbow dash in ice and leave her in the cold mountains. 

with the story reaching tarturus shining could over hear twilight talking about starswirl and asking shining armor if he really thought rainbow dash was the villian and if starswirl choices were truly for the best. 

Fluttershy lives in ponyville outskirts but ponyville in this world is mostly underwater and a tourist town for the large spa/hotspring resort run by and supported by a colony of seaponies and sirens. 

Fluttershy barely patreons there except to quietly get a spa once a month. and leaves without a world.

she still works with animals but mostly runs a pet cemetery for animals that drowned in the local waters or potentially eaten by rouge sea creatures. Fluttershy sadly would die in her own cemetery having fallen and hit her head on a tombstone. 

however after not being found she would be reclaimed and returned to the living by the earth. believing she was given a second chance and was not one with the earth Fluttershy didn’t notice that it was darkness that brought her back.  Fluttershy didn’t question her need to send the world back to a state when animals thrived and ponies were scares.

(a villian name i had for her was Queen Pangea)

With the mostly underwater Ponyville in this AU applejack comes from a family of both seaponies and sirens. herself mostly taking after the siren side of the family. She comes from a farming family of seaweed farmers that contributes to the spa and Ponyville’s many economy source. 

Applejack’s colony would suffer a infection of darkness that effected a good chunk of the siren population including a bunch of applejacks family and herself. It started with it switching on and off were they would go into schooling frenzies and attack wildlife or other seaponies and sirens. Ponies began to speak bad of sirens believing them to be showing their true nature, which only pushed applejack over the edge. she would begin hunting the waters and destroying other seaponies livelihoods and the things the spa required, even running off guest.

Starswirl has plans to take care of the siren colony that has begun to terrorize ponyville, and shining armor questions if he really has the best choices in mind and wonders if the sirens are at all like his sister and need help.